Glued Ferrels: A safe extraction technique?

[brycycle]

Paul,

just received this '73 4001. i was aware that the holes for the keywinds had been enlarged to accomodate replacement parts - what i wasn't expecting, was to find that the ferrels had been glued in place. looks to be wood glue.

any suggestions on how to remove these w/o causing damage?


thanks-

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f156/ ... tock-3.jpg

[jingle_jangle]

Looks like somebody's already tried on the "G" string's ferrule:



These will drive out with a drift or piece of dowel rod the size of the hole, provided it's done on a firm, flat surface with the headstock laid face-down and supported on two wood blocks, so the ferrule is clear and can pop out.

HOWEVER, the issue is the glue, and you'll possibly chip the surface away (as the arrow above shows)

Run a sharp #11 Exacto blade all around under the ferrule, to break any bond there may be between it and the surface of the headstock. Then make the setup described above and hold a well-heated soldering iron of at least 40 watts so it's in the hole and contacting the ferrule. The aim is to heat the ferrule so the glue softens--this works with wood glues and epoxies; it will NOT work with super-glues. When the ferrule is nice and hot, remove the soldering iron and insert a 6" length of dowel rod. Now start tapping, but very gently. Easy does it...if you find a chip comes away, super-glue it back into place right away. With a bit of luck, you won't have too many of these. Press the chip back into place with a small pointed scribe or probe. When the glue's dry you can touch up the cracks with some clear nail polish and sand and buff it back to health. It's tricky, tedious, and you'll curse the guy who swapped tuners for those monster shafts.

[brycycle]

thanks for the quick reply, Paul.

yes, i noticed that chip which is why i contacted you before proceeding!

i will let you know how it turns out!

B

[brycycle]

done!

fortunately, it was wood glue.

the extraction went flawlessly, no chips!

looks like the Grover ferrels will JUST cover the dowel plugs.

the next step - filling/painting the screw holes. any suggestions here Paul?

thanks again for your guidance.

[jingle_jangle]

Yeah, I've found the same thing. Those honkin' big Grover ferrules will do a nice job of covering the dowels.

Screw holes: I usually drive in maple splinters, trim them nearly flayt, and carefully sand flat. Touch up with some nail polish that you've tested and tinted to match.

Remember, FG is a transparent finish...opaque nail polishes will work, but must be approached with care!

[brycycle]

thanks, Paul.

is there an exisitng thread detailing the 'touch-up' process? that is, what grit of sand paper to use, which paints to use to tint the polish, etc?

[jingle_jangle]

Not really. You can use different shades of polish to tint each other, or you can use hobby paints. Be warned that hobby paints are enamel, and putting clear lacquer over them will make 'em wrinkle, so just use gloss hobby paints (which are opaque, but we're talking about tiny dots to hide the maple sliver tips, which technically are endgrain and will come up darker anyway with translucent colors like actual FG dyes. Mix a shade that matches the FG pretty well, and make your touch-up dots tiny; just big enough to cover the ends of the tapered splinters. Let dry overnight, sand with #1000 wet or dry paper, rub out a bit with compound, Scratch-X, Zymol, diaper, etc., etc., etc...