The HeatStick: remove glued necks with no damaging steam
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- The traditional way to release a glued neck joint is by piping steam from boiling water into the joint. That much water damages delicate finishes, and can loosen braces and neck blocks. That's why we've developed the HeatStick.
StewMac HeatStick for Neck Removal
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Neck Removal Jig
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Solomon SL-30 Soldering Station
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Bridge Heater and Fingerboard Iron
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To anyone actually attempting this, make sure to score the lacquer where the heel meets the body first.
Always love seeing professionals doing a pro, clean and good job. Especially on objects that can have a high emotional value.
Great video. Now show us a video of the wood removal from the neck and the reinstall of the neck.
Really intriguing innovation. I like the idea. In my experience hide glue joints resist dry heat better than aliphatic glues like Titebond. I wonder if a little more water would be needed in the old guitars?
It really varies depending on the guitar, but you typically shouldn't need to add extra water just for hide glue.
yes you do. we've been pulling necks like this for a few years since ian thought of it and showed me it. you do need a little water
Thanks Alex Glasser. I'm going to give it a shot. I'll do anything to limit finish clouding.
First, the quality of the production of the videos keeps improving. This Heat stick idea is quite good I must say. The comments seem to show some concern for the diameter of the hole you have to drill thru the fingerboard. This of course should be discussed with the customer before doing this repair. When I showed this video to a customer, she asked "could you put the copper stick in a drill chuck and sand paper the diameter down a bit?" So i as you nice Stew-Mac folks, is this ok to do or not? Or will you come out with a smaller diameter stick? Me I can fix and finish any hole or crack so you will have a hard time finding it.
Thanks for Great tools and advice over the years. I have alot of the earlier VHS repair tapes.
Have a Good Day, Blue Max Stringed Instrument Repair
That is the very best removal process I have seen. Looks very reliable, repeatable, which is what I wanted to find. Not an experiment or "hope" this works with little control over the method itself. Thanks for showing this and how it is done with precision. I have a Harmony H6128 and need to do a neck removal and think this can really help.
I will never try this at home. lol. These videos increase my appreciation of a good, experienced luthier and why their services are worth every penny you pay.
Try it at home on broken guitars. You may well surprise yourself.
That’s the smoothest neck removal I have seen in my life!!! Omg Thant’s nice.
wow, that was impressive. i need to do this to an SG soon
We have to do an SG too. I am wondering if a guy could use a screw and plate method to reaffix the neck on an SG? Would sure make changing the neck angle a breeze next time. I know the depreciation factor will come into focus here but if you do a pretty job it could be a smart improvement.
If I ever need surgery I think I’d trust the crew at Stew Mac before any doctor.
Whatever surgery you'd need, StewMac would have custom tools for the job.
Hahahahahahaha True. They are good.
This is why my new flat top has a bolt in neck. No glue joint needed, and the bolts are steel so they're super strong and actually prevent this from happening in the first place. If a reset was ever needed in the future, removing the neck is just as easy as removing the two bolts. The tongue also has a reinforcing plate underneath with a small bolt through it into the fingerboard for added strength and stability. I mention this here because many still think a bolt in steel string is blasphemy, but they are in fact an improvement. Neck resets are very expensive, often more so than the guitar itself.
A bolt-on system doesn't prevent some of the changes to an acoustic neck that necessitate a reset. They do make it a lot easier to get the neck off.
Bolt on necks have been around longer than most realize. National used them in the 50's for archtops and Levin (early Goya guitar in North America) used them from at least the 50's through to the 70's. My Goya S16 from '58 has one. It needed a reset and my luthier was impressed by the bolting system used.
Why haven't they caught on? I'd love to hear theories because it make so much sense to do it this way.
@@andrewlong71 With today’s technology of testing wood vibrations, etc. the explanations by some that somehow you have better tone than a bolt on system to me is not proven. I suspect the tone or sustain differences to a bloke like me would indiscernible. Playability though does impact the sound, as the player’s ability to be comfortable and play their very best is to much more important than whether a neck is glued on the old traditional way, or whether a new bolt system is used.
If the neck angle later has to be corrected once again or not, whether a bolt system or traditional dove tail, glued joint, or a combination of the two, it is really a testament that wood, and really the neck of an acoustic guitar design will continue to have physical engineering limitations (facing years of fairly straight line linear string tensions stretching from the tuners to the bridge and also the torque strumming actions and tensions and up and down depressions, string bending, temperature and humidity fluctuations to which just about any instrument may be exposed (more or less).
So, long and short of my post is that the stubbornness of the majority of the guitar building industry to not have already moved forward years and years ago with much more emphasis on better engineering design for bolt on systems instead of traditional glued on wood joints is imho ridiculous, especially with the amount of forensic wood sound and strength testing technology available to delve into a better, standardized way of making it more cost effective and accurate for neck angles to be reset (without steam, heating rods, basketball needles, drilling into the tongue tops of fretboards, and the in exact wiggling methods and bracing we see). Taylor guitar manufacturing and some others should not be the only guitar companies using bolt on systems.
Consistency though is most important to me. If it is a more exacting, repeatable neck reset method I’m totally all for it whether it is a glued neck or a bolt on system. Yes, we still want to and need to deal with vintage guitars and they should be handled with care and love. So any improvement of a neck reset method for the extension of playable life in desired oldies but goodies (whether a Martin or a Regal) is welcomed.
Great job on the guitar, but also on making a really useful and clear instructional video. Thank you
Man. Leave it to stewmac ta come up with some of the best methods for repair. I’ve never been disappointed with a steward Macdonald video. Thanks guys
Just love watching this channel learn somthing new all the time
I'm surprised that you make such a large hole for the copper heating stick - .144. Medium jumbo fret are usually around .106. It would be great to see how the hole gets finished over - re-use the shavings?
David Case you can ground it down and mix it with glue
Thanks - I'd love to see a finished job just to take it all full circle...
fixing divits and gouges (or holes) in fretboards is common using shavings and glue.
I've actually seen another video where the gentleman removed a neck in a similar way. He said he just cuts a little circle from a similar colored and grained wood, and glues it in, after which he just cuts the fret slot into it. He said this leaves a tiny "half moon" shape on both sides of the fret, but it is better than blushing the finish and the other negative sides of using the steam method.
i love watching these demos videos by stew mac - they've come up with so many cool tools it makes me want to become a luthier just so i can play with all the tools.
You're very skilled. Great job. I couldn't do that. I'd be afraid of ruining it.
omg.... superb. Im a Mechanical Engineer and a guitarist... never thought of this... till I broke the neck of my favourite hollowbody electric...now got a find a guy who could do this.
Very nicley done ✅ I never knew the soddaring thingy was optional! Terrific! Your an artist, great workmanship
Wow that is quite an undertaking.
WOW! I thought somethings were just NOT fixable?
Everything is fixable, its just how much do you want to spend.
Exactly, i think it’s better to buy new guitar, fixed one is not gonna look perfect for sure.
its just wood dude
Watching this was traumatic, I’m hoping none of my guitars ever need this surgery!
Many acoustics will, the force of the strings pulling eventually just takes over. The fix is to buy a newer Taylor, their necks are bolted on and can be removed and reset before The Price is Right is back from commercial.
That’s why we usually do these procedures behind closed doors haha
If you have several guitars then it's a good idea to loosen the strings when they're not being used. a couple of turns on each tuner greatly reduces the stress on the guitar and a guitar might only be used for a few hours a week.
You will if its a solid wood gtr....eventually !
That is one tough ass guitar.....he didn't even use any Anesthetic!!
Looks like an Espana by Bjarton. Nice repair video!
They do make left handed drill bits. They are great for so many things, I have 4 or 5 sets of them. Drilling in reverse, risks having the drill bit coming loose. LH drill bits are great for removing broken screws, too, and especially good for working on pedal steel guitars.
You misunderstand the reason for spinning the bit backwards. It's for going into an existing cavity safely. If you go in with the bit spinning the regular way, there's a very high risk of the edge catching and blowing out a chunk of wood. A prime example of this technique is when enlarging pot holes on overseas guitars to 3/8".
When I first heard of steaming the neck to remove it I wondered why they did not just stick a soldering iron in the hole to heat up the glue. At that point I figured that the steam must be better for some reason. I could have done this 20 years ago.
I’ve never known that you can repair a acoustic guitar before. I just buy another.Great job guys. Now i want to give it a try on my recent 1941 Martin d-18 wish me luck 😁
You want to try your first neck re-set on a 41 D-18?
Thank you teaching us the proper way to remove the neck...
Great job - this is what I'd call a dream neck reset
A lot of verygood people on the program. WOW
Thought I'd mention, that not all guitars have a tapered dovetail like the Martins. Older Gibson, Guild and Ovation guitars have a straight tenon which is perpendicular to the fretboard. Just a bit of help for someone wanting to reset the neck of a Gibson, Guild or Ovation guitar.
Also I would dare to propose a new method, channel hot air from a heat gun through the needle instead of steam. I would believe this would also work just as well breaking down the glue.
I scrolled through the youtubes and read the thumbnail of this video and I was SHOOK for a littlebit.
i took this idea using the drill bit both drilling into the neck and then just sticking the soldering iron onto the drill bit and injecting water into the hole once a minute and I got the neck off that way :)
Surely using a pair of these inexpensive 'soddering' irons, one for each side of the joint and a far lower temperature would do a much better job without burning the wood. That looks suspiciously like a cheap UNION BP53 iron, just like the one I've owned for over ten years, and any reasonably competent machinist could run up a suitable 'bit' for it. Thanks for the tip. I'll probably buy another iron!
I’ve found, over time, that I’ve implemented some of your useful insights. I’m not sure I’d take a drill bit to my Gibson Jumbo 😱 Otherwise very enlightening 👌🏻
Wow! That’s really impressive!
What about fixing the hole? some kind of dowel? The hole is wider than the fret.
It would be nice to see the whole process from the removal, to the repair or at least the re-installment and clean up.
If you add a tiny hole in the side of the Heatstick needles, it will also work with ERSA soldering irons. They allow to change tips when they're still hot by removing a spring that holds them in position.
You are correct that you will need to plug the #27 drill bit hole (.144"-diameter). We recommend using a plug cutter and a piece of wood that matches the fingerboard. You should try your best to align the grain of the plug with that on the fingerboard. Once you have installed the plug with wood glue, you then need to re-cut the fret slot accross the plug.
I'll gladly forward your product suggestion to our Research & Development team for their consideration. Hopefully, we'll be able to offer a model that works with ERSA soldering irons soon.
Hello. Great video. I have a very fine Kay guitar from a family member. The neck heal has pulled away at the end of the bout area. It’s about 1/4 or less and has exposed the dove tail joint tip inside the opening. Can a heat tip just be placed in the gap and heat this joint from the gap to release the glue? I must say drilling just scares the poop out of me. 😂most shops in my town tell me that it’s not worth resetting it for us. Thanks for your education.
Step one: Place thin film on upper bouts to protect top from damage whilst loosening fretboard tongue. Step 2: Remove protective film immediately after installing and begin scratching the top with a pallet knife. Interesting technique.
Awesome work
you are great, i cant believe your channel and your work
I'm gobsmacked! Excellent, Sir!
I have been thinking about purchasing a heatstick for a neck reset on a Hofner bass. I am familiar with neck resets, I just typically do not do them. A quick question, I looked at Stewmac's site for the heatstick, and they say it's .125" in diameter. The Hofner frets and other guitars - I checked the width of the frets at about .085". So to me (could be wrong), but it looks like it will also take some repair to the fret slot area where you placed the drilling for the heatstick? Prior to my purchase, could you please let me know? I also seen that stewmac only offers the longer heatstick instead of also the shorter one.. This video is incredible, Thanks!
That was way toooooo cool. Yeah, I am impressed.
O fabulous another tool to buy from stew mac for 399.99
Or you can make your own.
That is a great method. Excellent video and instructions. Thanks
Excellent video and excellent step by step commentary. I was just watching another guy doing this and umm yeah lol not quite as professional as this video.
far be it from me to critique the work of people who have been doing this better and way longer. But would it not make sense to make the stick thinner (perhaps even flat). And ensure you don't have to drill more than the with of the fret? Especially since a neck reset seems to be a must on old acoustics especially 12 strings?
Very helpful thanks stew.
Just used heat stick to get a neck off. Used ebony dust to fill the hole. Wondering about a plug and sawing across for the fret slot.
I don't like how it burns the wood.
I've done lots of neck resets ( over 100 for sure) and I dont use jigs to push the neck out either.
I just start by putting boiling hot water down the hole to pre-soften the glue, and then steaming it
in short bursts, being careful to wipe the steam away and pull the steam needle out if it becomes
overwhelming, and patience is the key here. Short shot of steam and give it a wiggle, doing this over and over again, gentle steaming and wiggling ( only side to side, NEVER front to back, that's how you break heels)
Patience with this method and you will never steam damage a guitar, and never burn up the wood, either.
I'd hate to burn a fingerboard with this doohickey.
Good Video ! I always wondered about that tecniche.
This seems like an intimidating fix
.144" drill bit? That means some fingerboard filling or some REALLY wide frets. Not sure I like that idea.
Must be USA because the rest of the World has gone Metric :-)
you just fill the hole like it was an inlay gap no big deal
I bought a foam cutter which works just as well and it’s only 2 mm hole!
That was fantastic man.
just like a magician
Any chance you could make a video for removing a Les Paul neck?
Backwards first! Just like I drive screws! (To feel where they fall down into the thread the previous screw was in.)
so how hot is the soldering iron set to...? that is a main part of it !
Bloody fantastic video. Thank you!
This is pure genius!! Steam is evil, especially since most techs are not getting the water hot enough to really produce steam- they flood the guitar w water vapor that is condensing back into a liquid and then have to let the instrument "dry out" for days or weeks b4 they can do the work. At that point who knows what other damage has been caused? It's no different IMO than sticking the guitar in a bathtub full of hot water. And if everything is not bone dry again prior to shaving the neck and reassembly - all bets are off. This method seems to avoid all that. Could u use two of them in tandem to speed things up even more?
You can definitely expedite this process by using two HeatSticks. In fact, if your removing a tenon-style neck, we recommend using multiple HeatSticks so you can get all of the glue loosened at the same time. However, the more of these you use, the more holes you'll have at the end that need plugged and re-slotted.
A true craftsman
I've looked away when the drill went on :O
Nice job burning the joint... I've seen people do the same job without burning wood.
Would this work for modern glues on, say, an Epiphone Les Paul, as well as vintage hide glue? What do you use to remove a neck installed with modern glue (do they use epoxy?)?
I am surprise the clear finish didn't rip without cutting it a bit !
why not remove the fret board ?
Impressive!
That was amazing...
So when will we see what was done to reset the neck? What is done to correct the angle that was caused by the string tension?
If you need to ask.........
Was it just me, or did the "neck removal jig" not do much in this video?
I have something very similar in my dungeon
As far as I can tell, the jig only holds the guitar table and back securely while the neck joint is 'wiggled' apart. Just saw one out of plywood and use sone screwed rod and nuts from your local emporium and add some foam or styrofoam padding to protect the finish.
Bryan Hill j
It doesn't look like much in this video, but that little bit of force on the heel makes a huge difference in the initial separation of the joint. A jig like that helps apply a consistent lateral force on the dovetail to separate it. After you get the initial separation, the joint becomes loose enough to work by hand. B
Getting it to actually separate in the first place is really difficult without a jig like that, and can end with some unintended banging around or jolting that can scar up the instrument. It's very useful, albeit a very subtle thing to notice unless you have hands-on experience doing a job like this. Having a jig like that has saved me countless headaches when doing resets.
Informative! And impressive.
Beautiful
That is amazing
Jesus man I dont think I could let anyone do that to my 60’s Archtop. Its only warped at the 13th fret, 1/2 strings. I can live with that 🤣
Wow...Ian Davlin came up with this ! He just sits in the back of the shop eating rice cakes and vegan cupcakes !
Nice idea, what temperature should the iron's tip be set at ( in free air ). Would a 30 watt corded iron work as well? Thxs
roboZ starrr Thats a really cheap iron but its what I use and worth every penny - lots of tips available for it and its isolated from the mains (24v) which is much safer
Prince Westerburg ....ha, my first iron was a 30 watt (plugged directly into AC), cost $1.99... had to make a table holder for it out of a metal clothes hanger... ( couldn't afford the accessory ).... now THAT was a really cheap iron!
What do you use to force the neck joint upward? Any DIY tips?
It looks like the jig he has pushes up on the heel and down on the top soundboard. Bet that jig costs $$
Ahh. $115.00 here. www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Jigs_and_Fixtures_for_Guitar_Building_and_Repair/Neck_Removal_Jig.html
is the copper heat stick solid or hollow?
No risk burning the fretboard?
great stuff
Why not just leave the drill bit in the hole and heat that up with a torch? Cheaper than $65 for a heatstick...
What is the temperature of the iron stick please ?
How good does it work on Yamaha guitars? They are hard to get off...
Yea you removed the neck but left a nice burn mark on the guitar
What....on the inside of the dovetail mortise? Nobody but the luthier will ever know that or see it. I'm more concerned with drilling a 0.144" hole in the fretboard. That's a fail if you ask me.
Hello Todd I have some 1960's and 1970's Vox and Epiphone Acoustic 6 and 12 string guitars that have bolt on necks that unfortunately the action has been becoming worse and worse over the years to the point that I am afraid of attempting to tune them up to pitch without causing damage. thus I have been looking for someone that repair them by re-gluing the neck blocks to the bodys so that the guitars will be playable again. Do you know of or have a video teaching how to do that repair? If not do you know anyone in or near El Paso TX that can do an expert repair job?
At this time, we do not have a video demonstrating this type of repair. Unfortunately, we also do not make any referrals. But if you do a search of your area, I'm sure there will be a reputable luthier who will gladly take a look at your guitars and be able to diagnose the issue and quote you a price for the repairs. I'm sorry we couldn't be more helpful.
Wasn`t that hole a bit big in the fretboard?
I have a Martin that needs this treatment, who can I contact for a fix like this?
Matt, most any good Luthier can take care of a neck reset. Call around to local music shops and ask for recommendations.
Take it to best luthier in your area. Don't be lazy and take it to Guitar Center. Shop around.
Do 12 string guitars have more neck problems? Do 14 fret guitars need a neck reset sooner than 12 fret models?
Due to the increased string tension, 12-string guitars typically do have more neck issues than 6-string guitars. There are so many factors that contribute to a guitar needing a neck reset. However, string tension does put more upward force on a 14 fret neck than on a 12 fret neck. So it seems likely that a 14 fret neck could end up needing a reset sooner than a 12 fret neck that has been kept in an identical climate and condition.
Only one hole for the heat stick?
"If Guitars had to go to the Dentist"
Can you give some practical examples of why the entire neck would ever need to be removed?
A few of the most common issues you may run into are:
1. The neck was set wrong at the factory (an issue that can be more common than one may believe) and needs to be set properly.
2. Years of string tension can cause the neck's wood to move/warp and a desirable string action can no longer be achieved, so it needs to be reset.
3. The neck itself is botched and needs to be replaced.
Great, what about epoxy? Any tips?
The HeatStick will work to separate a neck with epoxy in the neck joint. The epoxy has a higher melting point than hide glue or wood glue, so you will need to apply heat for a longer period of time before the epoxy begins to reflow. It also depends how much epoxy was used in the neck joint. The more epoxy, the longer it will take to reactivate and loosen the joint.
Now how do you hide that huge hole on the fret board? Do you use a plug of the same wood and re-slot the fret?
While the fret will cover most of the hole, we recommend filling the remaining gap (if there is any) with the same or similar wood.
@@stewmac Ok, thank you for your time.
Awesome !
Awesome 😎 Thanks
Would this work per say with a Hibson Les Paul?
BUT... Isn’t that a big burn mark that goes from the top to the bottom where the heat rod was? That might be a bit scarier than steam, that you might catch your guitar on fire.
The minimum ignition point of dry hardwood is around 250 deg C. (480-ish F). It IS possible to ignite wood below that but it requires chemical changes to the wood from prolonged exposure to constant heat (for months/years) - and there also has to be enough oxygen present to support full combustion. In a tiny cavity with no prior heating, prob a little water introduced, and no source of O2 - it's just not gonna happen. And if it did - well that's why you sign a disclaimer and 'hold harmless' whenever you authorize work at a reputable repair shop - and why that shop needs good insurance. If you own a guitar worth this type of repair - my advice - take it somewhere they do 100s of neck resets - NOT to the guy on RUclips videoing his first one.
I would be more inclined to say there are pros and cons in both methods involved the heating process for removing a neck.
The burn mark is one of the cons involved with the "Heatstick" and the blushing of the finish being the con involved with the steam needle process.
The Heatstick would work well when it comes to moisture permeable finishes such as Shellac and French Polish. Plastic lacquers on the other hand which are used on lower end guitars would not suffer so much from the use of the steam needle method. By and large, I would also be inclined to decide on which method to use depending on the finish. And to use a dry air source such as a heat gun or a hair dryer to evaporate the water left behind in the wood.
you don't catch the guitar on fire
The blushing from steam vapor goes away by slow evaporation, it just takes time... 2-3 weeks typically... slows the process, but no harm-no foul. The one danger is that over steaming can actually delaminate the finish... not good.
Buddy Martin
I was thinking the same thing. An improvement to the setup they show would be a way to figure out how to give the iron current in a more controlled way so that it only heats up enough to do the job. Needs a pot switch setup like the burner on an electric stove.
Wow, cool.
Where do you get the heat protector pads for the guitar top?
i think ill take my chance removing a neck like pete townshend before i drill holes in my fretboard
That seems reasonable.
Hi and thanks ! Will this work on exopoxied old Yamaha necks ?
Tom gia that’s what I’m trying to find out...