Years ago, I replaced a very old, cracked fingerboard with a new one. I'd never done it before, but it worked out better than I expected. Now, I'd like to do it again, but no matter what I do, the glue won't let go! It's a supposed hide glue called "Old Brown Glue." I've wrapped the neck in a wet, hot towel, blasted it with a steam jet and even a blow dryer, but aside from using more prying force than I dare to, the thing won't budge! Any ideas?
Bring it to a violin-specific luthier. A lot can go wrong. Just about any glue will eventually release with enough heat, but if the temperature raises too far, the wood will char.
Adding moisture to a violin to soak things off is dangerous unless you know exactly how to apply it or deal with its results. Soaking a neck and fingerboard may cause warpage and may even damage varnish if the varnish is fragile enough.
Guitar luthiers are known to use heat blankets to remove fretboards, but that’s a different instrument and it’s put together with different adhesives.
Edited by - The Violin Beautiful on 11/06/2026 11:03:28
I take off double bass fingerboards with very small amounts of alcohol applied. Seems like that should work for a violin. Upton bass has a video on youtube showing one of their luthiers removing a fingerboard which might be helpful.
quote:
Originally posted by pmiller510I take off double bass fingerboards with very small amounts of alcohol applied. Seems like that should work for a violin. Upton bass has a video on youtube showing one of their luthiers removing a fingerboard which might be helpful.
You have to be EXTREMELY careful using alcohol. Runs will damage varnish in seconds. The purpose of its application is to desiccate the glue and make it brittle enough to pop, not to dissolve it. Again, it's not a DIY-friendly operation.
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