Removing Fingerboard Extension - Gretsch Ukulele

Hokay.  The top cracks are all fixed.  Now I start to work on the Big Enchilada - reattaching the neck.

First thing I need to do is take off the fingerboard extension.  I'm going to reattach it after the neck is back on the body. 

There's a split between the top and the side here that has to be reglued also.

I've read a lot about removing glued-on bits of instruments (bridges and fingerboards), but I have yet to try it.  Until now.

I got some great advice on the TDPRI about doing this.  You can buy a fancy $50 hunk of steel from Stew-Mac, and heat it up, or you can use some foil and an iron.  I chose the latter.

Just a few seconds on a moderate heat setting...

...and I can separate the extension from the top!   Golly!   It works!

You may recall that there's a lot of old glue on the neck joint, both on the neck and the body.  I need to get that off.

I drape a clean, damp rag over the neck, and use the iron the same way.  The glue softens and gets stuck on the rag.  Perfect.

Glue is all gone. 

I use the same method to get the glue off the body as well. 

I also got the old glue off the fingerboard extension pieces.  The plan (right now, anyway) is to glue them on the end of the neck after the neck is reunited with the body.