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Anyone tried it? I have a couple of neck resets coming up and it looks interesting.

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Yes, I used it once and then got rid of it. It requires a hole that's .125 to be drilled in the fretboard.

Even when you use it you still have to add water to the joint to create steam, so it really doesn't accomplish much other the handle punching a big hole in the fingerboard.

YMMV

Interesting. I saw this demonstrated at Northwoods but I don't recall them adding water at that time. However, I just watched the SM video tutorial and sure enough water is being added.

I also don't remember the heat probe being that large, but maybe it had to be increased in size to fit soldering irons.

That's not a helpful response at all, Terence. Sorry.

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We used it in a Weller WESD-51 soldering station per directions on high...the heating element partially melted about 1/2 way through a neck removal. Likely works better with the soldering station that Stewmac sells. The WESD was repaired and passed to a student..the Hakko FX-951 is awesome. Back to a standard steamer setup.

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The cheapskate in me wonders if wrapping a length of bronze guitar string around a soldering iron and feeding the opposite end into a smaller hole would transfer enough heat to do the same thing? It would probably still require a little water but maybe less than a steamer uses. Soft copper wire might work better if you have it.

Wouldn't the bronze wrap actually act as a heat sink dispersing it all on the way into the hole?

I've used the HeatStick on a few resets with great results. The access hole is my only consideration and in ebony boards it pretty easy to fill. With rosewood you'll want to find a close matching plug if it has thinner wire.

I do add water to the access hole, but there is no steam blowing around to damage finishes—everything moves along at a clean, causal pace.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh1U_6slJFF/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh0bOC8lzzU/

tried it once the 1/8 inch hole it too large I much prefer the steam method.

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blues creek guitars
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