Very interesting...I was wondering how you were going to sand the fretboard! I'm curious about how you can sand this without scratching or damaging the MOP inlays? Obviously not a problem or you wouldn't be doing it...can you explain? Thanks Dave...can't wait to see the finished "product". It's gonna be one fantastic banjo! 😀
Another great video!!!!!!! Personally, I would prefer the divots filled. Some of those are quite substantial & in my opinion, they are more unsightly than properly done repair fills. That board has the slightly orangish tint of older Brazilian RW to me & I know some of the Gibson bowties indeed had Brazilian fretboards. I would sand the fretboard & keep as much of the dust as possible or find a scrap piece of Brazilian to make any additional dust as needed. I watched a video the other day where a guy used a scalpel to mimic grain lines in the fills after he leveled them. Then, he oiled the fretboard with either lemon or linseed oil. The oil made the scalpel lines look darker & more natural to help camouflage the divot fills. I'm not in the habit of promoting a channel in the comments of other channels, but pertaining to divot fills, this video deserves a look. If you've never done this type of repair before, it can help you explore some options. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zeV1vXT8fQU.html
I'm going to be in contrast with all the other replies by saying I would not fill the finger grooves. I have been watching Rosa Stringworks workshop for quite a few years and in every instance of refinishing a finger board he always scrapes the grooves down with a single edge razor blade after he has put the frets back in the neck. You might want to watch one of his videos and how he accomplishes that.
