Learning to refret.

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frelonvert
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Learning to refret.

Post by frelonvert » Fri Aug 21, 2015 1:42 pm

It's been several years that I work on my guitars: set up, crafting bodies, easy things...
But I want to learn to refret and level the frets now.
As I don't have the tools, I was wondering what would be the best and easiest (and cheaper) way to do it.
Stewart is selling an essentiel fretting tool set for 175€ (around 250€ shipped + taxes):
Image
May be all this tools are a bit too much, no?
I was wondering also if a Fret press would be better and easier:
Image

I have several clients for refretting and I have just bought this Sterling tortured bass for cheap (I have great time playing on my wife's bass these days).
Image
So any advices would be welcome at this point ^^
Take care the skons is evrywhere !

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KeithJ
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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by KeithJ » Fri Aug 21, 2015 9:13 pm

I wouldn't recommend the stew-mac kit, that seems way too pricey.
Check ebay (there's a whole section for luthier supply, you can find some decent tools), Amazon, your local hardware store, etc. I use:

A "fret rocker" that I got cheap off ebay.
A wet stone for sharpening knives, and a flat file, both from the hardware store at about 3 - 5 dollars each.
A small hammer with a hard plastic head, also from the hardware store.
The crowning file you should be able to get on eBay or amazon or something.
I've never really used a fret press, but I would like one. I've seen people get the brass radius inserts and just make a holder that fits in a drill press.
Oh, I also use a soldering iron and damp rag to stream the frets before removal, they come out more easily that way.

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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by fuzzking » Sat Aug 22, 2015 1:24 am

Thinking of going that route myself. At least where I live, it's getting increasimngly harder to find a decent luthier, and these few guys have endless waiting lists. I've only re-dressed frets so far, but really happy with the results. Think I'll acquire some dirt cheap trashed necks to practice refretting on before touching my 'real' or other people's fretboards, though. Only tools I have yet are a rather coarse fret file, a crowning file and some polishing pads. Maybe you can find some tools cheaper locally (I mean, in the EU) rather than having to import stuff from the US?
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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by frelonvert » Sat Aug 22, 2015 4:01 am

fuzzking wrote:Thinking of going that route myself. At least where I live, it's getting increasimngly harder to find a decent luthier, and these few guys have endless waiting lists. I've only re-dressed frets so far, but really happy with the results. Think I'll acquire some dirt cheap trashed necks to practice refretting on before touching my 'real' or other people's fretboards, though. Only tools I have yet are a rather coarse fret file, a crowning file and some polishing pads. Maybe you can find some tools cheaper locally (I mean, in the EU) rather than having to import stuff from the US?
Absolutly, i'll do that.
Take care the skons is evrywhere !

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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by empyrean » Tue Aug 25, 2015 4:08 pm

Go visit crimson guitars. They are based in the uk and I ordered their setup set that came with a fret hammer, straight end, rocker, fret erasers, files and more. Much better quality than stew Mac, all handmade.

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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by frelonvert » Thu Aug 27, 2015 1:47 am

Thanks, I'll look for that.
I have find also an ebay seller from Portugal with very nice prices. Handcraft tools too.
Take care the skons is evrywhere !

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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by brians356 » Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:02 pm

frelonvert wrote:It's been several years that I work on my guitars: set up, crafting bodies, easy things...
But I want to learn to refret and level the frets now.
As I don't have the tools, I was wondering what would be the best and easiest (and cheaper) way to do it.
Stewart is selling an essentiel fretting tool set for 175€ (around 250€ shipped + taxes):

May be all this tools are a bit too much, no?
I was wondering also if a Fret press would be better and easier:
Missing from that Stew-Mac collection (as shown anyway) is a fret puller. You need a good one, the one Stew-Mac sells is good.

I do not like that narrow steel Stew-Mac fret rocker! I prefer the wider black aluminum one LMI sells.

http://www.lmii.com/products/mostly-not" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... ight-gauge

Best to master leveling and crowning first, before refretting. I use a couple of approaches to leveling, one uses the radiused wooden blocks Stew-Mac sells, with the Stik-It Gold sandpaper applied. But I also like (on ones where the frets are already fairly level) to just start at the 1st fret and, using a fret rocker, work my way up from there, filing the high frets one at a time. I call it the "inchworm" method.

Regardless of the leveling method, you need to first get the fretboard adjusted straight using the truss rod adjustment. I like the Stew-Mac notched straightedge for that (the one that bridges the frets).

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/To" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... tedge.html

I use a very thinnest 0.0015" feeler gauge to test for gaps under the "feet" of that tool while it is sitting on the fingerboard, and adjust the truss rod until it is as flat as I can manage between the 1st and, say, the 16th fret or so. But you need to figure out where a hump exists up there somewhere, few necks can be adjusted really flat their entire lengths. (On acoustics, there's almost always a hump at the neck/body joint, 14th fret on most.) But the closer you get to the bridge, the steeper the string departure angle from each fret, so leveling becomes less and less critical. (On acoustics the 'board usually dives down somewhat beyond the neck/body joint anyway, which makes fret-to-fret leveling superfluous up there.)

I really recommend you have an expert show you how to do leveling and refretting. An ideal plan is when a local expert will let you pay for a complete refret of your own guitar, but have you present for the entire process, and you will wind up doing most of the actual work under his guidance. That's how I did my first one, spread over many hours on three successive Saturdays. After I finished that one, under his guidance and final approval, I never looked back, and even started taking on paid refret jobs from friends and their friends, and it spread word-of-mouth from there.

Is there a reason you chose a bass for the first guinea pig?
Last edited by brians356 on Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by brians356 » Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:25 pm

KeithJ wrote: I've never really used a fret press, but I would like one. I've seen people get the brass radius inserts and just make a holder that fits in a drill press.
Keith,
I have the Stew-Mac clamp "Jaws2", and use it always. But that black caul can be purchased alone, and it fits into a drill press chuck, but that's more awkward to use for me.
A pat on the back is good encouragement - if delivered early enough, low enough, ... and hard enough.

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Re: Learning to refret.

Post by ludobag1 » Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:35 pm

To make freting or refreting it is not necessary to have all the stew tools
Choose some tools that you Can buy localy and modifie them at your taste
The only i Will buy is a recrowning file and a Tang niper (that i don t own still)
All the rest is findable near you ;)
One thing also they don t advise is fret saw cause if you radius the board you need to deepen the slot

Try on some cheap neck before attack a Good one, a mapple fretboard is a pain if you suck on it ,you Will have to do varnish

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