When filing fret ends, how to do???

[dinkyguitar]

Hi All,

I'm just curious,

When filing fret ends how to you prevent roughing up the fretboard with the file?

On the videos I've seen, they never mention it, nor do they show the side of the fretboard as they are filing fret ends...

dinkyguitar

[Grandturk]

I suppose a lot of guys mask off the area.

Am I to believe that your first fretjob will be with Stainless - which is more difficult to work with than the regular stuff?

[sully]

Are you talking about the tangs on the sides, or the actual fret edges on the top of the fretboard? Many people undercut the tangs and fill the open slots with dust/glue as a filler and sand flush. That's a pain in the ass to do with SS frets, btw. Haven't tried the stewmac nipper yet, but I'm not sure how well it holds up to SS frets. Anyone?

Sully

[kramer]

http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/1175

One edge is ground safe. I still had to mask the board. It is A small file. play the video. Dan Erlewine makes it look easy...
Works great for me. A lot of axes I get have sharp edges, this lil bitch fixed that!

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I think I do it a little different every time.

I use the "can't saw" file Stewmac sells but I get just as good of results with a good needle file from the hardware store, just have to be a lot more careful. I have done about as many with each and although the Stewmac file doesn't quite let you slop-job your way to nice fret ends it sure is a lot less tedious than the needle file and it's worth the money (it's not that much.)

I go all down one side of every fret at a 45-degree angle to the fret. You don't really "round off" the fret as much as turn the sharp corner into a small flat spot. Then when you polish it up, it gets nice and round. I go all down one side and then back up the other so that I keep the angle nice and consistent and also maintain consistency with how much material I take off. Kind of hold the file at the same angle and just "zip zip zip" and move on to the next, better to take off too little than too much.

And stay away from the part up near the crown, IMO if you round that off too much the string just slips off the end of the fret too easy and it's really getting rid of that sharp edge where it meets the fretboard that makes the most difference to how it feels to my hand.

[kramer]

I think I do it a little different every time.

I use the "can't saw" file Stewmac sells but I get just as good of results with a good needle file from the hardware store, just have to be a lot more careful. I have done about as many with each and although the Stewmac file doesn't quite let you slop-job your way to nice fret ends it sure is a lot less tedious than the needle file and it's worth the money (it's not that much.)

I go all down one side of every fret at a 45-degree angle to the fret. You don't really "round off" the fret as much as turn the sharp corner into a small flat spot. Then when you polish it up, it gets nice and round. I go all down one side and then back up the other so that I keep the angle nice and consistent and also maintain consistency with how much material I take off. Kind of hold the file at the same angle and just "zip zip zip" and move on to the next, better to take off too little than too much.

And stay away from the part up near the crown, IMO if you round that off too much the string just slips off the end of the fret too easy and it's really getting rid of that sharp edge where it meets the fretboard that makes the most difference to how it feels to my hand.

+1
x2

[dinkyguitar]

Thanks guys...but what I'm talking about is:

Once you cut your fretwire to length and install it, the fretwire one each side of the fretboard will hang over the edge. So, you can use your cutters to cut each fret closed to the fretboard. Now you'll use your file to file the fret ends flush with the fretboard. This "filing" is what I'm talking about. How do you not scrape the fretboard as your filing the fret ends flush?

And, this will be my 2nd fret job. My first was using nickel fretwire on a bound Jackson Dinky neck...Not really the "idea" first time fret job to do, but it came out pretty good..

Also, I got my SS yesterday and started radius'ing it and cutting it to length...Man that wire is tough !!! It's also very sharp as I found out... I was cutting the fretwire and then measuring it when I felt something sticky everytime I opened my right hand..Well, when I opened my hand it was full of blood which, by the way was already clotting . I managed to cut 6 frets....Hopefully tonight I get more done.

dinkyguitar

[sully]

Okay, that makes more sense.
I will generally run the file down the sides of the board, and you can see and feel when you're getting close, then pay close attention and file in small strokes, and clean up whatever you have to with sandpaper until it's all blended. This is another good reason to undercut your frets; you can fill the slot openings with a mix of glue and dust from the board, then sand it flush. This way, you never have to worry about the tangs protruding with climate changes.

If you have a Dremel, get the reinforced cutoff wheels and you can cut SS frets with it. WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES if you do that. I've found, though, that I can cut them faster with my fret cutters. Also, try as best as you can to cut them to their proper length before installing them; filing the excess is difficult if there's a lot of excess. I will often times file the rough cut edges before I install them so that it's easier to get the file going when you've got them all installed.