Dremel for fret polishing?

[sully]

if you're using a dremel tool that can get the fret hot, you also run into seating issues. usually, you heat up a fret with a soldering iron when ready to pull it out; i'd be somewhat wary of anything that could influence the seating of the fret.

all that said, bengal totally knows his shit.

sully

[metalchurch79]

I tape off my fretboard and use my Dremel with a buffing wheel and Mother's Mag Wheel polish believe it or not.
Works excellent and makes 'em shine like new.

The key is to work with a low to moderate speed and you'll get some good results.
I use a Dremel because it's faster an works just as well as steel wool.
Everyone will have their own preferences, and there's no wrong way of doing it.

I'd NEVER use a sanding drum w/ a Dremel.

[Racerx2k]

I use a Dremel with the Stew Mac abrasive polishing disks. I first run a needle nose file down the center of the disk while it's rotating. That way I get a nice concave profile to match the convexity of the fret. It leaves them with a mirror finish. Much finer that 0000 steel wool by the way. I use the extension on the Dremel so I can get the wheel straight on top of the fret. If your careful, you don't need the extension, but I find it makes short work out of polishing.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting...ng_Wheels.html

Those wheels they sell look just like the ones that came with my Dremel. Can anybody verify this?

[metalchurch79]

Not sure man, I've never used those.
I use the felt polishing wheels which are like a buffing pad.
I would rather do my frets by hand if they require filing or shaping.
Or atleast a variable speed tool to allow me to work slower.

[Bengal65]

Those wheels they sell look just like the ones that came with my Dremel. Can anybody verify this?

They are not. The StewMac wheels are a plastic compound (binder) with the polishing compound within. The Dremel wheels, I believe you are talking about are the felt wheels.

Metalchurch brought up an excellent alternative. A little more work since you have the mask the fretboard, but the results are the same. A tad bit messy, but go light on the compound. Just use the "felt" Dremel wheels (that come with the set) and some Mother's, Simichrome, or other fine jeweler's polishing compound. Mothers makes a "PowerBall" liquid that works great on nickel and stainless frets. A little bit goes a long way. The felt wheels do get dirty fast, so it's a good idea to have a bunch of spares on hand.

[MetalMedal II]

I use Brasso on a cotton rag and get em mirror shiny. I'll hit the board with lemon or linseed oil before and after so the brasso won't dry into the porous fretboard (usually only a problem with rosewood).