Essential Fret Repair Tools
Source: Fret Repair
Essential Fret Repair Tools:
If your are going to embark on a fret repair, whether it is repairing just one fret or re-fretting an entire instrument, there are some basic tools and specialty tools you will need to have. I have divided the tools into 3 separate categories:
Essential Fret Repair Tools:
These are tools you cannot do without. No matter what level of fret work you wish to complete, you will need these tools and materials.
Optional Fret Repair Tools:
If you are going to do more than minor fret repair, more than one fret job or have a guitar repair business, these are great tools to have around the shop.
Third Party Fret Repair Tools
These are tools that are made for the specific purpose of making fret work much easier, faster and a more enjoyable experience. Not essential tools, but if you do more than occasional fret work you will want one or more of these tools. Look for some reviews on some of these tools in the future as well.
Some of these tools you can fabricate yourself, and I will show you how to do this and will stock the Plan Shop with free plans for making these tools. Other tools can be purchased and modified to meet your needs to aid you in fret repair.
The Essential Fret Repair Tools and Materials:
10″ to 12″ Mill Bastard File:
This standard file is used to do an initial leveling of all frets immediately after the frets have been installed.
You can cut down the tops of the frets so everything is nice and level in short order.
Make sure you have the file with fine teeth because the frets are really soft and it doesn’t take much to over-file a brand new fret job.
If you do, you have no choice but to start over.
Reworked End Nippers:
This is a must have tool. I have several sizes of end nippers that I have reworked to suit my fret-pulling needs.
I will show you how to take a standard issue wire end nippers, rework the jaws as bit so you will have yourself a great fret pulling tool. The flat surface that you develop on the jaws will allow you to get the tool underneath the fret and “walk” the fret out of the tang channel.
You can’t do a fret job without this one. Click on the link to go to the article on how to modify a standard wire end nippers.
Jewelers Saw:
If you have to re-fret a fingerboard that is bound with plastic or wood trim, you will need one of these multi-purpose saws at your disposal.
You will need to undercut the fret crown and cut away the fret tang so the fret wire can overhang the binding without cutting a channel through the binding.
Although this is a tedious job and is better handled by one of the fret specialty tools, it is possible to do it with a Jewelers Saw.
Before I had my Fret Tang Nippers, I used the Jewelers Saw to undercut the frets all of the time. By the way, these Jewelers Saws can be used for cutting Mother of Pearl and Abalone shell too.
Needle Files:
These are not really files that are intended for guitar fret work.
Fretwork is also the term used for an intricate open wood mosaic and that is what these files are really intended for.
But, we can use them for guitar fret work as well.
I use my needle files all the time. I use them to take the last bit of the tang off the overhang of a fret for a bound fingerboard.
I also use them to take that little sharp edge off the fret end, where it meets the fingerboard.
Fret Files:
This is another essential tool that you should purchase. If you feel like pulling your hair out, then go ahead and do a fret job without one of these files. I prefer to keep the hair that I have and I have several versions.
Shape fret ends with ease using this American made Fret File. With its gooseneck handle, this file has 3 interchangeable files for small, medium and large fret sizes.
I really like the versatility of this file. I also have a standard Fret File that is the workhorse of the repair shop.
Auto Body Repair Sander:
I prefer to call this tool a Fret Board Leveler. Again another very simple tool intended for one purpose, that is sanding down auto body filler. But we can use it to flatten an out of whack fingerboard.
Very inexpensive and a great tool you should have in your shop. You can pick one up for about $10.00.
This tool holds abrasive paper with tight gripping lever style clamps. Also it has a comfortably contoured handle that is made of hardwood and mounted on a sturdy anodized aluminum base with a cushioned bottom. 9-1/2″ base length. Use with 2-3/4″ x 11″ paper.
2-Part Epoxy:
You should have this in your shop already for other repair jobs. Epoxy is quite often the glue of choice for resetting frets.
As we take the frets out of the channels in the fingerboard, we need to clean the channels out.
This makes them wider and if we can’t get fretwire with a wide enough tang, the frets need to be glued in place. This is the job for Epoxy Glue.
The Epoxy Glue I use is the T-88. It is a high-performance, non-brittle, two-part epoxy adhesive designed to give superior results under adverse conditions. The adhesive may be used without modifications in normally fitted joints, and will cure in any thickness without shrinkage.
T-88 is clear amber and becomes virtually invisible when varnished. T-88 exhibits outstanding adhesion and permanence on a wide variety of materials, and is endorsed by leading designers, builders and organizations.
Fret Wire:
You should stock several sizes and types of fret wire if you plan on doing any fret jobs at all. Refer to the article Anatomy of a Fret for more information on this.
Fret wire comes in an assortment of sizes and configurations and you should have a variety of the most popular sizes in stock.
Plastic Tipped Hammer:
A plastic tipped hammer is the tool of choice for tapping in the frets. Since the fret wire is rather soft, we don’t want to damage in my hammering with a metal hammer. This plastic is forgiving and will allow for some abuse when trying to force a stubborn fret into position.
* Faces are made of durable plastic that won’t mar finely finished surfaces
* Plastic faces are replaceable
* Handle is securely locked in oval eye body
* Clear lacquered hickory handle
* Limited Lifetime Warranty
#200, #400 Silicone Carbide Sandpaper:
Again, have lots of this stuff on hand. You can use if for much more than fret work. We use the sandpaper to smoothen the scratches from the frets, sand the fingerboard and polish everything up. It is especially useful to sand any sharp edges at the fret ends.
#0000 Super Fine Steel Wool:
Ditto the sandpaper above.
Tags: essential fret repair tools, Fret Repair, how to repair frets, tools for fret repair
