Reworked End Nippers
Source: Repair Tools and Jigs:
Reworked End Nippers:
These Nippers are good for all kinds of duties related to guitar repair. Here are some things that I use these nippers for:
Fret Pulling: The flat surface of the face of the nippers allows you to get the jaws even with the surface of the fingerboard and coax the blades under any stubborn fret. This is of particular importance for righting a poor fret job where the frets are recessed slightly or are glued in place.
The nippers will minimize tear-out because of the way they contact the surface of the fingerboard.
Nipping Fret Ends: This comes in handy when you are installing frets and want to cut them nearly flush with the edge of the fingerboard.
Coping the Fret Tang: This is useful when you have to cut out part of the Fret Tang to overhang a fingerboard that is bound.
Cutting Wood or Plastic Binding: Use this tool to cut either wood or plastic bindings and purflings to size. Also these Nippers work great for trimming built-up rosettes for acoustics and classical guitars.
Cutting Abalone to Size: Yep – they do work for rough-cutting those pesky abalone strips to length prior to gluing them around the guitar perimeter. They have to be extremely sharp though and they may need some touchup afterward.
Pulling Out a Stubborn Saddle: You can get the blades right next to the bridge and get some great leverage when you need it. Minimizes a broken saddle or a cracked bridge.
Pulling Out Bridge Pins: Very simple task. Be careful with those sharp jaws though.
Things You Shouldn’t Use Your End Nippers For:
Cutting Strings: Strings are very hard steel, often as hard or harder than the End Nippers Jaws. So unless you want dents in your nice sharpened End Nipper blades, stay away from the strings. Keep a side nippers on hand for that chore.
Tools and Equipment Needed:
Bench Grinder or Belt Sander
Oil Quenching Solution
End Nippers
How To Make Them:
Well we really don’t make them. We take a garden variety of end quality End Nippers and give them a “Tune-Up”. By this I mean we have to grind down the jaws of the outward facing jaws. Take a look at the photo at the beginning of this article.
This is best done on a slow turning sharpening stone. But I have used a grinder wheel before too. When you are using a fast-turning grinder you take quite a lot of material off, so be careful. You also have to be aware of loosing the temper in the blades.
Be Sure To Oil Quench The Jaws:
If you get the jaws too hot you will need to oil quench them to keep the temper. Grind until you are right up to the point where the blade angles inside the nipper. This will give you a nice flat pulling surface to get under those frets etc.
The Last Word:
I have several sizes of these little jewels in my tool box and use them for all sorts of tasks around the shop. Some go way beyond the guitar repair realm. Pickup several sizes from 4″ babies to 8″ guys and use them in your repair and building endeavors.
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Tags: end nippers, Fret Repair, fret repair tools, guitar repair, guitar repair tools
