Anyone dress and polish frets on guitars?

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

I usually do my own setups on 6 string guitars. I have been using Mothers Mag polish and 0000 steel wool on the frets after taping off the neck. Anyone use anything different?

Edward Rhea · From: Medford Oklahoma, USA

NeverDull wadding. If you're not fighting grooves in frets, it works good by itself. A dime sized pinch of the wadding will easily do two maybe three necks, worth of frets.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

After using a fret file to crown the frets, I use Mothers with a cotton wheel on a Dremel flex shaft, I usually do this after I level the frets so the fingerboard and binding is taped off. If it's not taped off, I use Stewmacs fretguards. I haven't found anything better.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

Thanks for the replys. I ordered some of those metal fret protectors from Stewmac.

My fingers get tired from rubbing the frets so I found a tip to help this by using a wine cork with a piece of micro fiber cloth with the polish.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

the 0000 steel wool is enough. i have refretted and set up hundreds of fretted instruments. dont even tape the fretboard off. you will spend more time and money on tape doing that and theres no need. the steel wool will be fine. NEVER do it in your shop. always open the door and use the steel wool outside. that stuff gets everywhere and will find its way via the magnets in your pickups into the pickup cavity and around the pickup and cause static.

if i were to use a polish, it would be the stuff you get at a motorcycle shop. semichrome polish.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=simichrome+polishing+paste&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=33845115715&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11702237989449320729&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_kzpe0102r_b

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

Bill, do you level the frets without the fingerboard taped off too?
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

i tape off the neck when I level frets. I also vacume the neck and anywhere there are filings. Tape off the pickups also especially when using steel wool. Those fibers stick to the magnets on the pickups.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I do the same Len, I even tape the fingerboard to just polish the frets, it doesn't take much longer to tape everything off than it does to clean the dust and crud from the polishing compound off the fingerboard. I very seldom do work on standard guitars for others, so I'm never in a hurry. But, to each his own.
_________________
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

A few hints that make things easier. Firstly, I enjoy working on guitars and even friends guitars while chatting or listening to the radio. However, I do find that my fingers and thumbs get a workout from all that rubbing on the frets. Some tips I got off the web like using a wine cork instead of your fingers. Also, instead of pulling 0000 steel wool apart, i cut it in small pieces with scissors so the particles don't fly all over the place. Also, use the red shop rags cut in small pieces rather than cutting micro polishing cloths as they pill and make a mess. The red shop towels are cheaper also.

After taping off the neck with low tack painters tape, for a fast touch up I use 1500 sand paper and then put a small piece of steel wool under the cork with mothers mag polish and polish the fret to a high shine and clean with a piece of clean rag. I use artist grade boiled linseed oil on the rosewood fret board. Ordered some semichrome polish to try.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

That's why I use a cotton wheel, Mother's, and a flex shaft Dremel tool. I don't like all that rubbing. That's another reason I tape off the fingerboard, the keep the polishing compound off the fingerboard, it makes cleanup much easier.
_________________
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

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