Fret polishing kits

[NancyJohnson]

2 hours ago, steve-bbb said:

the ham on yestetdays epsiode 😆😆😆

 

That was frankly one of the funniest things I've seen in a while.  I was eating at the time and when the piano bit played, I kind of coughed and snorted at the same time, resulting in a bit of a sandwich going up my nasal passage.  

 

😄

[Grassie]

2 hours ago, steve-bbb said:

the ham on yestetdays epsiode 😆😆😆

No spoilers! 😂😂

[AMV001]

6 hours ago, Kiwi said:

It's a couple of passes to remove file marks, no big deal. 

Ah...after fret work, I see. That's a different kettle of fish from a regular polishing routine then.

[super al]

7 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

You need to be careful about using water-based cleansers on untreated wood. It may not hurt if you apply and wipe it off quickly, but wetting untreated wood can cause it to swell as it absorbs the water.

Yes, thank you. I was drying with a cloth as I went along the board. 

I was being a bit gung-ho as it was a freebie, I would've probably researched for a couple of hours on how to clean frets and fretboard if it was one of my 5 string basses 😄

[super al]

7 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

You need to be careful about using water-based cleansers on untreated wood. It may not hurt if you apply and wipe it off quickly, but wetting untreated wood can cause it to swell as it absorbs the water.

Yes, thank you. I was drying with a cloth as I went along the board. 

I was being a bit gung-ho as it was a freebie, I would've probably researched for a couple of hours on how to clean frets and fretboard if it was one of my 5 string basses 😄

[super al]

7 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

You need to be careful about using water-based cleansers on untreated wood. It may not hurt if you apply and wipe it off quickly, but wetting untreated wood can cause it to swell as it absorbs the water.

Yes, thank you. I was drying with a cloth as I went along the board. 

I was being a bit gung-ho as it was a freebie, I would've probably researched for a couple of hours on how to clean frets and fretboard if it was one of my 5 string basses 😄

[super al]

Apologies for repeating myself...got a bit trigger happy, how does one delete posts? ☺️

[Kiwi]

18 hours ago, AMV001 said:

Ah...after fret work, I see. That's a different kettle of fish from a regular polishing routine then.

In my mind at least, there's a difference between levelling and polishing.

[AMV001]

1 hour ago, Kiwi said:

In my mind at least, there's a difference between levelling and polishing.

Absolutely there is, I agree.

[LITTLEWING]

On 17/08/2025 at 22:02, Dan Dare said:

 

This. Cover the pickups with masking tape or they will be coated in fine steel fur for ever. Clean the board with meths, naphtha or similar when you're done with the steel wool, wipe down with a suitable thin oil and all will be luverly.

If you do find any on your magnets, i find a small blob of blu-tac gets it off in no time.

[Kiwi]

Im really satisfied with my fret jobs now but there was quite a bit of trial and error to get to that point.  Particularly in levelling.  I try to ensure the frets are levelled evenly avross their entire width as sometimes the edges got missed. I also now use a glass block to help achieve more precise tolerances.  Depending on how that goes I will sometimes follow up with a fret rocker and fret file to catch missed spots but this level of neticulousness comes with a time cost.  So much of a high quality outcome depends on how well the frets are seated in the first place and Ive encountered some surprisingly shoddy fret installations from nanufacturers who have really no excuse, considering their price points.  Big shout out for Fender MiM and Epi necks btw, getting great action has been very easy.  

[Hellzero]

Why don't you use radiused  long cauls and a sharpie, you get ultra fast and accurate results all over the frets length (that some may call width) in a very few passes?

 

Depending the starting mess for the levelling, I can also begin with some 300 to 400 grit self-adhesive sandpaper, but most of the time I commence with 600 grit going to 1200 grit then recrowning the frets and going up to 2000 grit before the polishing process.

[JohnR]

I use GHS Gorgomyte to keep mine as good as new. It's amazing stuff. https://astrings.co.uk/products/ghs-gorgomyte-fret-and-fingerboard-treated-cleaning-cloth-1