I was wondering what everyone’s processes are for fret level, crown and polish are. I use a a levelling file followed by a long levelling beam with 240 and 400 grade for levelling. Then a triangular crowning file for crowning, obviously, and a small, fine file for fret ends. I use a few grades of wet and dry for smoothing the crowning over but I still get a few tool (crowning file) marks left on the sides of the frets.
Do you guys have any good tips/processes for eliminating this problem?
Thanks in advance, I’m grateful for any help you can offer.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
I basically use the same technique Mark uses on the course of different grits of sandpaper using a fret file. I use one of these.
I then us A fret end file and finish with wire wool. I have been known to use a polishing wheel on a Dremel with some Autosol metal polish..
I have too many guitars...said no one in the world..ever!
Mark’s process uses crowning files, 150 and 300 grit followed by wet and dry round an old crowning file - then polishing with wire wool and synthetic wire wool.....
Following this set of steps my frets are smooth and shiny....
Measure once........ Measure again......... Sod it - make tea!
I level the frets with a long piece of 18 mm mdf with a strip of 320 grit or 400 grit, depending on the amount of leveling that needs to be done. I take of the sharp corners with a small fret end file and for crowning I use a concave crowning file (Hosco). I use the same crowing file with a piece of 400 grit to remove the file marks and 600, 800 and 1000 grit to remove the scratches of the previous grits. Then a nice polish with 0000 wire wool and some polishing compound. Shiney!!!!!
Pretty much the method I learned with Mark....
Measure once, cut straight away and maybe you're lucky......
I use the same crowing file with a piece of 400 grit to remove the file marks and 600, 800 and 1000 grit to remove the scratches of the previous grits.
@e-den-hertog Thanks Edwin, that’s very helpful, thanks for your input.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
I level frets with a chunk from a 1m aluminium level - the bubbles had vanished and I was going to chuck it but my straight edge showed that it was very flat so I chopped the ends off and tidied - I have two 18” long flat edges about an inch wide so can have two different grades of paper attached - also use a long aluminium radius block.
Measure once........ Measure again......... Sod it - make tea!