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I'll be fretting an African Blackwood fretboard soon ( just finished the inlay) and have a couple questions.

I'm installing the frets before gluing the fretboard to the neck. The last time I did this I used fish glue in the slot prior to seating the fret. I also had a little trouble getting the fretboard flat afterwards.

- If I clamp the fretboard flat while the glue dries, would this help the fretboard lie flat afterwards?

- I had a little mess to clean up last time from the glue. Is it best to clean the glue right after seating the fret? Do you use warm water or something else?

- I'm using a feaux (sp?) bound fretboard for the first time. Any tips or suggestions regarding knipping the tang or treating the fret ends? I'll likely do hemi-spherical ends on the frets. I want to do little to no leveling afterwards if possible.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

It's spelled "faux", and is actually a French word meaning "false".

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Old growth, shmold growth!

You could try cutting your slots a touch wider, just enough for the wire to grip. That's the method that I use with Fish glue and I get no distortion of the fretboard. No need to straighten the board, although you will need to clamp the frets until the glue dries.
As for clean up: press (or hammer) the fret home and immediately wipe off the excess with a damp cloth. Any further residue can easily be cleaned after the glue has dried.

Darryl: Getting to a state of minimal leveling was quite elusive to me for a long while. Although I hammer the frets in I now set them with clamped caul and run thin CA glue the lenght of the fret on both sides. Clean up with acetone and single edge razor blade.For me this gets the job done. Those more skilled can do it with just the hammer. I fret with the board on but with the board off there are extra surfaces that you must ensure are dead flat and /or parallel. I just bevel the fret ends. Hemisperical ends that I have seen for the most part always seem to have a fret or so that don't line up and for me I don't like the look. Again,my skill level is not able to get it where I would like.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Thanks for the tips! I knew the meaning of faux (thanks for the spelling) but I couldn't recall the correct spelling (even though my state borders Louisianna <smile>).

Tom, I may try the taper trick you mention, thanks.

Fish glue gets tacky fairly quick. I may seat the last fret an hour or so after the first fret and during that time the board will be flexed flat while seating the frets and then it will likely spring back into an arch While moving to the next fret. So is it ok that the board won't be clamped perfectly flat till an hour or so after the first fret is seated? I gues it would be ideal to keep the board flat the entire time but not sure that is possible.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

What Todd said.
Scroll all the way down for pictures.
viewtopic.php?f=10133&t=37283&start=50

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon