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Hi

Looking for ideas for bending frets to a 16" radius

I have seen some machines on ebay for around £25 but looking to save some money as my accountant (wife) is clamping down on outgoings as she wants new curtains (old ones are fine)

Any help gratefully received

Buy fretwire from places where it comes coiled. Gently tug on it to increase or decrease the radius until the coil is 16" diameter, and then cut your frets

If you're stick with straight pieces, then either fiddle them by hand, gripping the tang with nippers, or buy/make one of those 3 wheeled crank bender things.

I've never found a source for coiled uke/mando wire, and I have tried bending them by hand, and it takes a long time and never comes out quite smooth... so I plan to make a bender next time I need radiused uke wire. Make sure the slot in the middle wheel is a good fit for the tang, because the wire fights hard to twist sideways instead of bending in the direction you want. Here's a good thread, which has a slideshow video of how to make one http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=33749

Cable: As Dennis says. LMI sells their wire coiled and shaping is not a problem. Just cut off and install.
Tom

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

Doh already bought straight wire

You can make a wire bender for a few bucks and there should be threads on this in the OLF if you search.

We buy wire by the pound so it comes coiled and the radius of the coil is just right for using it straight from the coil. We also have the Stew-Mac bender and I have the hand held wire bender from SM but don't like it and I get kinky.... results from the hand bender.

Maybe see if you can find a thread on making your own.

TIP: Slightly over radiused wire is easier to work with and the ends stay down better.

Found it: http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10137&t=45333&p=601464&hilit=+fret+bender+#p601464

I buy it coiled, like others here.

If you don't want to pay for special tools, you can cobble together a bending tool from wood. Cut a curved edge in some inexpensive hardwood, with the radius tighter than the radius of your fingerboard. Hand cut a saw kerf in the middle of that curved edge big enough to fit the tang loosely. Clamp the fret wire to one end with the tang in the kerf, then hand bend the wire so the tang fits into the kerf and the rest of the wire sits on the surface of the wood. It will want to twist, so try to not let that happen. Advance the now curved wire, reclamp, bend some more of the wire. This is not perfect, but it will do in a pinch.

An easy way to bend fretwire is to put a small notch in the edge of your workbench for the tang to ride in. Putting a little down pressure on both ends of the piece run it back and forth in the notch. It will take a nice curve in a few seconds. I just eyeball the radius, but you could hold it against the board for a match. It saves me the hassle of making (and then trying to find in a cluttered shop) a tool for the purpose.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Thanks Colin

LMI sells coiled uke wire.


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