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 Post subject: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 9:10 am 
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Cocobolo
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Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:06 am
Posts: 102
First name: Mark
Last Name: Gammell
State: NE
Country: USA
How do you guys polish frets? I can get them "pretty good", but I see guitars with mirror polished frets and try as I might, I just can't get them quite that smooth & shiny. What I've been doing lately (with my best results) is using Stew Mac fret erasers. After I get them crowned and the ends dressed I use 800 (blue), 2000 (green), and 8000 (yellow) grit erasers. Then I go over them with a fret polishing micro abrasive paper (I don't remember the grit or where I got it). They look and play pretty good, but I'm looking for that really shiny smooth finish.

Any help?

Thanks

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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 9:43 am 
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Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5743
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
My method... sand the length of the fret using wet-or-dry 320, then wet-or-dry 600. Finally, buff with white Meguiar paste. Looks like chrome! No evil steelwool. (if you must, use Scotchbrite)

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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 11:41 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:49 am
Posts: 12971
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
First name: Hesh
Last Name: Breakstone
City: Ann Arbor
State: Michigan
Country: United States
Status: Professional
We have a machine that puts a high polish on the frets in only a couple of minutes.

We call it the Collin's Fret Buffer since David Collins invented it. It was also invented out of a study that Dave was doing of vintage methods and tooling at the old G*bson Plant on Parsons Street. Those guitars look like they were subjected to a wire wheel which was the inspiration for the Collins Fret Buffer.

Mind you we are a commercial repair facility and do fret work every day so it may be over kill for you, I understand that.

The buffer uses progressive grits of 3M abrasive impregnated wheels. We can get a mirror shine very quickly. IME we also can do hundreds of guitars and have before these wheels need replacement.


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These users thanked the author Hesh for the post: Clinchriver (Wed Nov 30, 2016 5:56 am)
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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 11:49 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:06 pm
Posts: 409
First name: Allan
Last Name: Bacon
State: Kansas
Country: USA
Focus: Repair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v6IvrU8gqw
Start at 12:31 for Freddy's polishing methods. It's a bit time consuming, but it works wonders.


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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:50 am 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:06 am
Posts: 102
First name: Mark
Last Name: Gammell
State: NE
Country: USA
Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll give some of these things a try.

Am I the only one who wants to lay that thing of Hesh's down in the street and see how fast it will go? Maybe it's just the 13 year-old inside me that rears his head at the most inopportune moments.

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These users thanked the author Bill Braske for the post: Hesh (Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:34 am)
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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 10:34 am 
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Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:36 am
Posts: 7241
Location: Southeast US
City: Lenoir City
State: TN
Zip/Postal Code: 37772
Country: US
Focus: Repair
Bill Braske wrote:
Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll give some of these things a try.

Am I the only one who wants to lay that thing of Hesh's down in the street and see how fast it will go? Maybe it's just the 13 year-old inside me that rears his head at the most inopportune moments.


Ha - I've had the opportunity to test drive that one and I will admit, it is a bit intimidating at first :shock:

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These users thanked the author SteveSmith for the post: Hesh (Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:34 am)
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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 6:38 pm 
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Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:32 pm
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First name: Alex
Last Name: Kleon
City: Whitby
State: Ontario
Zip/Postal Code: L1N8X2
Country: Canada
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
SteveSmith wrote:
Bill Braske wrote:
Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll give some of these things a try.

Am I the only one who wants to lay that thing of Hesh's down in the street and see how fast it will go? Maybe it's just the 13 year-old inside me that rears his head at the most inopportune moments.


Ha - I've had the opportunity to test drive that one and I will admit, it is a bit intimidating at first :shock:


I opted to polish by hand instead of potentially eating my guitar! :oops:

Alex

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These users thanked the author Alex Kleon for the post: Hesh (Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:34 am)
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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 2:05 am 
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Walnut
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Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 3:51 pm
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First name: Lou
Last Name: Moritz
City: Fords
State: New Jersey
Zip/Postal Code: 08863
Country: United States
I use a Dremel with a felt wheel chucked into it. I load the wheel with Menzerna Polishing compound and run the felt pad over the fret once or twice....comes out looking like a newly chromed bumper !
Just make sure you use masking tape to tape off both sides of the fret your polishing.


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These users thanked the author SG Lou for the post: Hesh (Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:34 am)
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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 6:00 am 
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Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:44 pm
Posts: 1225
Location: Andersonville
State: Tennessee
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Alex Kleon wrote:
SteveSmith wrote:
Bill Braske wrote:
Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll give some of these things a try.

Am I the only one who wants to lay that thing of Hesh's down in the street and see how fast it will go? Maybe it's just the 13 year-old inside me that rears his head at the most inopportune moments.


Ha - I've had the opportunity to test drive that one and I will admit, it is a bit intimidating at first :shock:


I opted to polish by hand instead of potentially eating my guitar! :oops:

Alex


I was first in line and was very impressed with the Collins's fret buffer, not sure if I can
justify a 4 wheel unit but having the wheels to mount on my buffer would be nice.



These users thanked the author Clinchriver for the post: Hesh (Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:35 am)
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 Post subject: Re: Fret polishing
PostPosted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 3:32 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:54 am
Posts: 854
State: Texas
Country: United States
Focus: Repair
The Music Nomad Frine stuff gets some decent results provided you have the frets sanded and polish enough. Just gives a little extra sheen that's nice


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