Want to pull frets and fill slots, what works?

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Permalink Reply by bizzaro guitaro on August 5, 2012 at 9:53am

I did this on a squire strat. neck. I used  Elmers wood filler. comes in a 3.25 oz. squeeze tube.Home depot.I used white.Just tape on both sides where you remove fret wires.so filler dosen't get all over frett board.let dry and sand it down. mine came out good. good luck. 

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Permalink Reply by wormil on August 5, 2012 at 10:05pm

Interesting, I thought wood filler might be too soft.

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Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on August 5, 2012 at 12:14pm

Hi Wormil,

You might want to actually make your filler a contrasting color with the fretboard so that they can give you an idea where the note you are looking for on your now fretless instrument should be. Can get iron oxide pigment and mix it in with your glue & fine saw dust filler mix to come up with a good contrasting color (assuming your fretboard is light to medium in coloration. Otherwise, white glue with light wood saw dust should provide a good conrtrasting color with dark fretboards. As Bizzaro recommends, tape both sides of the fret to minimize the "mess", can use a good quality blue masking tape. Be sure to score the edges of the tape with your thumb nail to make sure no filler gets under the tape. Then, after it has dried, sand the fretboard and apply some finish; maybe 2 or 3 coats of polyurethane.

Also, re-freting with real fretwire is another option, unless you want a fretless instrument. If you never have worked with fretwire, you may feel intimidated by the experience, but it's not that difficult.

Of course if you keep the frets or make the frets a contrasting color that I suggest, you will have to use the same scale length of the original instrument when you make your new one. Best to try to make your sound box pretty big (long) so the bridge will be away from the edge of you soundbox.

 

-Rand.

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Permalink Reply by wormil on August 5, 2012 at 10:06pm

A fretless with contrasting color 'frets' is exactly what I had in mind. The fretboard is actually rosewood and I'm just brainstorming materials that would give a nice contrast.

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Permalink Reply by Skeesix on August 5, 2012 at 12:15pm

I've used veneer successfully. http://skeesixcbgs.com/page/2/ Scroll down to Little Purple Travel Bass.

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Permalink Reply by wormil on August 5, 2012 at 10:04pm

Did you cut your own strips? I have some holly but I'm wondering how to make thin slices to fit the slot. Maybe try cutting a thin slice on the tablesaw then scraping it down to fit.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on August 5, 2012 at 11:51pm

Buy it veneer is cheap. Scraps of veneer are very cheap. It'd e really difficult to cut them all exactly te same thickness. I've expoxied a broken bandsaw blade in before.too.

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Permalink Reply by Skeesix on August 7, 2012 at 12:09pm

Yes, just buy some veneer. I have a pack of generic veneer from Hobby Lobby I think. It comes in handy for all sorts of stuff. If the veneer isn't quite thin enough, you can sand down a bit more.

I think you will go mad trying to make your own veneer.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Latham on August 6, 2012 at 8:43pm

What about the low gold fret wire. Then sand down a bit.   Might be a nice contrast.

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