Using Dremel Tool For Fretting?

[Wart-encrusted Rotten Sebum]

Does anyone here work with dremel tools for cleaning fret slots or cutting fret tangs?

What are the bits or tools to go with those jobs?

Thanks.

[Russell Vance]

Jeffrey, it's lamentable isn't it. I now understand why some animals eat their young - and remind me to stay away from stainless steel - it looks like it could be neurotoxic in the presence of children. . Anyway, I suppose I am dignifying this poor tortured soul with a reply; it'll be my last before moderation sets in.

[Tim Mace]

I forgot what I was going to say!

[nathan clark]

Dremel makes a tungsten carbide cutter # 9901 that works well for stainless steel fretwire. I use it to grind down the depth of the tang for older strat refrets and I also use it to follow up the tang nippers on stainless steel refrets with binding. I'm not sure I would be able to free hand shape wire's tang so I've got jigs for both applications.

You can clean up fret slots with the small engraving cutter. The tip of the cutter is .027" so you only want to use it at a depth below the barbs of the fret tang. Because the bit only cuts at the tip it's essentially self guiding, unlike, say, a straight down-cut bit. I believe the engraving cutter is dremel part #105.

Similarly, stew mac's little fret slot saw works well for lots of applications. Also, Frank Ford developed a really efficient looking tang filing jig that sells through LMI.

[Jeffrey L. Suits]

"except to condemn the questioner because of his appearence...?"

Um, there's a little more to it than that...for that matter, why didn't YOU come to this fellow's aid?

As far as I'm concerned, this thread's done, nothing good can come of it.

[FRANK]

i second this opinion ( and as far as I'm concerned bad manners and vulgar displays are best used on the pimply faced angry adolescent forums that I don't visit.)

Check your junk at the door thanks.

Tom Krebs Permalink Reply by Tom Krebs 23 hours ago
I'm with PAUL & Ned. It's offensive.

[nathan clark]

Looks like we could all use some self-regulation on this forum. Let's treat each other as we would in person.

This thread reminded me of an article I read in The Onion a few years back. I found it on their website, I encourage everyone to take a look. Quite funny:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/marilyn-manson-now-going-doortodoo...

Nate

[Ned Knepp]

Nathan, That's funny!

I've been on forums where threads devolve into flame wars before and I would guess that most or all of us have too. We probably all know that no one wins but, in my opinion, the possibility of that happening shouldn't force us to accept what we find unacceptable without comment. The catch is to recognize when comment should finished. I know from (too much) experience that it can be hard to do when we let it get personal.

At this point, I appreciate that our new poster changed his graphic and at least shifted his name to a phrase that is bit more obscure. It may not be exactly what I wish for but then I have a peanut brained Homer for an avatar. I think the question is decent and I'm interested in what others have done. I've got a couple of refret projects in my stable of "fix-it's" and both are bound fret boards, something new for me. I don't have the nippers that I see in the catalogs and I don't think I can justify purchasing them for my hobby so the dremel/handpiece approach is of interest to me so rather than abandon the thread, I hope I can get as much information on this as everyone has to offer.

Ned

[nathan clark]

Ned,

You might be able to use flush-ground end-nippers to get rid of most of the tang, then clean up the rest via other means (dremel, file, sanding belt etc...). This is just my take, but 2 guitars with bound fret-boards that need refreting = 84 fret ends requiring tang removal. That's a minimum of 168 cuts on the tang with 84 ends to clean up with a file or by other means. Just thinking about that makes my finger tips sore and my hands cramp.

Of course, we had bound-necked guitars before we had fret tang nippers. What methods fell into the category of "industry standards" for fret-tang removal before the advent of the stew mac tool?

[Ned Knepp]

Nathan,
I don't have a time frame to do the refret jobs since they are my instruments. One is a mandolin that came to me with the neck separate from the body and the frets missing. The other is a guitar that only needs work on the "first position" frets. A couple of these are very worn but the rest are almost untouched. If I can find the correct wire, I can get away with replacing about 5 frets. ( I think.)

The flush-ground nippers I use for pulling frets might work but they are small and I must admit that I've never used them for anything else. Now it seems stupid but I just never thought of using them to actually cut the wire. As I said, they are small and I use some side cutters to cut the wire. Maybe I should grind a pair of my side cutters flat and use them to trim the tine on the frets.

[nathan clark]

Ned,

I'm thinking the large size end-nippers ground flush would give you more leverage and hold up better than the small ones for modifying fret-tang.

Nate