Nipping mandolin fretwire

[Michael Burdette]

No matter how I nip the tang on tiny mandolin fretwire, I either bend the wire or leave a little bit of a nib to clean up with a file. There's a great thread on the Mandolin Cafe forum that addresses this issue, but I'm wondering if the Fret Tang Removal Tool from LMI is a good option? Does it handle tiny fretwire well?

[Paul Breen]

I don't think the LMI nipper will give any better results.

Nippers will leave a little bit of tang to clean up even on big wire. Modern mandolin fret wire is difficult to use nippers on without kinking the ends and cutting and nipping tiny vintage wire is even worse. I have been using an abrasive disc mounted in a stationary Dremel tool for this and I finish up with needle files. It's a bit more hand work but you'll jack fewer pieces doing them without nippers.

[FRANK]

FRANK FORD HAS A TOOL THAT HOLDS THE FRET AND YOU CAN ACCURATE FILE THE TANG I WOULD LIKE ONE ALSO