polishing frets

[pattiejay]

wats the best way to polish the fret wires? steel wool? do i need to cover the rosewood board when steel-wooling?

i want that shiny new sheen that was there when i first got my SUB

 

[Moondog]

www.stewmac.com

get some of the polishing pads (soft touch finishing pads)
& fingerboard guards

very inexpensive . . I dressed up an old strat and turned
rough, dull fretwire into smooth brilliant glass very easily.

 

[prickly_pete]

Why do you want to polish the frets?

0000 steel wool, and yes tape off the fretboard with a light masking tape. I usually remove the neck for this because the steel wool will get all over the pickup if you are not really careful. Remember that using steel wool is like sanding drywall -- it makes a mess! At the very least, put tape over the pole pieces of the pickup.

StewMac has some really cool stuff, btw. They have a cool screen that you lay over a fret that protects the fretboard while working on the fret. I can't find it on the website, though.

 

[Moondog]

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Frettin...ves/Micro-Mesh_Soft_Touch_Finishing_Pads.html

fingerboard guards may be what Pete is referring to.
It's in the same section (polishing and abrasives) but
I'm having trouble pasting the link.

 

[Psychicpet]

or, if it's a rosewood fingerboard you don't necessarily have to tape it off, just steel wool the frets and lem-oil the board afterwards. was gonna polish mine this evening but didn't have any wool kickin' around... next string change then

 

[tommyindelaware]

i like 0000 steel wool just fine myself.......
first...... i use it along the neck (with the rosewood grain) ....as it cleans the rosewood real sweet....... rubbing real hard & deep.

then i use fingerboard guards.....& polish the frets across the neck(against the grain of the rosewood...but the rosewood is protected by the fingerboard guard) to sweeten the feel of the frets even more.
i got a crazy little magnet that i use to collect the steel dust.....

 

[Moondog]

go to the drug store & checkout the gray side of a fingernail buffing stick....alot cheaper......& w/ a fret guard.....it work great. polish across the neck only...not along the neck..

You cheap redneck, it's only $7.50 for an entire
set that has various grits (well there's shipping too).

Tommy, I just kidding . .you're probably not cheap
and your method is just as good

 

[pattiejay]

thanx guys...

go to the drug store & checkout the gray side of a fingernail buffing stick....alot cheaper......& w/ a fret guard.....it work great. polish across the neck only...not along the neck.

i like 0000 steel wool just fine myself.......
i use it along the neck first ....as it cleans the rosewood real sweet....... rubbing real hard & deep.

so i rub the steel wool parallel to the frets or perpendicular? and when i rub the actual rosewood, do i rub along the grain or against it?

then i use fingerboard guards.....& polish the frets across the neck to sweeten the feel of the frets even more.

thats exactly why i wanna polish the frets - nothing quite like the new fret feel

 

[tommyindelaware]

see previous edited post.....

 

[AnthonyD]

Cool info guys!

Looking forward to my next string change!

 

[pattiejay]

Cool info guys!

Looking forward to my next string change!

yeh thanks to all!

man i love this place...give me a warm and fuzzy felling inside

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

I use these with great success...