The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #118277 Message #2555449
Posted By: JohnInKansas
02-Feb-09 - 02:32 PM
Thread Name: Filing a fret
Subject: RE: Filing a fret
If an instrument has been on standby for a while, it's common for the fingerboard to dry out a shrink a bit. This often will let a fret "rise up" and buzz. If you play the instrument frequently enough, your finger oil usually is sufficient to prevent this, and there are "lubes" you can use to swell the wood back to good shape.
Once the wood is properly swelled back to something other than "Sahari Dry" you probably can just reseat the fret by pulling it back down with a small clamp or by careful tapping - preferably with a small "soft" hammer (plastic?), without the need to "glue it down." You may still want to "dress" the fret once it's back down, but unless it's got string grooves in it the need should be minimal.
Although it's fairly commonly done, using glue (super or mediocre) is not recommended since it often makes it much more difficult to do a proper re-fret when one eventually becomes needed. The flange on the fret has little teeth that dig into the wood to keep the fret in place. When an old fret is pulled out it may leave a small groove in the slot from each old tooth, but a careful refreterist can just cut the new wire so that the teeth on the new one are in a different place. If a glued in old fret "pulls wood" it may be necessary to fill the old slot and cut a new one in order to make a secure fit for the replacement - or in the worst case replace the fingerboard.
John