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Removing guitar fret without heating it

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  • Removing guitar fret without heating it

    Is it possible to remove guitar frets without heating them during refretting? Is this common? How do you if a fret is glued or not?
    Last edited by Wayne27; 10-31-2022, 09:58 PM.

  • #2
    No way to tell until it's time to pull the fret.

    Luthiers did it for decades without the application of heat. I know I did. But it's easier to pull the frets without chipping the fingerboard when using heat. And since most glues used to hold down frets (even super glue or epoxy) begins to break down around 180 degrees, might as well use a soldering iron to apply the heat directly to the fret. Good technique with the fret nippers helps, too. Slow & steady.
    aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever

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    • #3
      It's possible as long as your fret wasn't glued, but I'm not sure why you would. Heating the fret allows it to come up easier and with less chipping in my experience.
      Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

      Originally posted by Douglas Adams
      This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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      • #4
        Not knowing much about this process (and needing a refret on my 40 year old Fender), how common is using superglue vs other glues vs no glue at all?
        Administrator of the SDUGF

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        • #5
          Using no glue is by far the most common situation you'll find. Every kind of glue has been used...super glue and epoxy probably being the most commonly used glues, but not unusual to see various water-based glues as well.
          Originally Posted by IanBallard
          Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Mincer View Post
            Not knowing much about this process (and needing a refret on my 40 year old Fender), how common is using superglue vs other glues vs no glue at all?
            Of the glues used, superglue is pretty common. I'd prefer that it's used on necks that are re-fretted. It's easy to remove in the future for a re-fret (just heat), makes a more solid connection to the fretboard, and ensures that frets won't lift or move around on you. I haven't played around with other glues for frets.
            Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

            Originally posted by Douglas Adams
            This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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            • #7
              Also, using chip stoppers helps...

              Originally Posted by IanBallard
              Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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              • #8
                I usually use epoxy because it sets up slowly allowing you to do a complete fret job before it sets.

                The problem I've found with using super glue is that it can set up before you have the fret seated completely if you're having problems getting the fret lined up and seated in the slot.

                As far as which holds the frets the best (once they are cured)...I think it's a toss-up.
                Originally Posted by IanBallard
                Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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                • #9
                  What's the one company that puts their frets in from the side?
                  You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
                  Whilst you can only wonder why

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                  • #10
                    Ive done it without heat many times back in the day -it's a crap shoot

                    I found Maple fret boards frets were much easier to extract cleanly without heat -maybe because Fender fretboards frets werent soaked in glue in my experience -if at all.

                    Chances are if you dont use heat you might have some chips on the fretboard from where the glue or force of knocking them out is more robust.

                    Better to use heat

                    “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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                    • #11
                      What's the one company that puts their frets in from the side?
                      No one, as far as I know. Fender used to.

                      In the late 70's I used epoxy following the examples presented by the great Don Teeter in his repair books (the very first books on guitar repair ever written). Dan Erlewine taught epoxy fretting after he hooked up with StewMac in the 80's. Super glue was next in the late 80's to the 90's, but I settled on using it mostly for holding down fret ends that had popped up. Care must be used to keep excess glue from running, oftentimes resulting in finish touch-ups. I've done compression fretting with no glues at all, but these days I am pretty likely to use brown hide glue on dark fretboards, or Titebond on maple boards at the request of my clients, of if I deem it necessary - usually for guitars undergoing their 3rd refret.

                      aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever

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