Re-fretting tools and supplies - anywhere here in SA? or only Stewmac?

slyd

I need to kit myself out with re-fretting tools and supplies.
Stewmac is great, but the budget, "she is few". :-[
Is there an effective way of acquiring these (quality goods) here in SA? (I know a buch of you sent a Stewmac order last month, but no deniros at the time.)
Just asking* ???
Dave

aja

Can't you make the tools you require?

slyd

yeeaahh . . . . . tools maybe, but supplies such as fretwire??
The dbl edged fret file is handy too!

DonRoos

I got a fretting kit (25-30 cut lengths) from Marshall in Cape Town. I then used a sharp side cutter to grip the side of the old fret and lever it up (stick masking tape to the flat face to prevent damage to the fret board). I then cut the fret wire with said side cutter and trimmed the grip strip on both sides with it as well. I then used a normal flat file and a square keyhole file to clean up the fret and tapped it into place with a small, light hammer (also covered in masking tape to prevent damage to the fret). I then used the flat file (without handle so it lies flat) to even out the frets to prevent buzzing and taper the edges to prevent snagging.

No need for specialised tools just use good quality tools and work carefully. Mine came out great (I posted pics on the gear page) and I am really glad I did it. I also replaced the nut and bridge and used a a sharp crafters knife to cut the old nut loose till I could leverage it up, small vice grip, the flat file and some sand paper to adjust the height and used some wood glue to glue the nut in place. The bridge is fitted loose on my guitar.

I also changed the piezo pickup under the bridge and used a small drill to drill a hole for the wire and a larger drill to make the hole for the socket. For the pre-amp I masked out the shape on the top side (in the right place to avoid damaging internal woodwork) and then drilled the four corners and used a small saw (simple handle with a blade) to cut from hole to hole just inside the template and then filed and sanded the hole. The pickup dropped in under the bridge, fed wire through the hole and out the pre-amp hole to connect it. The other wire was then soldered to the socket and fed through the socket hole. I needed a screwdriver to attach the pre-amp to its bracket and a small shifting spanner to tighten the socket nut. The only other tools are cloth and a vacume cleaner to clean up my mess. I had all these tools in my garage so the job landed up costing me very little.

Tonedef

You've got more patience than most, Don! I dressed my strat but gave up when trying to crown the frets for lack of the right tool. Maybe I should use a bigger file- I used needle files but getting the bevel over the crown consistent proved to be more than a match for my tooth enamel!

AlanRatcliffe

Buy a triangular file and round off the corners slightly on a grinder (so as not to mar the fingerboard). It's a bit harder to work with than a curved fret crowning file, but you get the hang of it and has the advantage that it works on any size fretwire, and even if the frets are on their last. I like mill or 2nd cut files for this, but you can use a bastard file if you want to work quicker.

Mask the board well with a double layer of tape (or use fretboard protectors) before you start crowning and change the top layer of tape if the file wears through so you can see the lower one.

Tonedef

That is some good advice right there! Thanks Alan!

slyd

Hey yeah! . . I do dressing and crowning already, pretty much as you described Alan. I guess it just takes longer than I would like :?
Ok, but how about fret-wire in Dbn/South Coast? Where from?

slyd

From doing dressing and crowning, very similarly to Alan's method . . . . herewith the MiJ Squier frets:
before...

After . . (the dull ones have only been filed, before sanding and buffing. . . )

Had to do all 21 frets ! Glad it didn't have 22! ?

I made a little jig with a concave slot, for sandpapering and buffing, . . it worked great. ?

slyd

Still need to know where to get fret-wire . . .