[QUOTE=Hesh1956] When you say manipulate the file are you speaking of pressure from each side?
TIA[/QUOTE]
Yes. Pretty much what Michael said. I have a diamond file I got from Stewmac (this one: www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Shaping_and_crowning/ 3/Diamond_Fret_Files.html).
Mine is the medium fret wire one. By tilting it a bit to each side and working just the "shoulder" of the crown, it will round nicely without changing the top, or peak, of the crown.
That said, I've only had to do this on one guitar that I had some fretting problems on... long story I won't go into now. My point is - and I have Frank Ford and Sergei de Jonge to thank for enlightening me to this - that if the fretboard is properly leveled before installing the frets and if the frets are seated properly, the leveling of the frets should remove such a small amount of metal off the fret tops that they don't need to recrowned with a file. All that's necessary is to sand (with very fine sandpaper and micromesh) over the frets, with your fingers backing the sandpaper/micromesh, pressing down fairly hard, "wiping" lengthwise up and down the fretboard... this will round over any slight flattening caused by the very minimal leveling that was done, while also removing filing marks and polishing up the frets nicely. It's quick and easy.
BTW, I also mark the tops of my frets with red (yes, red, and I don't trust anyone who would even think of using a different color
) marker before leveling, so I can easily see where my leveling tool* is removing metal, and see when I'm done leveling (all frets have been lightly touched).
If you've never seen Frank do one of his refretting demos, make every effort to attend one. He seems to do them at every GAL and ASIA convention. He's on the roster for the GAL convention this June, so I'd guess he'll be doing it again.
*My fret leveling tool is indeed a level - an aluminum carpenter's level I've checked for straightness, onto which I stick a strip of sandpaper. Works like a dream.
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