Official Luthiers Forum!

I have some tiny fret files that are about an inch long block of steel with a v-groove lined with diamond dust. They are used to crown frets in a pyramid shape. Apparently, other people just pinch these little blocks and have at the frets. My fingers cannot deal with that. Before I try to invent a handle, has anybody else either invented a handle or seen one for sale?

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Ty ... _File.html
How about this.............?

Tom
hla
edn

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Well.... that won't work.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fret-Dressing-F ... Swd0BV3VrS

Mine are the same or similar to this. The StewMac handle won't fit them.

Yeah, that's what I thought they were. Suggest you embed them in wads of mixed bondo, and shape them for comfort after it hardens.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I was considering Bondo, but I am worried that eventually it will pop loose right when I am bearing down and I will ruin something. Anyway, I'll probably try it.

Just CA or Araldite it to a piece of wood of your choice.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Those are strange files. I don't understand how they could work. I like my frets rounded, not V-shaped. Also, the file on eBay looks too deep and it would be hitting the fretboard before the fret.

It does ride on the fretboard. The deepest part of the V is never used. You work each side of the fret individually, applying sideways pressure against the fret while you slide the file back and forth. The file has two angles, so you do get a faceted fret (steep upward from the fretboard, then a shallower angle, then the flat leveled surface at the peak), but a few rubs with sandpaper smooth out the facets.

I understand. Interesting approach. Do you protect the fretboard with masking tape or something so you don't get side to side scratches?

I would... keep the metal dust out of the wood too.

I made the handle combining advice from two above. I shaped a scrap of wood into a handle to clear my knuckles from the guitar top, made a recess and used Bondo to glue the file into the handle. Before gluing, I notched the file block to help secure the Bondo. I have not tried it yet. I also did not know that the two different slopes in the file were to shape a facet. I just thought the steeper slope was the side towards the bridge. I have not tried it yet.

I just looked closely to find that only one surface is abrasive on each of the files I have.

Interesting. Dennis, have you used these? Do you like them?

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Could you drill and bolt a handle on using four holes and a crushed piece of steel or copper tubing.

Bob

No, but I have been wanting to get one and try it. I currently use a StewMac offset diamond file, which gets the job done, but isn't really worth the high price IMO since it also requires working the two sides of the fret individually due to its large radius.