Here's a tip for the luthiers out there...

[John_H]

This arrived the other day and I added a groove on the flat plate to keep it from mangling frets and it works pretty damned good for cutting tangs. The bottom of the fret does need a little touch-up with a file but I'm happy with the results for under $13. (I'd be even happier without the damned shipping charge of $5.95!)



Nickel Plated Nibbling Tool - Nibbler - Amazon.com

I used to see cheap metal nibblers all over the place- perhaps someone can clue me in on a better source.

Steve Ahola

That's like I've got Steve. They're ok I guess. It still involves a lot of work with a file. Speaking of which, here's the file I was describing earlier.

[Steve A.]

That's like I've got Steve. They're ok I guess. It still involves a lot of work with a file.

In any case I do feel a lot more comfortable using the modified nibbler instead of end cutter.

Thanks for posting a picture of your file!

Steve

[Steve A.]

Hello, Harbor Freight.

From the picture I didn't think it could be modified to work on fret tangs but I did not actually verify that. I used to see all sorts of nibblers like the one at Stew-Mac but I thought that they were a joke because I have real sheet metal tools (which are absolutely worthless for cutting fret tangs!)




The one from Klein at Amazon for ~$24 looks very well made but I don't know if it could be modified to cut fret tangs.



Our left-handed friends can order an upside down version of the Klein nibbler for $50...




Looking at the drawings I think that it could be modified for cutting fret tangs. It looks like it would last a long time and Klein does sell replacement cutting bits. (Among electricians Klein is a highly respected brand.)

Steve

EDIT The Klein is the best of the bunch. I got mine for ~$25 but I see that they are selling for more than that.

[Mark Hammer]

I seem to recall the doctor always grabbing one of the non-sterile tongue depressors and placing it in my mouth. I do not recall a doctor ever removing it from a hermetically sealed package...

Well that's because your tongue is non-sterile. They're just using the appropriate depressor for the right tongue. :-)

Apparently, when they do encounter a sterile tongue, and use the appropriate depressor, the correct phrase to employ is "Say oooooooooooo".

[Brock Little]

I use plastic rulers and double sided tape for making sanding boards. The 3mm thick rulers often have a handy bevel on one edge. Great for a lot of things, and re-usable.

[Steve A.]

Got a fresh load of tips here...
#1. When removing frets from a guitar with a bound neck you can mark them with hash marks using a Sharpie Fine Point oil-based paint pen. UPC code 071641 355347. Do not buy their Extra-Fine paint pen- it is total junk.

Having the original fret in hand when preparing the replacement makes it a lot easier, at least for me.

#2. I have moved on from sandpaper-covered tongue depressors to popsicle sticks and corn dog bones (the skinny stick inside corn dogs.) Most of the time I use pieces cut from a 24" x 1" level with sandcloth glued on with rubber cement. (I bought 4 rolls of 1" sandcloth from Klingspor's: 180, 220, 320 and 400)

Here's the hot tip: Office Depot sells 1 quart bottles of rubber cement for $10.99 (stock #132407.) With them merging with Office Max I just picked up two more bottles since it might disappear. This is for refilling the smaller 4 and 8 ounce bottles with the brush in the lid.

Steve A.

[Steve A.]

I was looking for a good source of masking tape in smaller widths for fretboards. Philadelphia Luthier sells a kit with 3 rolls and 3 dispensers for $19.99 but the S/H charge on eBay is over $10. But they also have just the tape listed for $9.49 with $3.12 S/H. (My guess is that the kit comes in a bigger box hence the higher S/H charge.)

The rolls are 60 yards long and the widths are 3/4", 3/8" and 1/4".

Fretboard Masking Tape 3 Roll Set Fret Fingerboard 3 Sizes for Easy Masking | eBay



Steve A.

EDIT I see that you can order the 3/4" 3M tape from Home Depot but I think you can do better at Amazon. They have the 3/4" 3M plus 1/2, 3/8 and 1/4" rolls from a company called TapeCase (I think that they precision cut wider rolls- you can even order 1/8"!)