If you read the directions on a Micromesh kit, they'll tell you to alternate the direction of your strokes by 45° each time you go up in grit value. So your coarsest grit might be along the fretboard, your pass with the next highest grit might be 45°, the next pass with the next highest grit after that would then be 90°, the next after that at 135° and so on until you've made it either to the highest grit in the kit or you decide your frets might get _too_ smooth and shiny... The reason for alternating angles is to more quickly smooth out the grooves from the previous lower grit out of the surface being polished.
Great info. My first teacher used to buff frets to a shine using a cloth treated with jewelers rouge, but it took a lot of elbow grease and had limited results. Excited to try some of these techniques. It looks like something I could actually do without destroying anything. And the Dan cameo is priceless!
Great video! I’m always looking for new ways to polish frets. That metal polish with the leather strip is brilliant. I’ve heard Greg Voros talk about doing that too before. The pick slide “ if you hear it you feel it” is brilliant as well
I don't waste time polishing frets. It takes me like 5 minutes to get a mirror shine. Get out the drill, polishing pad, and blue Dialux polish. Load up the pad and polish the frets. Done. That alone will take out 300 grit Z file scratches and leave a mirror shine on my guitars but I think my frets aren't as hard as Fender or Gibson. So I don't even mess with anything else anymore.
Flitz and a Dremel made mine beyond shiny. I used what I had to clean the fretboard which was isopropyl alcohol then used Stemac boiled linseed oil to treat it then once it cured i taped it up. The actual fret buffing took less than five minutes. With the Flitz metal polish my frets looks ten times better than the factory shine. P.S. i used fret erasers as well and rounded the edges of the fretboard and used a fret file to dress the fret ends as well as smoothing the edges and took care of any sharp fret ends. I used 0000 synthetic steel wool on the neck back to bring it back to a satin finish
I don't understand how a fretboard got this way. Every time I play, I wipe down the whole guitar before putting it away. And when I change the strings, I use a polish for the rosewood fretboard and Dr Duck wax for the maple fretboard
Low-budget guitar for a beginner player who doesn't know the ins and outs yet, maybe? Or it may have gone into storage for a while, allowing the fingerboard to dry and the frets to oxidize a bit.
It still will happen and will be worse if you're in a humid area too lots of people play for some days at a time and like leave the guitar in a corner and forget sometimes. Life happens and then the frets can get dingy like that then you go back and see that well it happened to the frets. It also doesn't have to get REAL bad a little corrosion on a fret you'll feel it and it will still look fine.
@@photondebuger45 my acoustic is in a gig bag. My strat a hard case and my tele is in a gig bag, even my budget guitar is in a gig bag. If I'm not playing, then they go back in the case or bag. My acoustic has a humidifier ( wet sponge) I put in the bag in the winter time.
Come some of the work gets kind of hard This ain't no place to be if you planned on being a star Let me tell you it's always cool And the boss don't mind sometimes if you act a fool At the car wash, ooh-ooh Talking about the car wash, yeah 🙂
*Scuffing pad, aka scotchbrite, with an instrument safe oil or other compound will take that right off and you don't even need to tape up the fingerboard.* After that, a 600 grit or finer paper turns the crowns into a mirror with no reason to go any further. *I also swipe petroleum jelly on my strings every couple weeks which greatly extends their life, reliability and all around performance.*
Wonderful instructional video, thank you. I have watched the spot with the fret eraser at 6:15. Is that fret not seated properly? I have watched it a few times and at slow motion. To me it looks like it's bouncing up and down at the fret end.
The old school Gulf station attendant hat was worth the time here. Oh, and picking up needed fretboard maintenance skills also. 😁🤣
Hahaha Dans car wash cameo was perfect 😂
If you read the directions on a Micromesh kit, they'll tell you to alternate the direction of your strokes by 45° each time you go up in grit value. So your coarsest grit might be along the fretboard, your pass with the next highest grit might be 45°, the next pass with the next highest grit after that would then be 90°, the next after that at 135° and so on until you've made it either to the highest grit in the kit or you decide your frets might get _too_ smooth and shiny... The reason for alternating angles is to more quickly smooth out the grooves from the previous lower grit out of the surface being polished.
Dan at the car wash was hilarious!!! 😂
He's the best🤣
Gene is so comfortable on screen, love watching this guy!!
Thank you!
Thanks Gene👊
Great info. My first teacher used to buff frets to a shine using a cloth treated with jewelers rouge, but it took a lot of elbow grease and had limited results. Excited to try some of these techniques. It looks like something I could actually do without destroying anything. And the Dan cameo is priceless!
Nice! Lots of repair guys used to use jewelers rouge back in the day...Thanks for watching!
Great video! I’m always looking for new ways to polish frets. That metal polish with the leather strip is brilliant. I’ve heard Greg Voros talk about doing that too before. The pick slide “ if you hear it you feel it” is brilliant as well
Thank You!!!
Great vídeo!!! Here in Brazil we don't have this tools, but we used similar tools.
great, informative vid, gene! thanks .. .
I use micro-mesh, then Rolite polish and a dremel buffer. To me it’s the best method.
excellent methods
I don't waste time polishing frets. It takes me like 5 minutes to get a mirror shine. Get out the drill, polishing pad, and blue Dialux polish. Load up the pad and polish the frets. Done.
That alone will take out 300 grit Z file scratches and leave a mirror shine on my guitars but I think my frets aren't as hard as Fender or Gibson. So I don't even mess with anything else anymore.
Great video, and great shout-out to Rupert Holmes!
Flitz and a Dremel made mine beyond shiny. I used what I had to clean the fretboard which was isopropyl alcohol then used Stemac boiled linseed oil to treat it then once it cured i taped it up. The actual fret buffing took less than five minutes. With the Flitz metal polish my frets looks ten times better than the factory shine. P.S. i used fret erasers as well and rounded the edges of the fretboard and used a fret file to dress the fret ends as well as smoothing the edges and took care of any sharp fret ends. I used 0000 synthetic steel wool on the neck back to bring it back to a satin finish
Nice! Thanks for watching!
Thank you.
Thank you sir, great work!!
Thanks for watching!
EXCELLENT...Thank you!
0000 steel wool is my go-to for polishing. Just tape off the pickups first!!
Great advice, They are magnetic after all and will attract metal dust.
that's very much a matte finish, not a mirror finish.
I use a cheap set of nail buffers, they come in 3 grits and give it a nice shine
I love the 2 hr method - it's just not always easy to get clients to pay 2 hrs labour for fret polishing before other work 🤔
Dan the Ham. LOL!!! 😆
No StewMac Fret Polishing Wheels being featured?
Polishing wheels are great too, they are very popular and can give you excellent results, but they're not one of Gene's preferred methods. Thanks!
Any particular leather for this final step?
Not really, but thicker pieces work better. This is a scrap piece of tooling leather, but an old belt or anything similar will work fine.
@@stewmac thank you for this info. I’ll definitely give this a try 🎉
Great info. How many frets can you polish with one strip of Kovax Tolecut?
Great question...We get about 3 to 4 frets per strip before we change them out. Thanks!
@@stewmac can’t wait until you get the tool in stock! I am a little bit obsessed with smooth like glass frets.
Thanks
@@toddknaster9731 We sold out fast...we have more on the way!!!
Stainful steel frets are a thing apparently
I don't understand how a fretboard got this way. Every time I play, I wipe down the whole guitar before putting it away. And when I change the strings, I use a polish for the rosewood fretboard and Dr Duck wax for the maple fretboard
Low-budget guitar for a beginner player who doesn't know the ins and outs yet, maybe? Or it may have gone into storage for a while, allowing the fingerboard to dry and the frets to oxidize a bit.
It still will happen and will be worse if you're in a humid area too lots of people play for some days at a time and like leave the guitar in a corner and forget sometimes. Life happens and then the frets can get dingy like that then you go back and see that well it happened to the frets. It also doesn't have to get REAL bad a little corrosion on a fret you'll feel it and it will still look fine.
@@photondebuger45 my acoustic is in a gig bag. My strat a hard case and my tele is in a gig bag, even my budget guitar is in a gig bag.
If I'm not playing, then they go back in the case or bag. My acoustic has a humidifier ( wet sponge) I put in the bag in the winter time.
@@OgamiItto70I take the 2nd one. .I always took care of my guitars
@@iamanovercomer3253 that's great and all but other people who don't know much don't do that like at all
the epiphone doesnt get played ,i've never had that happen.
🙂👍🥂
Come some of the work gets kind of hard
This ain't no place to be if you planned on being a star
Let me tell you it's always cool
And the boss don't mind sometimes if you act a fool
At the car wash, ooh-ooh
Talking about the car wash, yeah 🙂
"if you can't hear it, you can't feel it"
( or you might be going deaf )
*Scuffing pad, aka scotchbrite, with an instrument safe oil or other compound will take that right off and you don't even need to tape up the fingerboard.*
After that, a 600 grit or finer paper turns the crowns into a mirror with no reason to go any further. *I also swipe petroleum jelly on my strings every couple weeks which greatly extends their life, reliability and all around performance.*
Wonderful instructional video, thank you. I have watched the spot with the fret eraser at 6:15. Is that fret not seated properly? I have watched it a few times and at slow motion. To me it looks like it's bouncing up and down at the fret end.
good eye! ;)
Dang! Clean frets are always satisfying, especially when they've seen better days!!
"How to Polish Frets to Perfection" umm that's code.
DAN!!!
top video👍
Thank you for the amazing video Gene. Always a pleasure to see your work. More please!
Thank you for watching...Yes, much more to come!