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Thread: Levelling frets with a radius block?

  1. #1
    Member Joe3334's Avatar
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    Aug 2017
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    Levelling frets with a radius block?

    Hi all

    My build is coming along nicely and I'm up to the stage of installing frets. I've decided to sand the fretboard with a 15" radius block as I like the feel of that specific radius and as well as the fact that it will work with the radius of my Gotoh locking tremolo.

    Anyway, I've already purchased some Stainless steel Jescar fretwire (not cheap) and the appropriate tools (also not cheap) except for a levelling beam or file.

    I found this on eBay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fret-Lev...-/262714088838 except it's completely flat... if I'm levelling the frets on a raduised fretboard, shouldn't I be levelling them with a radiused block so that the frets match the radius of the fretboard? Or am I missing something obvious?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    GAStronomist Simon Barden's Avatar
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    You can use one, but most people use a flat file. It works as the frets are already radiused and the fret profiling file should smooth out any slight unevenness. Just be as even as you can with the amount of strokes in each location.

    Stainless steel is very hard, so I'd recommend using a diamond levelling file. You'll also need decent paper for smoothing the frets after filing and reprofilling. I'd start with P240 and work up to finer grits from that (or use micromesh after P800). It's also going to take ages to get each one smooth again - I'd allow at least an hour per fret to get rid of all the scratches, as that's what it took me on a Warmoth neck with S/S frets (and that was without having to smooth the fret ends off as well as they were already OK).

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