Esquire-esque

[EsquireEsque]

Your post above got me looking for "ways" - if it can be done it's an "interesting" problem to work out.

I have found that a laminating knife can be used to cut aluminium (it'll take a few passes against a straight edge, but it might be a bit easier).
Not sure if it'll work to "cut" the rounded edges - but it might make it a bit easier for a bench grinder.

I have found a way to round the edges of a control panel....

Once it was cut to the right width (using the laminate knife mentioned above) = I tape an existing control panel to it and use it as a and use that as guide to sand (using the disc on a belt/disc sander and then finish by hand sanding). The harder control panel will not sand anywhere as easy as the aluminium - then move the control panel down to get the length I want, tape it down again and shape the other end.
The same taping allows me to easily drill the screw holes etc as well.

[EsquireEsque]

Did a bit more reading and even with CA glue it takes a minute or two to fully cure.

As to how... I was referring to one of these clamps:

Attachment 45590

I haven't done it for fixing frets, but I have done something similar to clamp a neck. Here's my idea...

In the pic, the clamp has two yellow pads. I would leave one in place for the bottom of the neck. On the top I would pull off the yellow pad and make sure the plastic was very flat. I'd make a caul out of a piece of hardwood that was about 1/2 inch thick, 1/2 inch tall, and a little wider than the fretboard. I would would put a radius on one of the 1/2 inch sides. I'd use double sticky tape to stick the flat side of the caul to the non-padded side of the clamp.

The trick would be making the radius. I have done this before to make cauls for clamping the neck, and something similar to make pickup rings that matched the radius of an archtop guitar. Here's how I made clamping cauls:

I have a 12 inch radius block (which is the radius of all PB necks and most of the "radius unspecified" necks you find on the internet). With the radius block I would put a radius on a piece of scrap wood. Softwood is fine for this part. Once I have a radius on the scrap wood, I slap a piece of sandpaper on it and use it to put a reverse radius on my hardwood caul. Not fast or elegant, but I am guessing it would work to fix a few frets.

In my wanderings on the net to find "options", I came across this, which is a lot less that the "StewMac" option which looks very much the same

[fender3x]

I saw that too. It's what got me thinking about what I have around the house that I might make one of those with. That's when I stared thinking about the one handed clamps. Those adapted "vice grips" would put on a lot more pressure. The only advantage I can see to the one handed clamp is that I could make a fret press with "found objects" around my house...and I'd still be able to use the clamp as a clamp when finished. That is, if it would put on enough pressure. If not, then, once again, my penchant for cheapness would have bitten me in the trasero.