Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey Ken, do you still need the wire? I've got a coil of Shane's stuff, which I may never make it through since I'd prefer a shorter crown height, and will likely be switching over to SS along with it (thanks for the dremel cutoff wheel idea, JJ!). I don't think I could fit a coil in a flat rate envelope, but I could cut a few lengths, maybe one 8", two 9", three 10"? That ought to be enough for one guitar and some spare. I could get it in the mail today, and hopefully make it there by the weekend

I understand there's differences in grain and smoothness, and with perfectly polished strings, I agree that there should be minimal wear to begin with.
However, I feel that once the strings lose their polish, and let's face it, that happens very quickly, and most strings are NOT polished super smooth to begin with, that benefit is gone. Once the string gets a little bit discolored, they're rubbing the fret with their oxide surface. Aren't most sandpapers, the long lasting ones, some kind of metal or metalloid oxide?
I've been using the same tools for ten years and have been using SS for bout 5. I DID break a set of fret nippers that were old right off the bat before learning how to cut steel with them (yes, technique is a factor,) and I did wear out one set of tang nippers before learning to nib on SS (technique is a factor there too), but after the learning curve, no problem! I use twice as much polishing paper, and it's more effort, but that's about it.
The thing that keeps me from getting some of the gold os the patina it develops. I don't like that.
I know, I'm picky...

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Dennis,

I'll PM you about the wire...

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Ken Mitchell
Durham, NC

Common sandpapers are Aluminum Oxide which is very hard as opposed to iron oxide which is pretty soft.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I would think fret wear is simple mechanical abrasion from the strings as opposed to a chemical reaction. Or did I mistake your post?

My theory was that the roughness of the string as it corroded would speed up the mechanical abrasion.
Regardless of whether or not that is a correct thought (probably isn't) I still think cruddy old strings abrade frets faster than smooth strings.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Is this an appropriate thread to discuss what wire widths and depths are common amongst builders

Do you have favorite shape ?

John

I like .105 wide .45 tall, crown-wise. The thinner frets feel bumpier to me, the wider frets tend to feel smoother to me.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

That half inch tall wire must be hard to work into the action of a normal guitar!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Not really, and it beats having to scallop the fretboard!

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Old growth, shmold growth!