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Hi Guys,
I've just re-fretted a Strat type neck and I have a problem which seems to have an obvious answer but I can't figure it out. The wire is medium width (2.54 mm) and I'm using a medium fret crowning file (Stew Mac) but I'm getting the ridges on the right side of the wire (see photo) where the file is digging in. It only appears on the right side of the fret. Does this suggest a problem with my technique or am I using the wrong file. The last re-fret I did went smooth as silk which kind of lulled me into the dreaded false sense. This one has been beset my problems from start to finish. Any suggestions welcome.

The ridge is most likely technique, I think you are pushing the file from the side as much as, if not more than, down on the fret. If you filed with the board in front of you as pictured I would guess you are right handed. It appears to me that you may be forcing it a bit as I see some chatter as well. My advice is to relax and let the tool do the work. Finesse not force. Sometimes I will crown a medium fret with a wide crown file, it makes for a slightly slicker feel and can make a level & crown go a bit quicker.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Those should come out after sanding them up to 2000 and doing your final fret polish

I'd get on the phone to StewMac and ask what the radius is of their "medium" file actually is. If it's less than 1.27mm that would explain what I'm seeing.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

I'm sure technique has much to do with it, although I've double checked the wire measurements and the width is 2.54. That seems a little wide for "medium" wire (it was sold as such) so obviously using a medium file would create those ridges.

jimmysux - I don't think sanding will remove them - they are quite deep ridges filed into the side of the fret, not just surface marks.

B.Howard - Correct, I am right-handed. If you use a wide file on a medium fret, won't the file contact the fret crown rather than the sides of the fret?

Zlurgh - I'll mail them as I'm in the UK.

Thanks to you all for your comments - all appreciated.

Hey, Tony, don't give up. It's technique for sure. I've done exactly the same thing.
In fact, I have to correct my stoke and pressure at least once on every fret board I do.
I don't do enough of them to automatically get into the "groove." You can even this out pretty easily, and you can sand out the scratches, too. Just keep an eye on the top of your marked fret and check every few strokes to be sure your file is cutting evenly on each "shoulder". If your file chatters, that's when you're getting those little ridges. You will soon get a feel for the right pressure and stroke. Also keep an eye on your progress all across the fret. It's real easy to stay in one place too long--cutting more in the middle, for example, than at the ends. Or vice versa.

You can make a little fret sanding stick by filing a rounded groove with a needle file along the narrow edge of a hardwood stick. Use very fine grit self adhesive paper (or 3M spray mount to stick sandpaper in the groove) and then go at your frets very lightly. I saw that trick in a thread here a little more than a year ago. You'll be fine.

Patrick

What the heck is going on with the fretboard. Are you intentionally scalloping it?

This is the reply I had from StewMac:- We do not have that spec for you (file radius)....the 4491 will accommodate fretwire with .080 to .095 crown width on the medium side and .100 to .110 on the wide. The file dresses the edges of the crown, not the crown itself.
So obviously if I've been using a medium file on wide wire.........
It's pretty annoying when wire is sold as one thing but is actually another, but I guess somebody with more experience would have picked up on that. The wire I used was sold as medium and the suppliers spec says it's 2.49 mm wide. It actually measures at 2.54 which is 0.100"........
Aside from that, I accept that my technique is as much to blame and I assumed that because my last re-fret went so smoothly so would this one.
Barry - no scalloping going on, just a couple of rough patches on the fretboard edge. That left hand fret does look pretty scalloped though - must be a trick of the camera or something.
Thanks again to all for your tips and advice.

I usually do this on level & crowns on really worn frets where I have had to remove a lot of material to work out the wear divots. When you get a flat spot on top the frets that is 1/3 the width of the fret the wide filre puts a crown on quicker and easier. I have done it on new frets as well a time or two for player feel. To do that you should start with a wire that is a bit taller and at the edge of wide for a medium fret, I like LMI's FW55090 for that.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/