Pressing Frets: Do u need Crazy Glue?

I am pressing frets into a new stewmac Rosewood Fretboard and I was wondering if you always need to put water-thin super glue into the slots? I pressed 1 in with the glue, but the slots seem pretty tight and I was wondering if I could do it without the glue?


thanks,
keith

no. Only if 1) the slots are loose or 2) if your design requires the glue to fill the gap under the fret tang.

I like to add CA after the frets are pressed in to fill any space (however small) to make sure there is no tone loss from the installation.

J

Need... no, not necessarily.

Is it a good idea? Usually, yeah. No matter how tight your fret slots are, there will always be some voids, particularly in the grooves where the tangs are pressed down into the wood. Filling those voids helps the frets stay seated.

Like Joe says, wicking CA in after the frets are pressed is also a good idea.

I never glue in my frets and never had issues.

Even some pretty high-end guitars have glued frets...

L8t1S0tjKLY

I always wick CA into the fret ends after installation whether it needs it or not. Its easy and inexpensive so why take a chance.

I always wick CA into the fret ends after installation whether it needs it or not. Its easy and inexpensive so why take a chance.

Bingo!:mrgreen:

Dumb question alert!!!

What is CA?

Thanks in advance.

It is superglue basically. I think CA actually stand for Cyanoacrylate which is the generic name for low shearing fast acting glues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

It is superglue basically. I think CA actually stand for Cyanoacrylate which is the generic name for low shearing fast acting glues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

Great...that's what I figured but I wanted to make sure. Thanks!

EDIT: So does "wicking" involve heating up the fret with a soldering iron and squeezing glue in at both ends of the fret?

EDIT: So does "wicking" involve heating up the fret with a soldering iron and squeezing glue in at both ends of the fret?

No heat. Angle the neck so gravity and the dryness of the wood pulls the CA into the slot. Versus using a syringe or something to get it in there.

I like to use CA. The only trouble I have with it is that if it squeezes out of the slot it can stain your perfectly sanded fret board. Sanding a fretboard once the frets are in is a terrible pain.

Does anyone have a good way to avoid this? I use the water thin CA and an accelerator so that it hardens instantly. I try to put such a tiny amount in the slot but I always get at least a couple that bleed out and I either have to sand or chisel off the hardened piece of CA.

I like to use CA. The only trouble I have with it is that if it squeezes out of the slot it can stain your perfectly sanded fret board. Sanding a fretboard once the frets are in is a terrible pain.

Does anyone have a good way to avoid this? I use the water thin CA and an accelerator so that it hardens instantly. I try to put such a tiny amount in the slot but I always get at least a couple that bleed out and I either have to sand or chisel off the hardened piece of CA.

On a rosewood, or other unfinshed board I use a rag wetted with acetone to wipe any squeeze out up before it sets.