Loose Frets

On setting up the action on my project tele i'm getting buzz on the 19th fret on the low e on closer inspection the frets high because the very end of the fret is loose , so as it's a finished maple neck what glue would be suitable i've heard that Super Glue will take off the finish on the neck , would a PVA glue be more suitable and would it be strong enough ? . Thanks

Superglue won't take the finish off, though you need to be careful not to let it run other places. It's really the best glue for the job.

Figure out how you're going to clamp it, and do a dry run to get everything in position. Loosen the clamp, get your glue in there (just a drop or two, max), and clamp it again.

Thanks for that , but the gap is so small will superglue be runny enough ? or should i try and lift the fret a bit , trouble i don't have the tools to take the fret right out

If the gap is that small, the only two choices I know of that are thin enough are thin CYA or heated and thinned hide glue.

You can get CYA (superglue) in various viscosities if you go to the hobby store. Be very careful with thin glue, though, as capillary action (and just general runny-ness) will send it all over the place. Don't use it without a precision tip of some kind.

StewMac sells these guys that are very useful. The hobby store should have them as well:

http://www.stewmac.com/product_images/1sm/7015/Whip_Tips_sm.jpg

I usually trim the whip as short as I can.

I'm UK based so we have so many types of super glue nothing with a fine tip as that

You misunderstand... you buy the tips separately.

There's one brand here that comes with a fine tip attached to the bottle. The problem is that the the tip clogs with one or two uses.

You misunderstand... you buy the tips separately.

There's one brand here that comes with a fine tip attached to the bottle. The problem is that the the tip clogs with one or two uses.

Yes i do understand but we can't just pop down the " hobby shop " , we don't have them some towns might still have a model or craft shop but it's the internet for those type of nozzles .

Difficulties in sourcing notwithstanding, that is the best method. First tap the fret down with a brass-faced hammer or use a fret-press caul to mash it down -- sometimes a fret doesn't go in all the way because there's a bit of junk in the slot underneath and that requires you to remove the fret entirely. So, if the fret will go back down where it's supposed to be, then you clamp it in position first and then let the thin CA glue wick itself under the fret to hold it in place. Good thing you didn't try a level-and-crown fret dressing with the wonky fret springing about (how's that for the Queen's English?).

Yes very good English old chap

Brass faced hammers , fret press , fret pullers , i've allready stated i don't have access to these sort of tools , the fret is only loose right on the very end it's 0.20mm 1/128th very small gap i know but still high enough for me not to get the action i want , the fret does clamp down flat to finger board , the neck is 14 years old so over due some TLC

Improvise. Get the thin type of super glue, let it run in under the fret, clamp quickly and wipe away residue glue as quick as you can. You can always scrape off any dried glue later on.

Of course, there is the possibility that the loose fret will then be lower than the other frets and you will have to do a fret level and crown of the whole neck.

Yes very good English old chap

Brass faced hammers , fret press , fret pullers , i've allready stated i don't have access to these sort of tools , the fret is only loose right on the very end it's 0.20mm 1/128th very small gap i know but still high enough for me not to get the action i want , the fret does clamp down flat to finger board , the neck is 14 years old so over due some TLC

You can use a small block of wood. Hold it on the fret and tap it with a regular hammer. If it pops back up, you'll need to glue it.

As suggested, clamp it. Then wick in the glue. No clamp? make one with a block of wood, some padding (for the back of the neck) and a wire coat hanger (or other strong wire). Put the block on the fret, padding on the back. Twist the wire down tightly around the whole mess and make sure that you are "clamping" it all the way down to the fretboard. Otherwise, you will glue the fret in high.

I would advise you to try and find a REAL clamp, however!!!!

Yes i do understand but we can't just pop down the " hobby shop " , we don't have them some towns might still have a model or craft shop but it's the internet for those type of nozzles .

Sorry, didn't realize that these things were so hard to find. Where do folks buy model trains and things?

Online? :)

Sorry, didn't realize that these things were so hard to find. Where do folks buy model trains and things?

Model trains and things ? Don't know we British tend to get out more :lol:

Brass-faced hammers are available in mail order woodworking catalogs as well as mechanic's tool suppliers (I even have one that's a mini dead-blow hammer like the body shops use for dents). A fret-press caul is a grooved piece of brass the same radius as your fingerboard that you use in a drill press; Stewart MacDonald has an ingeniously modified pair of vise-grip pliers with these things on the jaws. I suspect you could just use a large clamp or large locking pliers as a clamp for the errant fret. Just make sure you pad the back of the neck. I'd suggest you clamp the fret first, and only then should you apply any superglue because it will wick in there and harden very quickly - so fast that you probably wouldn't have time to press the fret down afterwards unless it was already in position. The glue will do two things. First of course it bonds the metal fret to the wood. Second, if the glue is thin enough, it will soak in and harden the wood aroud the barbs of the fretwire. Which is why you dont' use the more common gel superglue that's sold at the grocery store for fixing broken fingernails.

You're not going to need a fret puller, but all that is is a pair of end-nippers ground flat on the outer surface so the cutting edge gets down flush under the sides of the fret so you can wedge it out if you have to remove a fret.

So all you need is some thin superglue/crazy glue (cyanoacrylate) and a clamp. And a scrap of wood. And some nail polish remover or acetone in case you get the glue on your fingers (don't ask me how I know that).

Brass-faced hammers are available in mail order woodworking catalogs as well as mechanic's tool suppliers (I even have one that's a mini dead-blow hammer like the body shops use for dents). A fret-press caul is a grooved piece of brass the same radius as your fingerboard that you use in a drill press; Stewart MacDonald has an ingeniously modified pair of vise-grip pliers with these things on the jaws. I suspect you could just use a large clamp or large locking pliers as a clamp for the errant fret. Just make sure you pad the back of the neck. I'd suggest you clamp the fret first, and only then should you apply any superglue because it will wick in there and harden very quickly - so fast that you probably wouldn't have time to press the fret down afterwards unless it was already in position. The glue will do two things. First of course it bonds the metal fret to the wood. Second, if the glue is thin enough, it will soak in and harden the wood aroud the barbs of the fretwire. Which is why you dont' use the more common gel superglue that's sold at the grocery store for fixing broken fingernails.

You're not going to need a fret puller, but all that is is a pair of end-nippers ground flat on the outer surface so the cutting edge gets down flush under the sides of the fret so you can wedge it out if you have to remove a fret.

So all you need is some thin superglue/crazy glue (cyanoacrylate) and a clamp. And a scrap of wood. And some nail polish remover or acetone in case you get the glue on your fingers (don't ask me how I know that).

Thanks for that , i do know how to do it , the point of this topic started out as what type of glue to use , it's the cost of all these tools that i won't use again it'll be cheaper to take it to a luthier and have the fret fixed and have the neck ground and frets re-crowned , i've had a quote for £35 to do it .

Assuming the luthier is competent - that's a good way to go!