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Post by jbrad on Sept 28, 2020 10:30:49 GMT -7
Has anyone tried one of the Lizard Spit fret care kits to polish frets?
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Post by steiner on Sept 28, 2020 11:35:57 GMT -7
Mineral oil and CBT coconut oil does the job, in its natural state is far less expensive.
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Post by zpilot on Sept 28, 2020 12:33:14 GMT -7
I have used several things to polish frets over the years. $18 for a kit to do one guitar does not seem too bad. If you plan on doing more you might want to opt for things like Dremel polishing wheels or polishing pads. I have even used a small leather wheel on my Dremel with jewlers rouge. If you want to do it the cheapest way just use masking tape to protect the board and use some 2000 grit wet/dry paper. You can find it at most auto parts or hardware or hobby stores.
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Post by bryan0418 on Sept 28, 2020 14:59:24 GMT -7
I have had good luck with a small piece of the Gorgomyte cloth. Shines frets smooth and makes bending feel great. www.gorgomyte.com
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Sept 29, 2020 3:32:07 GMT -7
I just use 0000 steel wool. I have some StewMac fret erasers, and they work fine and the set has several different grit levels, but the steel wool seems to work better and faster. I’m semi-careful about the fretboard, but I don’t tape off and haven’t had any issues in over 30 years of taking care of my electrics and acoustics, rosewood and maple fretboards.
I’ve used Gerlitz Guitar Honey on all the non-maple boards for years and it’s great.
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Post by scottc on Sept 30, 2020 10:49:29 GMT -7
I just use 0000 steel wool. I have some StewMac fret erasers, and they work fine and the set has several different grit levels, but the steel wool seems to work better and faster. I’m semi-careful about the fretboard, but I don’t tape off and haven’t had any issues in over 30 years of taking care of my electrics and acoustics, rosewood and maple fretboards. I’ve used Gerlitz Guitar Honey on all the non-maple boards for years and it’s great. I use 0000 steel wool as well with a set of Stew Mac fret board protectors. They are basically a thin metal piece with a cutout for the fret so that the wool only polishes the fret...Not the board!
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Post by zpilot on Sept 30, 2020 23:17:58 GMT -7
If you use steel wool then make sure to cover your pickups with masking tape to keep the little strands from getting inside them and sticking to the magnets. A sure way to foul them up. I've heard that Jason Lollar will not even let steel wool be in the same room as his pickups. I would use Scotch-brite instead. The red sheets.
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Oct 1, 2020 3:36:52 GMT -7
I agree that covering the fretboard and pickups is a good idea. That said, I’ve been cleaning my frets with steel wool for decades and have never covered my fretboards or taped off my pickups - I work carefully to mind the fretboard, and have no issues with worn boards on the guitars (most I’ve owned for all those decades). I will cover the pickups with a cloth when I get to the high frets to keep the stray bits from getting on the magnets, but still haven’t had any issues.
If I ran a shop and worked on other people’s guitars it would be a different story. But I’m usually polishing frets during a string change on several guitars so for me it’s a balance of time and detail. I love StewMac and own a bunch of their stuff, but they are geared toward professional shops and sometimes I just gotta get things done 😁
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 1, 2020 5:37:49 GMT -7
I polish my frets pretty much every string change. But I don't use the Lizard spit stuff. I have a jewelers silver polishing rag and a leather polishing block that I made out of wood and leather. It's a 5 minute process and it's easy to do. Here's the process I use: Mod Garage Fighting Fretwear
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Post by lathspell on Oct 7, 2020 20:43:17 GMT -7
Yes, I use the Lizard Spit. The little baggy includes 20 or so little pads and it works amazingly. I lightly brush the fretboard with 0000 steel wool to pickup the grime and residue on the board. After that, I use the Lizard Spit to polish the frets. Makes my guitars play so smooth.
You don't have to press hard on the frets; just lightly. The grime comes right off and your frets will be shiny as new.
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