How to Clean Up Frets??

[michaelkaufman]

I have a guitar with frets that need cleaning.  They're not rusted, but there's definitely some crud on them which creates lots of friction.  They need to be cleaned up back to their original polished condition.

What should I do?  Obviously, I don't want to damage the fretboard.

tia,
mk

[BCy2k]

I've used these Ebay Item Number # 270251058397 in conjunction with some 0000 guage steel wool (most hardware stores will have this) on all my axes with stellar results. I bought a couple of these fret polisher/fingerboard protector things and I like them. Make sure the slot on them is not too big or too small though. They barely work on my jumbo fret Ibbys (2670 & 2671).

- BC

[KD]

If you're on the cheap you can use some low stick masking tape (painter's tape) to protect the fingerboard. Be sure to tape over your PU's to keep the steel wool off, bugger to get off poles.

[Mongo]

+1 on the 0000 steel wool.

I run down all of my frets with it on every string change. Been doing that for over 20 years and my frets have always been as slick as could be. Not a bit of extra wear from doing it, so no worries there... I've recently discovered those fret slot tools on ebay and have been wanting to buy one to try out. The tape trick works fine to cover the fretboard, but is just cumbersome to say the least.

Definitely tape over any cavities and the pickups before hand. A bazillion little pieces of steel will want to make their way into places they shouldn't be. Blue painters tape is a great idea. A vacuum works wonders to collect the steel prior to pulling the tape, or as a quick cleanup as you work your way down the fretboard.

[guitarwhisperer]

I've ceased using steel wool on my guitars. I hate the little particles, they stick to the pickups even if you tape over them, and get all over the guitar body, making them hard to clean without scratching the finish. It's impossible to vacuum it all. The steel wool also ruins the polish cloth, sticks to the bench, ruins the carpet etc....
I also do thousands of fret polishes a year, so the effects on my carpet and bench are more noticeable, i guess.

Instead of steel wool, I mask off the fretboard and use mothers metal polish, applied with a soft cotton polish cloth. A little goes a long way. I polish all the frets, then wipe them off with fresh cloth to remove all the residue. Steel wool can't touch it, although steel wool is good for a quick swipe, if you can stand it.

[jeffsailor]

Scotchbright on the frets, painter's tape on the board.

[littlealligator]

I bought a couple of those things from ebay, they are not too bad.

Cappy and I cleaned up an axe on the weekend. We used Autosol -
http://www.autosol.com.au/MetalPolishes.html

I used to do steel wool, but it takes way too long and leaves a mess compared with the autosol.

[toms_korber]

What's the brand name on your side of the planet for those yellow&green sponges the Person Working In Your Kitchen (a.k.a The Wife) uses for cleaning the underside of pots and pans? Anyway, I use the green (hard) side of that - sponge not person, that is...
If the household version won't do, try the industrial strenght version you can get from professional cleaner's suppliers.
(Note: DON'T use that stuff to remove dead flies from your windscreen! I did... )

[Mongo]

What are everyones opinions on the concern about various polish chemicals effect on porous woods like rosewood or ebony?

Granted, extreme care should be exercised to protect the fretboard, but there will inevitably be polish at the base of the fret. Considering the possibility that it could work its way under the fret, should we be concerned about it damaging the wood/fret groove and eventually loosening the fret?

Polishes can sometimes be harsh chemicals to eat away tarnish, etc. I have a varied collection of excellent polishes here at the house, but have always been hesitant to introduce them to my fretboard.

This is a quote from the Autosol site: "It is strong enough to remove stubborn rust stains, yet is gentle enough to use on even highly polished metal pieces. It contains wax-like inhibitors that provide superior protection from the environment."

I only used Autosol as an example, I have no experience with it. It's just a good reference to pose the question.

[toms_korber]

I would NEVER use any chemicals on wooden fretboards. The only stuff that comes near mine is "fretboard oil" from the guitar store. To get rid of rust or dirt I use those sponges (see last post) or a slightly wet microfibre cleaning cloth. Anything that you can't remove with either will require the use of WMD... 

[guitarwhisperer]

That's actually why I use the Mothers metal polish, it's kinda thick and is very finely abrasive, finerthan steel wool, and mildly chemically active. A little tiny bit on the polish cloth works incredibly well, and doesn't gunk up at the base of the fret, since it's used sparingly, and the fretboard is taped off anyway. I tape right up to the fret. When I'm done, there's no polish at the base of the fret. The pure chemical liquid metal polishes aren't as easy to control, and if you have too much polish on the cloth, it's hard to control. I've never used metal polish on an abrasive pad such as a scotchbrite, so I don't know how hard to use without gunking the fretboard that would be.

In any case, metal polish on wood would not be good. In particular, if the polish gets in the pores, it would probably remain visible for a good while. In that case, I would HAVE to steel wool th fretboard, to pull the polish out of the wood grain.

I always oil the fretboard after pulling tape off of it.

The low tack tape doesn't pull up the grain, the higher tack masking tape can pull fibers off the fretboard.

[KD]

If you use regular masking tape, stick it to your clothing several times to reduce the adhesiveness. Even oiling your fret board should be done very sparingly and infrequently (once a year or so) so that it doesn't work it way down around the frets or into cracks. I've also heard not to use wax products containing silicon (corrosive to electronics and adheres to finish and never goes away).

[guitarwhisperer]

There's a whole thread somewhere about oil, but lemon oil can be used as often as you want, as it leaves no residue. The linseed oil I've used always seems to gunk up the fretboard, I've not tried the raw linseed oil yet. Guitar polish should never be used on the fretboard, or pledge, as they have waxes and silicon or worse in them.

[littlealligator]

In any case, metal polish on wood would not be good. In particular, if the polish gets in the pores, it would probably remain visible for a good while. In that case, I would HAVE to steel wool th fretboard, to pull the polish out of the wood grain.

cappy has another trick for this - desolvit.

I video'd him doing the cleanup, this weekend if the boss lets me, I'll have some time to take the vid's off the camera and upload them.

[guitarwhisperer]

The good thing about steel wool, in the case of metal polish on the wood, is that it removes it completely, out of the pores, without putting more chemicals on the wood. Of course, it's better to NOT get it on the wood in the first place.