Official Luthiers Forum!

I’m attempting to crown using a diamond center cut z file from SM.
My question is: after marking the fret and using the file how thin should the mark be left on the fret?
To me they look a little wide. Perhaps I haven’t worked them quite enough.
Any secrets to using these things? It’s not rocket science, but it be been known to do things the hard way before ha:)
B


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As thin as possible. Do not lose the line or you'll need to start over!

Pat

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Pat

I do a lot of setups so I get to do a lot of fret work and I use my Z file a lot. As Pat says you want to keep the line thin, about as wide as the line you would get on paper from a ball-point pen. I use the Z file like I would use a triangular file, i.e. I roll it from side to side as I work to manipulate where on the fret the file is cutting. Another thing I have found is to take some light strokes when you are almost done with the fret to clean up any deeper scratches so that it is easier to polish the frets.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Maybe that’s the technique I’m missing. I’ve been trying to keep it as strait as possible along the fret vertically.


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I go to about 1/32nd inch.

I guess the line width from a ball-point pen could be interpreted different ways. 1/32" is about what I do too.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Help me out here. I used to be able to file frets fine with just a mill file. Not anymore. I have various specialty files that still give me problems. Bad eyes, shaky hands, stiff neck, etc. Would the Z-file be my bet try for classicals and ukes, and if so, which of the varieties listed at StewMac?

Thanks

To me the Z-file is just a 300 grit diamond flat file with an indexing edge on it. For me it makes it easier to keep it in position while I'm filing. I have the original Z-file and have not tried any of the other flavors.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I've used a few files for fretting starting off with a triangle file with safety edges which is a great file BTW. Then I moved on to a diamond file, the Stemac offset file and thought that was the greatest thing ever. Then my brother who dabbled in luthiery and gave up gave me the Gurian 3 in 1 file and that has been my go to file ever since. Looks like Stewmac makes them in diamond now too which is great but expensive.

My process now is to rough them out with the triangle file then finish with the Gurian file. It makes perfect round crown... I love it and cannot say enough about it.

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-a ... -file.html

I've used the Gurian files for decades now. I do have a couple of the Stew Mac diamond versions, and they're better all in all for a lot of applications (better surface finish), but I still go back to the Gurians for some fretwire. They're definitely good.

Dave

Just curios, why do you go back to the Gurian files for some applications when you have the diamond ones? Is it like for unusual size wire for mandolins perhaps?

If I was going to get those diamond ones do you thing there is one that can pretty much do most fret wires or just buy all 3? I was thinking I could just get the medium one since that's probably 75% of the wire I use in building and repair and then jsut use the Gurian for the wide and small. Then perhaps in time upgrade fully. Of course you save like $40 bucks buying all 3 too.