Fretting

[Chris Tremble]

I've just finished in laying my ebony fingerboard and I'm trying to fret it now but the frets just don't want to stay in. I've bent them slightly over radius, tapped them in on the edges and then hammered them in from the middle out, but they still want to pop out on the edges again! It's starting to chip around the fret slots and I'm worried I'm going to ruin the board after spending so much time on the inlay. Can someone help please, this is my first build and I don't want to mess it up!

[Mario Proulx]

Put a wee bit of glue(wood glue, hide glue being best, but titebond or similar will do fine) in the slot before tapping-in the fret. The glue will act as a lubricant and allow the fret to ease itself into the slot with much less effort. And -tap- the fret. The harder you hit it, especially in the middle, the more it will make the ends want to pop-up. Tap. Tap. Tap.

[Chris Tremble]

Thanks Mario. It worked nicely!

[Mario Proulx]

Sweet! Always happy to help.