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RobF -> RE: hijos de vicente tatay (Nov. 4 2025 22:51:17)
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I just looked at your photos and realized the original board wasn't dyed black to start with. Don't know why I thought it was, maybe the dark spot in the sanding pics gave me the impression. I guess it's a judgement call that can be made after the board is prepped, but if it wasn't dyed black to begin with then it doesn't make sense to do it now. I generally default to keeping with the original spirit of a guitar.
Fretting...if you're working from a length cut from a coil then it can be economical to not pre-cut, just tap in, cut in place, then move on to the next. Sometimes the curve from the coil can make it awkward, however, and if it twists or makes seating a new fret vertically difficult then it's best to pre-cut. Also, when working over the body pre-cutting is easier and there's less chance of scratching anything. But, you're right, it comes down to doing whatever feels comfortable at any particular moment.
A spot of glue at the ends can help fill any extra slot gap not filled by the tang, so in addition to holding the fret it's also cosmetically pleasing. I generally put a spot of CA at the ends as a matter of course, and if I need to do some gap filling I'll use some thicker stuff. It's a good idea to put a very slight bevel along the fret slots during prep and also brush a small bead of water along the slot before hammering the fret in, especially if you're working with ebony (doesn't apply here, but it's a good general rule). The bevel helps avoid chipping both on install and removal, as does the water. Following on that, I always run a bead of water along the fret and heat it with a soldering iron when removing frets, operating on the assumption that there may be glue in place and there's no harm done if there isn't.
Yeah, the weight absorbs the impact of the hammer, which spares the wood. Which is also why necks are often rested on bags of buckshot for fretting. To transfer the energy. Kind of like what's demonstrated by those clickety-click swinging ball contraptions people like to keep on their office desks.
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