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At the boat yard where I work we have a collection of hunks of lead used for various projects. One that is comfortable to hold in my left hand weighs just a little over 5 pounds. Is that enough weight to support underneath the fingerboard inside the guitar as I hammer in the upper frets?

thanks,

David

Well, plenty of guitars have been fretted with no backing block, so zero pounds is "enough". If that one comfortably fits through the soundhole, try it out. Even better would be to rig it up so that you don't have to hold it, like the taylor fret buck. If you have the stew mac scissor jack maybe that would work to prop the weight up against the underside of the top, just a thought. In summary, your five pound weight should be the bomb.

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Jordan Aceto
Ithaca, NY

Thank you!

I think I read here where Lance (or maybe it was Frank over on Frets.com) uses a 1 lb. hunka lead...5 lbs. would not only be enough but would give you SRV fingers as well!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

I really don't see why you guys don't cut a piece of your radius sanding block off and use it for a press caul and put a caul inside the guitar and use a C clamp to press the frets in.

Because i have jaws II for that! Sometimes it is just faster to get out a hammer and bash away, and sometimes the last couple of frets are hard to get at with jaws II or a C clamp arrangement. There are always a couple of frets that i end up hammering, i like the fret buck (or hunk o' lead) a lot for those ones.

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Jordan Aceto
Ithaca, NY

I use some birdshot in a ziploc, then duct tape it securely into a rectangle about 3.5"x2"x1". Don't know the weight. I find that it absorbs the hammer inertia nicely. I used to use a chunk of steel. The pliabity of the birdshot prevents the hammer shock from going through to your fingers, which can be quite annoying if you do lot's of guitars. Also, it can 'wrap' around the thumbeam, and won't eat your soundhole edge if you accidentaly bump it.

Some well-respected luthiers install the frets before glueing the fingerboard to the neck.

Sure, but it doesn't sound like the OP is going to, and lots of us are going to refret guitars on occasion. (you did end with the pokey stick guy )

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Jordan Aceto
Ithaca, NY

I tap the ends in and just stick my hand in the soundhole and apply some pressure to the area I'm fretting for support. Never had a problem yet.

And then of course there are those who use bolt-on necks to even further resolve this problem.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

isnt lead toxic to handle? Jody

No, Just don't chew on it or breath the dust.

I'm sure there can be some absorbtion through the hand.

Metallic lead isn't too toxic because it and lead oxide doesn't dissolve in water too well, so it just stays harmlessly outside of your body. But I wouldn't eat it because your digestive juice will most likely dissolve it. What's bad is soluble lead like lead nitrate...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

This wouldn't work on a compound radius.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Lead safety is pretty easy.

Those of us who don't work in a plant that manufactures lead products have only 1 thing to blame for lead exposure...... Hygiene -- Nothing else.

For us... it all boils down to: Don't eat it....
The main way we eat it is on our dirty hands.... then handling food, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, gum, chewing fingernails, whatever. If you have lead on your hands, and your hands go in your mouth.... you just ate it.

Wash your hands after handling lead.
Don't eat, smoke, or chew while handling lead.
Keep your hands out of your mouth.
If you can -- keep it outside.... and away from your indoor carpeting.

Easy stuff.
Thanks

John