Official Luthiers Forum!

What glue do folks prefer for gluing in frets on a new build? HHG, LMI instrument makers white glue, titebond, superglue? Thanks!

HHG

I use premixed cold hide glue in a bottle.
Works great.
(can't stand the smell of hot hide glue)

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Fish Glue...

How do you mean "finally"?

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I've always used LMi White or Titebond but I am a recent convert to fish glue and probably will start using it. It's one of those things that has me saying why have I not used this a long long time ago. 'Course I don't have a glue pot so some day I may get into HHG.

HHG the high clarity 192g

Thanks Todd and all! Do you apply the HHG to the tang and then tap it in?

When I used regular fret wire it was Titebond, now that I use EVO wire it's CA. Clamp with a caul so I can run thin CA on one side, let set, remove caul, do other side. I just can't get the frets to sit the way I want without doing it this way. It results in frets that need very little work beyond gluing. Does take a bit of work with acetone and scraper to clean up.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

regarding the protein glues, like hide/fish.....if you watch concert footage of professional rockers, some of them are sweating like boxers onstage under those lights. would these glues become gummy and sticky in these (admittedly extreme) situations...?

This is a helpful thread. With the limited fretting I have done I followed Ben Crowe's (Crimson Guitars) method on YouTube where he uses No-More-Nails adhesive. It wipes off easily and dries clear. No issues that I can see. Any thoughts on this approach from those of you who have sniffed far more glue than I?

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Medium CA and stainless frets for me. Then wick in light CA to fill under the tangs if there are any gaps.

Franklin cold hide glue off the shelf at Ace. Lay it in the slots with a syringe and needle. There was a recent thread on this subject.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

On unbound fingerboards (most classicals) it's easy to clean out glue residue on a refret. A swipe or two with the hand saw, and the slot is clean. Hide glue, Titebond, epoxy, superglue...it doesnt much matter. They all release cleanly with a little heat, so that's a wash too.

I like to drive frets dry--no glue. This makes it easier to measure how well they're seated. (I run a feeler gauge along both sides, then rocker all the frets, then measure gaps with a 24" straight edge.) Any high points can be tapped down without reheating. When I'm happy with the results, wicking in a suggestion of thin superglue is good insurance. No added water that might temporarily distort geometry. No water needed for clean up on removal. (Water in fret slots goes into end grain, is rapidly absorbed.)

Bound fingerboards make refrets a little more tedious. Still, I'd rather spend the time to clean out a bit of glue with a saw, than mop things up with hot water, and wait a few days (a week?) for things to stabilize. If I need to plane the finger board, I'll have to recut the fret slots--sawing wood, not glue.

This works for me, and keeps me busy. I hope I haven't been doing it wrong.

I use Fish or HHG in a slightly wider slot. You can tap them in with a chisel handle. Clamp with a suitable caul until the glue is dry.

Wow! Awesome, contributions! Thanks for sharing your experience everyone. I ended up using HHG because I've been using it on most of my first build.