Using Chair Doctor Glue for re-fret jobs
 

Hi, after watching a youtube video of a luthier recommending Chair Doctor Glue for re-fret work (filling the slots with glue before installing the new frets), I decided to try it out. I used it while refretting a cheap fretboard (just a practice run) and it seems to work well .. I find it less ‘messy’ than CA glue and squeeze out is easy to wipe with a damp cloth or q-tip. I find that squeeze out from CA glue tends to stain the fretboard. It’s too early to know the long term effect but I was just interested to know if anyone here tried it and your thoughts on it?

Why glue the frets at all? The metal tangs are what holds them in place.

Hi Fazool, StewMac give some reasons for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZIMMAdDn3k

JAD - My one concern with this would be that this glue is designed to expand while setting. That's how it works on a loose chair tenon.

It may not be an issue because:

• You're using a very small amount of glue in a fret slot
• Most fretboards are a made from very hard wood
• Expansion would be in the direction of the endgrain where you would have the most compressive strength

Now, it's also possible that these glues are hygroscopic and achieve some of the expansion by water absorption from the atmosphere and adjacent wood. You can understand how that might become an issue.

And ultimately, do you really need anything fancy or experimental here? If a fret is loose, I think a standard aliphatic gap-filling glue (ie. Titebond), or CA, would be sufficient.


best,

Rick

Hi Rick, excellent points and make perfect sense. I’ll stick with Titebond. I only had a ‘small’ issue with CA, when the squeeze out left a little stain. Thank you for replying.

Jad

I can find some logic that the chair doctor stuff causes the wood fibers to swell around the tangs giving them better purchase, but that’s purely conjecture.

I can also see where it could introduce back bow...

I'm with Rick on that, this stuff is designed to expand wood and might push a fret out. Titebond works good for fretting. I use HHG typically.

BUt I will say this, the chair lock stuff works wonders for loose and rattling truss rods. Just remove a a dot inlay, drill into the truss rod chamber and inject with chair lock.

That just sounds so crazy! Glad it works!!!!! :cool:

I can't take credit for that trick but yeah it worked amazingly well.