Polishing Frets on my Acoustic

[guitarman13]

My new ibanez acoustic came with pretty rough frets, which is sort of a problem when it comes to bending and vibrato. I taped off the neck and polished all of the frets with steal wool, which made them a little smoother. They're still rough though, so I don't know how to get them completely smooth. Will polishing them with a dremel and polishing compound work?

[waylay00]

I wouldn't polish with a dremel. That can create a lot of friction.
I'd try to get a hold of some Micro Mesh. You can get some at Stew Mac or your local hobby store. It's great, and it doesn't leave all the steel wool remnants.

[Devo]

what grade steel wool are you using? usually 0000 is fine enough to smooth and polish out most crowning scars.

Steve

[walker22]

planet waves fret polishing kit... works great. I used to use steel wool, but that was too messy and time consuming.

[Jaden]

depends on how rough your frets really are..
polishing is wel.... polishing, if they are beyond polishing you may have to go back a few grits of wet n dry to take out the damage or scratches.

[ibanguitar]

I use a dremel on the lowest speed setting with a buffing tip Dremel #422. I use Zam jewelers rouge. Tape off your fretboard and don't stay on each fret too long or you might heat it up too much. Just go back and forth a few times and be careful not to touch the fretboard wood. Clean the compound off with a flannel rag type material. Your frets will come out looking like glass. I learned this from a luthier who use to do setups for a lot of famous guitarists.