Rolling fretboard help

Milk

May be a simple think to some people on this sub area of thefretboard. looking at some of the awsome build.

What is the easiest but most effective way or rolling fretboards not like the image below but more so just to slighty round off the corner as it is uncofortable to play on?

MattNovak

Hi @Milk , I can't see your image so I don't know what the board in question is like* but using some fine sandpaper and just taking your time until iits comfortable would seem a good place to start. 

*maple, bound, lacquered etc? These things may matter

stickyfiddle

I’ve done my own a few times, starting with the edge of a razor blade (scraping, not cutting), then sandpaper or micromesh to progressively smooth the new edge. That works well on bare rosewood and plastic binding. 

Obviously anything finished (maple or a finished rosewood like on a Rickenbacker) can’t really be rolled in the same way.

Milk

@MattNovak for some reason it wont upload and keeps disapearing. but just to get rid of the cornerso it is more rounded for comnfort if that makes sense.

 

@stickyfiddle would i little angle it at 90 degrees tall so the edge of the razor is in full contact or is there a better angle to avoid potential damage (im crap at anything wood) also the fretboard is pau ferro if that makes it easier or harder

WezV

Here is a little vid I did a while back showing how I roll with a knife blade 



Many ways to skin a cat, but this works well for consistent roll overs, rather than worn in rollovers .  The worn in look is more scalloped and easily done by sanding the edge

Milk

Thank you @WezV so the blade is stood up vertically from what i can see and i presume only scraping in one direction help with the roll been even all over the fretboard and move the neck around whilst scraping to get it even at all angles from level with the fingerboard to the curavature of the neck?

Would this cause sharp fret ends though if material is been taken off?

WezV

It shouldn't cause sharp fret ends, but if you overdo it it can certainly make them feel like they protrude more.... I am not taking a lot off at all, that's the key.  Also, I would normally be doing a fret dress after this process 

Milk

so minimal pressure to avoid taking too much wood off and also would probably help me not be stupid, me and wood dont mix well and i mess it haha.

stickyfiddle

Yeah, I do it pretty much the same way as @WezV, but focussing more on the middle of each space between frets rather than going fully fret-to-fret with every pass. 

Go slowly and gently. You can always take more material off later but you can't put it back if you go too far. 

WezV

If you are not sure, dont do it. Some fine grit sandpaper is safer   I am applying very little pressure  in that vid..

Sarge

If you have a fretboard that isn't lacquer or poly finished you can use the shaft of a steel screwdriver to compress the edge into a roundover, I've done this a couple of times to take the sharp edge off. 

LastMantra

Sarge said:

If you have a fretboard that isn't lacquer or poly finished you can use the shaft of a steel screwdriver to compress the edge into a roundover, I've done this a couple of times to take the sharp edge off. 

That's what I was going to suggest. 

Milk

Its not a expensive guitar or even a guitar with any emotional value but il crack on with it at the weekend and see how it turns out

John_A

Sarge said:

If you have a fretboard that isn't lacquer or poly finished you can use the shaft of a steel screwdriver to compress the edge into a roundover, I've done this a couple of times to take the sharp edge off. 

That's what I do too, normally use a trem arm