Fret hammer

[New2bass2]

So I'm new to bass and new to fixing or learning the craft .
I bought a cheap glarry bass to experiment with ,.
So can a stainless steel hammer be used as a fret hammer ? I think it's stainless
It seems really hard ,.
Here is a picture of what I came up with .

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Not a particularly good idea, IMHO. Going to leave dents in the fretwire that will need to be filed out when dressing that a softer face material won't.

 

[WillyW]

Fret Hammer is a good band name

 

[Flamingo21]

If you are going to put new frets into your bass, there are dedicated fret hammers available. They're made for the job and won't damage your frets.

You can also choose to press the frets in. There are tools for that too. It's a matter of preference. Me, I have a fret hammer.

 

[Killing Floor]

Fret Hammer is a good band name

Dang it! Dibs if you don’t use it.

 

[Dark Horse]

Don’t use stainless… It’s harder than the fret material and can dent them when installing. A brass head hammer, or even a hard rubber hammer can be used.

a good option for cheap is this one from harbor freight…

Invalid Link Removed

 

[New2bass2]

Ty , thought it was way to hard , I just wanted to hammer them down and glue them and then teach myself a light sanding technique .

 

[themickster]

Fret Hammer is a good band name

Never call your band To Be Confirmed; You either get double booked or nobody goes to see you.

 

[Drredplate]

I use a panel pin hammer made of tool steel which I have swathed in gaffa tape

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I use a double head gunsmith hammer, brass on one side, some kind of synthetic (Delrin?) on the other, but just to lightly set the frets, then a drill press caul with brass radius inserts to press them in. A stainless hammer will trash standard nickel silver frets. Might be ok on stainless frets, but maybe kind of bouncy. A small dead-blow shot filled hammer with brass or plastic face probably ideal.

 

[CryingBass]

The one's I have seen have a semi-hard translucent plastic head, at least on one side, like this:

And the brass end is softer than steel. Cheap? Not really, but neither is a new fretboard

 

[New2bass2]

I am just learning on a glarry child bass 36 inch over all , I am not pressing or installing anything new ,. I have a small level so I know it is flat metal .
I put it on the fret board and it is like rocky road . So I have learned rockers ... So I started looking.
Some say sand , some say cheap basses come with half azzed ppressed, unglued frets and I think that is what I have . The info I got from unglued, uneven pressed frets was to hammer them in and glue them . Then you know they won't move while and after sanding the frets lightly , I am guessing .
So today my mr pillow cork thingy came today and tomorrow I'll have a fret leveling kit . Could anyone chime in on gud luck or oh, no bad idea .. I know about plastic head hammers , wood blocks , I'm still on the fence of any harder on the neck ..

 

[New2bass2]

I am just learning on a glarry child bass 36 inch over all , I am not pressing or installing anything new ,. I have a small level so I know it is flat metal .
I put it on the fret board and it is like rocky road . So I have learned rockers ... So I started looking.
Some say sand , some say cheap basses come with half azzed ppressed, unglued frets and I think that is what I have . The info I got from unglued, uneven pressed frets was to hammer them in and glue them . Then you know they won't move while and after sanding the frets lightly , I am guessing .
So today my mr pillow cork thingy came today and tomorrow I'll have a fret leveling kit . Could anyone chime in on gud luck or oh, no bad idea .. I know about plastic head hammers , wood blocks , I'm still on the fence of any harder on the neck ..

Using any hammer on the frets ....

 

[New2bass2]

Never call your band To Be Confirmed; You either get double booked or nobody goes to see you.

I've always herd " free beer and pizza" I saw them at " liquor in the front / Poker in the back " on a Saturday

 

[Grinderman]

Never call your band To Be Confirmed; You either get double booked or nobody goes to see you.

TBD

 

[ardgedee]

If all I had was a steel hammer, no alternatives in sight, and a hard deadline to meet, I would put a piece of wood between the hammer and the fret and work carefully. Though if you have the time and the means, you should get the right tool and do it right. There are many fret installation guides online (talkbass and elsewhere). StewMac's guides are good even if you don't patronize them.

If you don't mind my asking though, why are you installing frets? To the best of my knowledge Glarry doesn't sell short-scale fretless basses.

 

[Deleted member 365158]

I halfa$$ed my way through re fretting a kit bass of mine. I made it up a lot as I went and used info found here and other places on web.
I cut out a 1/4 circle of plywood of the radius of my fretboard and used that to pre bend lengths of fret wire. Then cut the wire slightly longer for each fret slot, added a little ca glue and hammered them in. After that it was a lot of file use and sanding/leveling.
Perfect job?.. no but the bass still plays and I learned a lot.
Come over to the https://www.talkbass.com/threads/official-exquisite-glarry-burning-fire-bass-club.1433929/
We do all sorts of crazy stuff on a budget over there…. Usually with good results, sometimes just results

 

[New2bass2]

If all I had was a steel hammer, no alternatives in sight, and a hard deadline to meet, I would put a piece of wood between the hammer and the fret and work carefully. Though if you have the time and the means, you should get the right tool and do it right. There are many fret installation guides online (talkbass and elsewhere). StewMac's guides are good even if you don't patronize them.

If you don't mind my asking though, why are you installing frets? To the best of my knowledge Glarry doesn't sell short-scale fretless basses.

I am just learning on a glarry child bass 36 inch over all , I am not pressing or installing anything new ,. I have a small level so I know it is flat metal .
Is what I wrote ,
It is a $60. Glarry 36'total child bass . 25.5 scale made out of mahogany . I want to learn to have low action . So I found the cheapest , my size bass to work on .

 

[GretschWretch]

I have a hammer like the one pic'd in post #11, but I agree with the wood suggestion in post #16. Regardless of the hammer I use, I tap on a short length of 2"x2" which is what contacts the frets themselves. A length of dowel would do as well.

 

[New2bass2]

A dowel ..
Great idea