how do you go about staining your frets?

[K of London]

hi,

i want to darken my frets from dark brown to a more black colour. Ive guessed to do this id need to use woodstain, and perhaps some laquer.

can someone here give me a proper answer? and if i have sharkfins on the fretboard, should these be protected from the stainer or will it not affect them?

thanks

 

[TwilightSymphony]

You didnt state what make/model guitar you were using, but I'm assuming that if the fretboard is dark brown, then it is probably a rosewood fingerboard. The rosewood may not take the finish, because it is such an oily wood. Also, the pearloid inlays may or may not take the color of the stain.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Well, one way to do it is to get really fine sandpaper and try to get most of the lacquer off. Then, when it's all wood, get wood stain for the color you want, take for instance an old sock, and dip it into the wood stain and apply it to the wood. When I did this, it did not affect the inlays, but they were just really cheap dots on a squier guitar, so maybe put tape over the shark fins and cut their shape out with a razor blade or something, it wouldn't take long, and you'd really be playing it safe (also probably depends on what kind of wood stain to use). Hope that helps a little bit, but I don't even know if you have to take off the original lacquer, maybe there is none?!? I couldn't tell you, because when I stained mine, they were scalloped (so all lacquer, if there was any was gone). Good luck, and maybe post some pics?!?

 

[Iced In Flames]

Stwemac sells an ebony dye I bought before. Good stuff.

 

[Bryant]

hi,

i want to darken my frets from dark brown to a more black colour. Ive guessed to do this id need to use woodstain, and perhaps some laquer.

can someone here give me a proper answer? and if i have sharkfins on the fretboard, should these be protected from the stainer or will it not affect them?

thanks

I suppose you have a rosewood fretboard ? It doesn't matter how you stain it as long as you don't harm the wood. The frets have a high nickel content to refuse oxidation and the effects of sweat. You wont screw them up.


Bryant

 

[K of London]

thankyou, yes it is rosewood, im getting another ibanez rg570 as a 2nd guitar but i want to change its appearance.

Bryant: do i have to sand the frets a little first?

 

[Indiooo]

You're confusing some terms, man. It's not the frets you want to dye, it's the fretboard. But anyway, the black stain won't dye your inlays if they are made of plastic (or the back of your guitar's neck, for that matter). Just dye the wood and wipe any stain off the inlays with a cloth. Maybe it's a good idea to lightly sand the wood to open up the grain.