StewMac Chip Stoppers, Set of 2

Chip Stoppers, Set of 2

Fewer chips, cleaner refrets, less work. Tired of gluing back fingerboard chips after pulling up old frets? Our steel Chip Stoppers™ work with our Fret Puller to minimize chip-out.

Chip Stoppers are a clever solution from Don MacRostie here at StewMac, and a big hit in our shops.

The problem with refrets is, any pulled fret might yank a piece of fingerboard up with it. Then if you're lucky, you'll manage to glue each chip back in.

Chip Stoppers press down on the fingerboard as the Fret Puller takes frets out. You get fewer chips, and cleaner refrets. Too bad we didn't think of this twenty years ago — imagine the hours we all would have saved!

Here's how they work:
Heat the fret as usual, with a chisel-tip soldering iron to soften glue under the fret.

Now lift the end of the fret, getting under it with the jaws of the Fret Puller. As soon as it starts coming out, slide the Chip Stopper into place; the .033" x 3" slot fits around the fret tang. Now you can walk the Fret Puller down the length of the fret, lifting it out as the Stopper protects the wood underneath.

Most often, you'll use the .020" Chip Stopper. Sometimes the .010" will suit you better, and you can also combine them for a .030" total thickness.