Which files can you recommend for processing stainless steel frets?

We get this question from time to time and the answer to it varies from manufacturer to user. But I would like to write the following for the use of our fret files and dressing files for processing stainless steel frets.

Our files, both the hewn and the diamond-coated versions, are primarily designed for working on standard materials such as nickel silver frets. When used on stainless steel frets, which are significantly harder, this can lead to increased tool wear. Particularly in the case of dressing files, machining stainless steel flanges can lead to damage to the handle. In the case of diamond-coated files, the abrasion often results in intense heat, which in rare cases can cause the electroplated diamond particles to detach like clods.

Below are two images of a 75 mm dressing file damaged by heavy stainless steel treatment.

The upper image shows the file teeth damaged by stainless steel.

The image on the left shows a file that has been used for years with nickel silver fret wire, and on the right, one that has been severely damaged by stainless steel (rapid filing over single, cut fret ends).

Although our files can generally be used for processing stainless steel frets, the wear in this case is significantly higher and we cannot guarantee the longevity of the tools for this application.

The Pferd company sells special stainless steel files (Corinox), but these are rectangular workshop files. If you re-fret often and a lot, you could use this file to file off the ends of the bond. But this also wears out!

In our opinion, stainless steel frets are more of a special solution, for example for professional guitarists with very intensive use, as they offer longer durability compared to nickel silver frets.
However, this means that guitar makers have to calculate higher costs due to more frequent tool changes - because they have to buy new tools more often.

We recommend extra hard fret materials such as Sintom's (18 or 25%) nickel silver for steel string guitars.

However, if you use stainless steel frets, work with appropriate caution and expect significantly higher wear and premature failure of the tool. When dressing, for example, I would not use a file, but rather abrasive cloth in a radius sanding block (125 + 250mm / sanding blocks) glued to TESA 11050007.

You will also need special pliers to cut the fret wire to length. I can tell you from experience that our fret end pliers (04050012) give very good feedback when using stainless steel.