compression fretting basics

[tippie53]

As for compression fretting I agree about the different systems
Ebony takes more finesse
square tubes 2nd and
Tee bar the stiffest in most cases

The other variable is the fretboard thickness and the neck shape.

Then if the neck was refretted before. So in that sense here is my system

A yes I do use glue , Tite bond mostly as the glue really isn't gluing is a much as filling.

So first you have to pull the frets. If I am pulling the neck I may pull the frets on or off the neck it really doesn't matter to me.
When I do prep to pull I will lay a wet rag on the fretboard for a bit. I have a special filed soldering gun so I can ride the fret and heat it to pull.
The water and heat help some to lesson chipping but it is difficult to totally eliminate that so work carefully. I have a small nipper that I ground special for this job. I keep water handy through out the process.
After all the frets are pulled I will scrape out the glue in the fret slots Prep the board and level. I will also use a small file to break the corners of the fret slots and deepen them if needed. I do not want a fret tang to bottom out.
I will refret on the guitar and I first check to see how level the neck is. I would like that as straight as I can get it , and I may use weight on the neck to flex it straight when prepping. I havemy fret wire marked and start with a fret wire I think will be oversized. I do not start at one end . When I was at Martin Clarance Van Horn was the fret man and he showed me many tricks. He was doing on average about 5 a week so I had his experience to help .
With the fretboard prepared and compression fretting Tee bar and Bar frets it was basically the same procedure ,as it is about controlling the back bow of the neck. so my tools are
A weight ( about 12 lbs )
B nipper
C glues
D small hammer
E pillar files
F crowning file
G Straight edge
I will do the fret board extension first and I do like the fret buck for this task. I will usually fret the 2 upper frets on to the sound hole. You really won't get much happening at the heel. The neck is thicker and wider as it goes down the neck. Most movement will be from the 9th fret to 1. I will use water and glue at each fret slot , a little water and wipe glue into the slot.
I will set 3 frets. one at 1 and one usually a thicker one at about 6 and another at 10. This is were most of the movement will occur. So with those frets set I can now take a straight edge and compare the measurements of the neck in both natural and with weight , that gives you a feel for what the neck is doing.
So now I will use a thicker fret at 9 and one at 5 and remeasure. I am using the info from the weight and natural so I can tell were the neck is moving. I have feeler gauges from .0005 to .005 for this. I can measure and know where the neck is moving. The weight is applied on the neck with the head stock supported. As I see the neck moving I am looking for about .007 to .009 back bow on a square tube up to .015 on ebony and .005 on tee bars . I may alter this if the neck seems more springy . I am seldom working 2 side by side frets . IT is all about seeing the neck move as the tangs push on the slots. Some neck will move more than others .
I use .0205 to .0275 mostly. On a 1st refret .0245 may be enough. After I have the neck refretted I will string it up and just let it settle in for a few days. This is when the neck will move the most as the barbs seat. I learned the hard way , it is best to do this as you may have to pull a few frets to make a final adjustment . The most I ever got out of a neck as a .035 relief from a poor fret job where the neck was refretted with standard fretwire , After compression fretting it was .004.
Once I have the break in period I will add my weight to get a straight neck. I may add some forward or back bow if tweak relief a few thou if I need to , and again use the weight and read where the neck is flexing the most. There really is no one process for each guitar , you have to know and understand the variables to get the most out of the neck you can. Once I am happy I will dress polish and string up. I still like a few says to settle in just to be sure .

To adjust relief it would be a similar process but just working a few frets here and there to make the adjustment. It is as much an art as it is a science to get the neck just right. Hope this info helps