The easiest way to help protect your fretboard when removing frets is with the Solo Pro Chip Stopper.  Sometimes when removing frets you might accidentally yank a piece of fingerboard up with it,  then you’re left with the task of gluing each chip back in.

The chip stopper is made from 0.30mm steel and has a small 0.36″ x 2.95″ slot to fit around the fret tang.

Simply heat the fret using a soldering iron and slowly pull the fret up from one side of the fretboard until you can slide the chip stopper underneath.   Once the chip stopper is placed completely under the fret, you can carefully use a bit more force to pull the fret up.