Bass Defretting

So I decided to convert my Fender 5 string deluxe jazz bass (Mexican) into a fretless bass. I decided to take the do-it-yourself approach. I went out to Lowe's and bought various sand papers, painters tape, superglue, wood filler, and an "end cutting pliers." The end cutting pliers is what I used to remove the frets with.

Here is the process I used to pull the frets out:

Step 1: Put painters tape as close to the fret as possible on both sides in order to protect the fingerboard as well as hold possible chips in place during fret removal.

Step 2: Use a soldering iron to heat the fret in order to loosen glues used to secure the frets.

Step 3: Slowly work the fret out by starting on one end of the fret and working to the other end.

Step 4: Carefully remove painters tape while looking for chips. If I found a chip, I held it inplace with my finger nail and removed the painters tape.

Step 5: Apply superglue to the fret slot to hold chips in place and prevent possible chipping when sanding. I also used wax paper to push down the wood on either side of the fret slot that had been pulled up.

Now I just have to fill in the holes and make it look and feel pretty!