Lets face the facts. Refretting a guitar is the equivalent of open heart surgery to a guitar. You are going in and detaching it’s organs that partially protrude from the borders of it’s body. Ugh, yes, that’s a fair comparison though not quite as life altering or threatening. Finishes are both hard and soft and their reaction to the ‘procedure’ varies accordingly. They can chip and crack and splinter. As with a good surgeon, a good luthier will minimize or eliminate the propensity for the finish to do that but there is no guarantee there will not be a few small scars. It is the nature of the operation.
We have done many stainless refrets and we have developed techniques to eliminate the finish problems or minimize them to the best of our ability. When they do occur, we patch them as appropriate. It is the nature of the business and the process and an educated customer is the best customer.