Ever had paint or glue part company with photo-etch? Very probably, you have.
I've tried photo-etch burnishing fluid, but found it to have very limited effect. With most etched brass, it seems to do no more than leave a dark brown contaminant which rubs off easily, underneath which is just slightly discoloured brass. Other PE metals, such as zinc, won't even be touched by it.
You could use a metal primer, and if that works for you, then carry on. But it's another toxic and noxious substance; another product to be applied; and another consumable to be replaced. I've never tried it because I've never wanted or needed to.
By experimenting with some comparative tests on spare frets, I found an alternative method which is easier, quicker, and effectively free because I already had the required material.
Finely sand the photo-etch on the fret
Any large sanding pad or sheet of fairly fine grit should do the job, although sheets are handy for large frets. Rub it over carefully in all directions, taking care to avoid snagging edges or raised details with an edge of the pad. You can rub the pad on both sides of the fret or if you use a sheet, put that on a flat surface and rub the fret over it.
I use a MicroMesh Ultra Flex pad (the large, rectangular colour-coded type) in the region of 3200 to 4000 grit (1200 to 1500 on the ANSI scale). I may roughen small gluing surfaces with 3200, but otherwise use 3600 or 4000.
At a glance, it may appear more polished, but look closely and you can see that it has roughened the surface. This is enough to appreciably increase adhesion and I don't recall that I've ever had a failure since.
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