Linseed Oil Application

[kostask]

The biggest part of Frank Ford' article is this sentence:

"BUT, it is very important to realize that oils and polishes can penetrate any little breaks in the finish, and may make quite a mess over time." (diret quote).

As for his points regarding the use of mineral oil on fingerboards, I respectfully, but very firmly disagree. I think most hand builders and luthiers would as well. I don't see how would would be accepting to mineral oil, as it has never experienced that type of oil while it was a tree. Like I said, trees of any type, don't have mineral oils/spirits running through them when they were alive. Minera; po;s are great for cleaning metal parts, cleaning engines, etc. They are never used as wood finishes, for a at least fine quality furniture/

Like I said before, you can coat your fretboard in axle grease if you want; its your guitar, and you play it. Just don't be under any impression that you are doing anything beneficial for the fretboard.

 

[davismanLV]

I use KY jelly on mine and it keeps it nice and slick.:triumphant:


TX

Yer KILLIN" me TX!!! LMFAO!!!! :stupid:

 

[davismanLV]

I use SO little oil on my fretboard and bridge and I think it's good oil that I use. Mostly, I put like two drops on a cotton cloth and rub it over the fretboard. It's really VERY little oil. And I do that maybe once a year or less. Wood is DEAD and it's a dried out dead tree. So I keep it in the moisturized and temp controlled environment and keep it clean (with water and wiping) and then a tad (two drops) of oil every now and then. I'd NEVER soak my fretboard or bridge with oil or anything. It doesn't need it.

 

[evenkeel]

Kostask, thanks for the thoughtful response re: mineral oil

 

[rampside]

Okay, I'm just going to throw this out there. It would be interesting to see what you folks think.

I've recently grown my beard fairly long. I use a beard oil that I just love and it's called WV Timber by Mountaineer Brand.

100% natural oils and essential oils.

Ingredients: Grapeseed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Castor Oil and Essential Oils of Cedar, Fir Needle and Eucalyptus.

Works great with my skin, so I'm thinking it wouldn't have any adverse effect on the fretboard.

They make a couple different variations too.

 

[wileypickett]

What to put on guitar fretboards has been discussed to death here and on just about every guitar site under the sun.

The rule of thumb seems to be that whatever you use, use it in moderation.

Taylor and several other builders recommend boiled linseed oil for fretboards, which you only need to use twice -- a year or so between applications -- because it catalyzes after the second application. After that wiping with a *damp* cloth is fine for general cleaning.

Frequent application with water or anything water-based, however, is not recommended because it seeps under the frets and can swell the wood around the fret slots, which can have the effect of loosening the frets and damaging the wood.

Citrus-based polishes are also not recommended, last I heard. Nothing with silicone.

OOOO steel wool is recommended for fretboards covered with decades of built-up filth, but not something to use often.

 

[gjmalcyon]

Okay, I'm just going to throw this out there. It would be interesting to see what you folks think.

I've recently grown my beard fairly long. I use a beard oil that I just love and it's called WV Timber by Mountaineer Brand.

100% natural oils and essential oils.

Ingredients: Grapeseed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Castor Oil and Essential Oils of Cedar, Fir Needle and Eucalyptus.

Works great with my skin, so I'm thinking it wouldn't have any adverse effect on the fretboard.

They make a couple different variations too.

You sure you want to add shaving the fretboard to all of the other guitar maintenance you have to do?

 

[wileypickett]

Have you tried using steel wool on your face?

Okay, I'm just going to throw this out there. It would be interesting to see what you folks think.

I've recently grown my beard fairly long. I use a beard oil that I just love and it's called WV Timber by Mountaineer Brand.

100% natural oils and essential oils.

Ingredients: Grapeseed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Castor Oil and Essential Oils of Cedar, Fir Needle and Eucalyptus.

Works great with my skin, so I'm thinking it wouldn't have any adverse effect on the fretboard.

They make a couple different variations too.

 

[rampside]

Hey you tried using steel wool on your face?

I don't really care for the iron smell.:laughing:

 

[rampside]

You sure you want to add shaving the fretboard to all of the other guitar maintenance you have to do?

but it smells soooo gooood!

 

[txbumper57]

Yer KILLIN" me TX!!! LMFAO!!!! :stupid:

Makes my fingers tingle when I play it,:crazy: That's how I know it's a Keeper!

TX

 

[idealassets]

I am wondering about steel wool being used to clean off the gunk and grime. I play 1 hour a day or more, and never have any build up. But I wash my hands constantly to avoid a sticky guitar neck and pick. If I play for one hour in public I wash my hands before, 1/2 way though, and after.

It all began when someone at work was allowed to sit at my computer "on loan" while I was on vacation. When I returned there were old candy bar wrappers in my desk drawer, and guess what happened when I used my mouse the first time? -Sticky and gunky..

Ever since my own computer is very clean, as well as my guitars stay hygienic and fresh.

 

[kostask]

0000 steel wool os extremely fine. It doesn't leave scratches behind when used to clean off fret boards, but will do a pretty good job of removing fret board funk. If your fret board is clean, you really have no reason to use it. the 0000 steel wool is used to clean up fret boards on older, neglected instruments. It is much safer for the instrument than using a strong chemical in an attempt to dissolve the fret board funk off. As all things in the guitar world, it is to be used with care, and only until the fret board funk is gone. After which, a couple of drops of oil on a clean cloth, then rub the fret board with the cloth, and the fingerboard should be go to go.

 

[wileypickett]

0000 steel wool os extremely fine.

So fine it turns to powder while you use it. Which is why you want to tape newspaper around your pickups before using it on an electric guitar fretboard. The magnets in the pickups will grab hold of that steel wool dust.

 

[txbumper57]

So fine it turns to powder while you use it. Which is why you want to tape newspaper around your pickups before using it on an electric guitar fretboard. The magnets in the pickups will grab hold of that steel wool dust.

Don't forget to use painters tape on the edges of the top next to the Fretboard extension as well. Even though fine steel wool turns to dust that dust can scratch a beautiful nitro finish along the edges of the fretboard extension if not protected properly.

Also be very careful with the steel wool when you get close to the edge of your fretboard as not to disturb the edge of the nitro finish. If you do steel wool the edge of the finish I have seen some oils, even all natural oils find a way in between the fretboard binding and the nitro finish causing the finish to flake off of the binding itself.

TX

 

[adorshki]

I use a beard oil that I just love and it's called WV Timber by Mountaineer Brand.

You sure you want to add shaving the fretboard to all of the other guitar maintenance you have to do?

Yeah but it might be just the thing for one of these:

 

[gjmalcyon]

Yeah but it might be just the thing for one of these:

Ah yes...the Snidely Whiplash model ....

 

[Big-Al]

I'm going to disagree with a lot of people here.

When I condition a fretboard, I WANT to seal the wood and block the pores. If you want to preserve wood, you want to seal it. That's why we paint our homes and varnish our furniture. I use a Danish oil finish on my fretboards . . . a type of drying oil. Boiled linseed oil will also do that. It's not just "boiled". That's a misnomer. It's chemically changed so that if it's exposed to oxygen it cross-links on a molecular level and hardens. It's basically a form of penetrating varnish. It soaks in slightly and then hardens. Mineral oil soaks in and stays liquid. Bore oil is a lubricating oil, not a wood finish. It might soften the wood over time. Music stores might use it because they have it on hand already for other purposes, but it's not for wood. Vegetable oils are not stable, including raw linseed oil. They can go rancid. You can put vegetable oil on your salad, but generally you'll eat it before it rots. You don't want rotten, decomposing oil on your fretboard.

I use a urethane fortified Watco brand Danish oil wood finish on my fretboard. The can I have is "cherry" tinted, but the color changing effect is minimal. I have some left over from an old woodworking project, so I use it. When it runs out, I'll buy the un-tinted variety. It has plenty of solvents in it do dissolve any oily finger residue. I rub it vigorously into the board a couple of times a year with a rag and immediately wipe off all the excess. The solvents clean away all the crud that gets deposited there from my fingers and any solvents left behind evaporate quickly. The Watco left behind gives the fretboard a nice, even look, but it's thin enough that the wood still looks natural. As it hardens, it actually makes the surface of the wood harder and more durable. It's good stuff.

I try to keep it off the body of the guitar. If it gets there I can usually wipe it right off with a dry rag, or I use a little solvent if it started to dry. My guitars are poly finished, so solvents don't seem to affect anything. If your guitar is French polished or has a crazed lacquer finish, you might want to be more careful than I am when applying it.

It's not rocket science or an exercise in organic purity. Fretboard wood is dead. It doesn't breathe and it doesn't need nourishing . . . but it does get exposed to stuff you don't want there. You want to clean off the crud and leave something behind that looks good and protects the wood. Boiled linseed oil or Watco Danish oil are excellent. They are also inexpensive and readily available.

 

[adorshki]

Ah yes...the Snidely Whiplash model ....

I think with the inlays it's actually the TerryThomas model:

 

[Big-Al]

Oops. Looks like I joined this thread AFTER it went off the rails.
My mistake.
Nevermind . . .