Fret Board Oils

SurferJoe46 · #1 08-31-2010, 08:42 PM

Is Orange Oil the same as Lemon Oil?

I know they smell different, but are they in fact pretty much the same?

I asked my wife to get me some lemon oil, and she said they didn't have any so she got this:

mikeyswood · #2 09-01-2010, 06:53 AM

They're both >95% mineral oil with only a trace of d-limonene.

SurferJoe46 · #3 09-01-2010, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

They're both >95% mineral oil with only a trace of d-limonene.

Just as long as there's nothing harmful in it, I guess it's OK then.

mikeyswood · #4 09-01-2010, 08:20 AM

Unless you have a serious jonesin' for particular pinenes you can use them equally.

need4mospd · #5 09-01-2010, 08:43 AM

Just a note, the bottle says "with Natural Orange Oil". The actual amount of orange oil contained in that bottle could be 1% or less for all we know. What are the other ingredients?

Dark Horse · #6 09-01-2010, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by need4mospd

Just a note, the bottle says "with Natural Orange Oil". The actual amount of orange oil contained in that bottle could be 1% or less for all we know. What are the other ingredients?

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov...ds&id=19001086

Also -

http://www.whatsinsidescjohnson.com/...range-oil.aspx

mikeyswood · #7 09-01-2010, 09:16 AM

Why not go straight to the source?

http://www.scjohnson.com/Libraries/D..._Oil.sflb.ashx

Dark Horse · #8 09-01-2010, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

Why not go straight to the source?

http://www.scjohnson.com/Libraries/D..._Oil.sflb.ashx

I just linked what came up on Google first...

Pilgrim · #9 09-01-2010, 11:13 AM

If they're all mostly mineral oil, why not buy some mineral oil, put it in the closet, and carefully forget about putting it on the fretboard?

I've never oiled a fretboard and don't intend to start. Some of my instruments are 40+ years old and there is no problem with the fretboards....and they've never been out of dry climates.

I can't figure out why some folks are hung up on oiling fretboards...seems like inventing a maintenance issue where none exists. Convince me, in the face of the evidence I've seen with 40+ year-old fretboards.

lethargytartare · #10 09-01-2010, 01:14 PM

^^^^ +1

winstonthecat · #11 09-01-2010, 01:22 PM

I'm curious about oiling. I am far from an expert on this, but I purchased a used 2002 Fender Jazz last year, and the fretboard was very dry compared to my 1984 Precision. I bought and applied some wood oil, and it made a huge difference in appearance.

I haven't had to oil any of my other basses, so I agree that it is probably not necessary all the time, but this time it did make a difference.

5string5fingers · #12 09-01-2010, 02:26 PM

I'm not going to lie,I just love the way rosewood looks when it's all oiled and shiny.

SurferJoe46 · #13 09-01-2010, 04:29 PM

I used that orange oil on a very old Kasuga 6-string classical guitar.

It's never been oiled before, but it surely made a big difference. It was looking pretty dry and this oil really worked nicely.

I swear that my Kasuga can play metal now too.

Jeff 66 · #14 09-01-2010, 04:34 PM

I like Gerlitz Guitar Honey. Cleans and conditions and is pretty cheap. A little goes a long way.

pin_head_47 · #15 09-01-2010, 04:42 PM

Oil may not be necessary to keep a fingerboard in good shape, but if it's dirty, a little clean up with oil just looks awesome. I don't really care if it's necessary, but compared to a dirty fingerboard, I love the look of a freshly oiled board.

Growly Lytes · #16 01-12-2012, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by need4mospd

Just a note, the bottle says "with Natural Orange Oil". The actual amount of orange oil contained in that bottle could be 1% or less for all we know. What are the other ingredients?

The Orange Oil that i bought from the hardware store is by Gilly Stephenson.They have a spread sheet on its ingredients.
This stuff has real Orange Oil mixed with Mineral Oil.So it cleans & restores wood nicely.
40% Orange Oil
60% Mineral Oil.
I wrote to them & asked about the Lemon Oil they have which is supposed to be made for wooden instruments but they told me that their Orange Oil & their Lemon Oil have the exact same properties so i went for the Orange Oil & its been great so far.

reverendrally · #17 01-12-2012, 10:32 PM

Dunno what it does for the wood, but the dunlop lemon oil I've used on guitars seems to be really good at loosening the grime up so it cleans up well. then I just wipe/polish off the excess.

**line6man** · #18 01-12-2012, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

If they're all mostly mineral oil, why not buy some mineral oil, put it in the closet, and carefully forget about putting it on the fretboard?

I've never oiled a fretboard and don't intend to start. Some of my instruments are 40+ years old and there is no problem with the fretboards....and they've never been out of dry climates.

I can't figure out why some folks are hung up on oiling fretboards...seems like inventing a maintenance issue where none exists. Convince me, in the face of the evidence I've seen with 40+ year-old fretboards.

Dry fretboards are ugly. Oils keep them nice looking.
You only need to oil once every few years, and it takes five minutes to do. What's the issue?

klyph · #19 01-18-2012, 09:17 PM

I have always used pure mineral oil. It's very cheap, and totally non-toxic (edible).

Senator · #20 01-18-2012, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klyph

I have always used pure mineral oil. It's very cheap, and totally non-toxic (edible).

+1