Fretless neck sanding

Jeff Mills · #1 05-12-2011, 06:45 PM

New here - first post - awesome site...

I recently purchased a 4 string fretless bass from a pawn shop. I have no idea what kind of bass it is, but it is very well made. My guess it's some kind of home made custom job. I know for a fact the bass sat on the show room floor for more than a year. When I first looked at it over a year ago the finger board was in great shape. When I came back a year later, I was surprised to see it was still there. But now the finger board has some wear. Apparently lots of people played it in that year. Being a avid wood worker, I don't see finger board wear as a big deal and managed to get a killer deal from the pawn shop because of it. It's nothing severe that'll require planing, just a little time spent radius block sanding should take care of it.

The bass has an ebony fingerboard, the neck is heart wood hard maple with two 1/4" walnut skunk stripes (5 piece neck / bolt on).

Not having done neck sanding before, I have a few questions:

I should be able to start out at 120 or 150 grit however, what is the best grit to sand the finger board and neck to 1200? and what is a good finish? A few coats of (BLO) Boiled Linseed Oil, sanded in between coats?

Any how to's or tips you can point me to would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

again a great site you all have here...

FretlessMainly · #2 05-12-2011, 07:10 PM

I treat all of my unvarnished FL fingerboards about once a year. Starting out at 120-150 grit seems a bit coarse to me, but I haven't seen your board. It sounds like it might be strung with rounds, which will eat away quite a bit more quickly than flats. That's not to say don't use rounds on a FL, but accept that you will need to dress the board fairly regularly and replace it once or twice or maybe more over the course of 10-20 years.

I generally use flats or nylon tapes (some of which are more like rounds than flats, but still faily easy on the boards), so all I use is some 0000 steel wool with dark Chinese tung oil.

In your case, I'd consider starting with something a bit finer than 120-150 (maybe 220?) and see how it goes. Maybe you will need 120-150 after all. Then work your way up to 400 and 600 emery and then switch over to steel wool. You can use up to 1200 grit but that's a lot more work to me than the 0000 steel wool. 1200 might get you a glassier finish than 0000 steel wool on ebony, however. In any case, I highly recommend raw tung oil over linseed. Tung oil can be bought in light and dark (I prefer the dark - it will impart some color to lighter wood if used over time).

Jeff Mills · #3 05-12-2011, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FretlessMainly

I treat all of my unvarnished FL fingerboards about once a year. Starting out at 120-150 grit seems a bit coarse to me, but I haven't seen your board. It sounds like it might be strung with rounds, which will eat away quite a bit more quickly than flats. That's not to say don't use rounds on a FL, but accept that you will need to dress the board fairly regularly and replace it once or twice or maybe more over the course of 10-20 years.

I generally use flats or nylon tapes (some of which are more like rounds than flats, but still faily easy on the boards), so all I use is some 0000 steel wool with dark Chinese tung oil.

In your case, I'd consider starting with something a bit finer than 120-150 (maybe 220?) and see how it goes. Maybe you will need 120-150 after all. Then work your way up to 400 and 600 emery and then switch over to steel wool. You can use up to 1200 grit but that's a lot more work to me than the 0000 steel wool. 1200 might get you a glassier finish than 0000 steel wool on ebony, however. In any case, I highly recommend raw tung oil over linseed. Tung oil can be bought in light and dark (I prefer the dark - it will impart some color to lighter wood if used over time).

Ok that was a quick reply

and your right it's currently strung with rounds

But will be strung with flats once I dress up the finger board. Great advise... trust me once I get it straightened out with sand paper, it'll never get this bad again. thanks for taking time out to reply kind sir. I'm off to the shop to see which Tung oil I have, I think it's light...

lowsideonacurve · #4 05-12-2011, 07:43 PM

What radius is the fretboard? You don't want to mess that up, get the right radius sanding block before you do any sanding.

Jeff Mills · #5 05-12-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowsideonacurve

What radius is the fretboard? You don't want to mess that up, get the right radius sanding block before you do any sanding.

Your right - I need the right radius sanding block. I am not sure what the rad is but will find out once I get it out of the practice room and into the wood shop.

FretlessMainly · #6 05-12-2011, 08:11 PM

You might try these guys if you don't have any properly-radiused blocks - no affiliation, but they have great stuff and ship quickly:

STEWMAC.COM : Fretboard Radius-sanding Blocks

I don't have to worry about these as I generally only need 0000 steel wool. You have to maintain a high level of stupid for a prolonged period of time to screw up the radius w/ 0000.

Slowgypsy · #7 05-12-2011, 08:15 PM

If you use steel wool during any part of your process, make sure you completely cover the pups with tape. I like to use the blue painters tape. And... before you peel the tape up, put another piece of tape over it. That traps the steel wool flecks between 2 pieces of tape and insures none of it slips off onto the pups.

The magnets in the pups really, really don't like steel wool flecks on them

Turnaround · #8 05-12-2011, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Mills

Your right - I need the right radius sanding block. I am not sure what the rad is but will find out once I get it out of the practice room and into the wood shop.

If you are going to start with 220-grit paper, a radiused sanding block is overkill on an ebony board. 220 grit won't abrade enough to have any siginficant effect on the radius unless you spend a LOT of time sanding with that grit. I suspect you will find that 220-grit will get you to an acceptable state fairly quickly. Then it's on to the finer polishing grits. Take it to a smooth shine, then a very light coat of a drying oil (Danish, TruOil, boiled linseed) rubbed hard until you are sure there's no oil left on the board. Then rub some more.

If you want the ultimate, after the oil is really dry (24 hous or more) burnish the fingerboard with a hardwood block.

It's glorious s**t. If you are a seasoned woodwordker, you will appreciate the result.

Jeff Mills · #9 05-12-2011, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turnaround

I suspect you will find that 220-grit will get you to an acceptable state fairly quickly. Then it's on to the finer polishing grits. Take it to a smooth shine, then a very light coat of a drying oil (Danish, TruOil, boiled linseed) rubbed hard until you are sure there's no oil left on the board. Then rub some more.

If you want the ultimate, after the oil is really dry (24 hous or more) burnish the fingerboard with a hardwood block.

It's glorious s**t. If you are a seasoned woodwordker, you will appreciate the result.

Thanks

Jeff Mills · #10 05-12-2011, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slowgypsy

If you use steel wool during any part of your process, make sure you completely cover the pups with tape. I like to use the blue painters tape. And... before you peel the tape up, put another piece of tape over it. That traps the steel wool flecks between 2 pieces of tape and insures none of it slips off onto the pups.

The magnets in the pups really, really don't like steel wool flecks on them

Spot on - however I'll be working with the neck off

Slowgypsy · #11 05-13-2011, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Mills

Spot on - however I'll be working with the neck off

Perfect. Just make sure that the neck is secured to whatever surface you're on and dead straight. Sanding a fretboard when it isn't absolutely dead straight will yield results that can cause problems later on.

Deathblade Eric · #12 05-13-2011, 03:11 PM

Intrigued by your description of the 'patient' - Pics?

Jeff Mills · #13 05-22-2011, 06:28 PM

I wanted to left everyone know - I greatly appreciated all the advise. I sanded the neck down last weekend and for the first time in my life something actually went as planned. I first determined the neck radius by making a cast of the neck at the 12th fret. Using my radius gauges, I determined it was close to 10".

I removed the neck, nut, machine heads and truss rod bolt, I then used a long straight edge and some clamps to get it as close to straight as possible. I have a long piece of finished granite I use as a flat surface. By making up a few wooden shims, clamping the headstock and heal to the granite and tightening the truss rod bolt, I was able to get it pretty doggone flat. With the exception of a little wave up around the 17 and 22 frets, which I sanded out.

I started out with 320 grit on a long 8" wooden maple radius block, I roughed out on the table saw and finished out with a card scraper. I sanded from 320 though 1200 grit, although it seemed I was just polishing the ebony after I got to 800 grit.

For oil I just rubbed in some boiled linseed oil (BLO). Got it good and wet, let it soak in for about 10 mins, then wiped it all off with a few soft cotton rags. I then buffed it with a cotton bonnet on my buffer.

When the neck was done I put it all back together again, changed out the strings with Rotosound 55's, adjusted the truss rod nut and set the action - shes playing awesome now.

Thanks again for the pointers

Now shes maintainable - a rub down with 0000 steel wool and more oil should do the trick when the neck needs it.

I would post some pics but - all I have is a crappy cell phone camera.