Help needed: cleaning up/buffing a BEM board (Lakland content)

[denchiq]

Hi everyone,

I've got a '01 US Lakland with a nicely figured birdseye maple board. Unluckily, the previous owner (s) neglected the bass, so it is very, very dirty on both sides of the neck.

I managed to clean some of the dirt/grease with mineral spirits and then orange oil w/o solvents. However, the FB still looks old, worn and discolored (dirty grayish instead of yellowish in some parts, etc.). NOT nice.

So I was thinking if I could take a buffing wheel and some buffing means and open up the beauty of the grain and then seal the wood with something. I'm not sure if that is feasible without removing the frets. The US Lakland fretwork is great and the frets are not so worn, so I would not like to fuzz with them just yet.

To the extent of my knowledge, the back of the neck is not lacquered but soaked with tung oil. I don't know what they do to the fretboard, but it is definitely not lacquered (Fenderesque etc.). Also, the profile is multi-radius-ed, if that is of any importance.

How would YOU do the work if you were in my place? What kind of wheel (rubber? felt? or other), buffing and sealing stuff.
Sending the neck to the factory is out of the question.

Thanks!

[fivestringdan]

If the maple has turned gray then the finish is gone on that part of the neck. Nothing you can do besides a refinish.

[FBB Custom]

I'm no buffing expert but I would think buffing would smoosh and burnish the filth into the board. Have you tried super fine steel wool?

[Musiclogic]

It doesn't matter at this point, once you oiled it, you set it. You can sand it, or do a complete strip and surface. People need to learn that oils are NOT cleaners, they are conditioners/replenishers, and do not clean. You should have gone with a water/alcohol mixture to slightly raise the grain, use lacquer thinner or DNAlcohol to break down the grime, then burnish the grain back down with a leather burnisher and oil or finish to seal. Good luck.

[denchiq]

Originally Posted by FBB Custom

I'm no buffing expert but I would think buffing would smoosh and burnish the filth into the board. Have you tried super fine steel wool?

I haven't tried any physical means as of yet, other than with a soaked cloth. I thought a wheel could do a better job maybe

[denchiq]

Originally Posted by Musiclogic

It doesn't matter at this point, once you oiled it, you set it. You can sand it, or do a complete strip and surface. People need to learn that oils are NOT cleaners, they are conditioners/replenishers, and do not clean. You should have gone with a water/alcohol mixture to slightly raise the grain, use lacquer thinner or DNAlcohol to break down the grime, then burnish the grain back down with a leather burnisher and oil or finish to seal. Good luck.

excuse me I didn't get it clear. does that mean that I can only sand paper or resurface the defretted board at this point?

I also started with mineral spirits, and then the oil.