Almond Oil??

[mightyd]

My teacher says that the neck of my double bass, (the back of it- where the palm goes) isn't sealed properly. and she advised me to rub some almond oil into it....

What does this do? Will it stay oily forever?? i don't want oil on my hands everytime i play bass...

[nicklloyd]

Watco Danish Oil- Natural- is an excellent oil sealer, and dries in a day or two. You can find it at Lowe's or Home Depot. Use sparingly with a paper towel.

[Eric Rene Roy]

I think almond oil is not a drying oil... (maybe they meant walnut oil? that is a drying oil)...and therefore would actually get gummy and gross after awhile. Stick with drying oils...like what Nick said.

[gp_bass]

My favorite is Tung Oil, available at some hardware stores and most / all woodworking shops. Dries in a day, seals nicely. You can do multiple coats if you want.

There is a brand that has a "glossy" version, which I don't recommend for necks. This brand also has additives in it that I don't like. If you can get pure tung oil, that's my favorite.

EDIT: Not pure tung oil. Read below.

[Bob Branstetter]

The Tung oil I've used seems to be more like a varnish. I also agree with Nnick - Watco Danish Oil. I've used it on bass necks and fingerboards for over 40 years and never had a problem with it.

[gp_bass]

So, I went and checked the labels. The Tung Oil I like isn't 100% pure after all. It has drying agents in it, which helps it cure in a day rather than a month. Pure Tung Oil doesn't dry.

Here's an interesting discussion of oil combos:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=15837

It also mentions Watco Danish Oil. I've used Watco in furniture applications and I think it would also work well for necks, though I've never tried it.

Here's the stuff I've used lately. It's worked really nicely without any buildup.

http://www.jasco-help.com/products/prod_wft.htm#4201-2

The stuff I DON'T like is Formby's. Theirs tends to be very varnish-like:

http://www.formbys.com/products/tung_oil.cfm

[Martin Sheridan]

Sweet almond oil used to be rubbed onto gut strings back in the good old gut string days. You can get it in a health food store and it might be good on salads but I wouldn't put in on the neck.