Double Bass Best way to dress out a scratch

[Larry Mysz]

I bumped the front of my bass with the bow's ferrule. What is the best way to dress out the scratch?

 

[JKoehler]

Rub a little spike lavender oil on it. Not from Amazon, but from an arts paint or luthier varnish supplier.

 

[Larry Mysz]

Rub a little spike lavender oil on it. Not from Amazon, but from an arts paint or luthier varnish supplier.

Thank you.

 

[Paps]

I sometimes use a bit of furniture wood dye, then quickly rub off the smooth part, leaving the crack stained and almost invisible.

 

[David Potts]

Skin 1/2 an almond and rub over then wipe off.

 

[Larry Mysz]

Skin 1/2 an almond and rub over then wipe off.

I didn't have the chance to get out shopping for the spike lavender oil or wood dye last week. So when I saw David Potts' post today, I decided to look into that approach.

According to lots of Google and YouTube posts, rubbing a nut on a wood scratch can make it appear to disappear temporarily. The nut releases natural oils that fill in the scratch while also acting as a mild abrasive that smoothes the surface. It isn't a permanent solution, and the scratch may become visible again over time.

We don't have any almonds in the house, but we do have pecans. They're softer and contain more oil than almonds. The pecan rub worked on a few out-of-view scratches, so I tried it on the ugly ferrule scratch.

The ferrule scratch is no longer visible. It is (was?) located above the tiny white dot near the middle of the photo. I'm curious to see how long it remains invisible. Thanks to all for their suggestions.