Cleaning/Polishing a DB

On my good finishes, I use the cleaner that Kolstein sells. I know it contains camphor, among other things. It's what you need to melt and remove rosin flecks, which can really corrupt a finish. Spreading the cost over a couple of years, I'd rather not experiment. Then I use a lemon oil polish.

My UGLY bass, which you will soon see, appears to have been rubbed with gasoline, pickled beets, and Turf Builder + 2.

 

Your getting me excited.

 

I know I say this a lot, but Gruff, you are the only person who makes me laugh out loud every single time I read one of your posts.

I love you man.

 

I don't know brands, but this is important: It must say that it includes no wax and no silicones.

Ya know, this A.S.S. contest could become very awkward. How embarassing would it be if our ugly basses turn out to be nicer than JT's living room furniture? I mean, the guy's from Georgia, right? And you've seen the haircut...

 

Chris:
Please be careful. If you say "highly penetrating oils", gruffpuppy gets all antsy.

I have Kolstein's, which might not be a lemon oil; it's been awhile, I'll check tonight. I'll also check on the lemon oil furniture polish. Whatever Kolstein charges, you have to add $5 shipping.

 

FYI.... JT does indeed own living room furniture. Most of it has lots of knobs and lights. All the downstairs furniture is made by Conklin.

 

When I got my bass, Gage recommended a product called "Oz Polish". I don't have it with me so I don't know who makes it or if it is even still available. But it is effective, and I assume it's safe if Gage uses it. I'll find out who the manufacturer is when I get home from the day gig.

 

I use Kolstein's cleaner and polish on my bass and bow but not as often as I should.

Mark

 

Same here. The Kolstien's kit works great.

Chris, I know that you don't play arco, so rosin flecks are not a problem, but I bet you play in some pretty smoky joints (no pun intended). So go ahead and drop a few bills on the Kolstien.

 

Ooo Wee, I am starting to fidgit.

I use a moist cloth for were the rosin lands and a dry cloth to clean off the dust from the house. Then I just use Fender Guitar polish for a shine.

Only been playing for about 3 months and the DB is a Asian junker so I have not worried about the finish to much. Once I save up for a nice DB this one will become a planter. After a few sunflower crops I shall ship it to Don.

 

I'm using the Kolstein stuff too, but I also know that 3M green pads will clean up the bass safely and w/o residue.

 

We might be talking about the same thing. As far as I know 3M only makes one green pad.

 

Kolstein's polish is a suspension in a solution, which must be shaken. It may have lemon oil in it, but I don't smell it with the intensity of my lemon oil polish, which does not get shaken. The brand is Weiman Lemon Oil.

 

Go careful with those green pot scrubbers,because if Chris is talking about the same thing i am thinking of ,they will surely take off any gloss you may have on your bass and before long will wear clean through the varnish,I use a similar product,also made by 3M in the motor body shop i manage,to prepare body panels for painting.I sure wouldn`t want you to spoil any 100+ year old finish.
I have used everything from car polish to boot polish,but on a cheapo Korean plywood it can only improve the appearance.

 

I've had my double bass for 3 years and never wiped it off at all because someone told me to only use the proper product, which I never went out and bought. So yesterday I got brave and wiped it off with a slightly dampened rag. My god! It was a tad dirty! The rag turned black...

 

You are right. They do make other abrasive pads but they are gray and white. The gray is equalivant to #0000 steel wool and the white is a much less agressive pad. I would not use the green one on any bss unless it is labled "American Standard". In that case, you could use a high speed portable grinder, as are found in most auto body shops and capable of removing great amounts of material in a short time.

In other words, do not use any abrasive material or cleaner on a bass that has any material value.

The last time I was in the Kolstein shop, I saw an associate polishing a Testorie (sp) for two days using only the Kolstein cleaner.

Mark