Double Bass Fingerboard- Danish or Teak Oil?

[krfoss]

I'm going to strip the awful finish off this old Engelhardt bass fingerboard. I'll use black transtint to blacken it up, but I'm trying to figure out which oil to finish it off with. I currently have Watco Teak oil, but most posts specify Danish oil as a preferred finish.

I currently have a bottle of Teak oil, and I'm wondering if there is any good reason that I would be able to, or it would be a bad idea to use Teak oil applied in the same way as the Danish oil.

I'm also open to criticism on the transtint... Criticize away!

 

[David Potts]

Is this an ebony board? Sand down with the grain, finishing with fine grade wet/dry sandpaper. Then wipe on boiled linseed oil with a rag and sand the wet ebony surface with very fine wet/dry paper in a circular motion, finishing off with the grain. This fills the surface with wet dust.Then wipe off very well with a dry rag. Avoid the risk of spontaneous combustion by disposing of the used rags carefully. The board will remain black and any remaining oil will sink in and dry,sealing the surface.

 

[krfoss]

I sanded it down and found its maple. Going to sand it to 600, water, sand, water, sand, then stain with black, then finish.

If I screw this up, I'll throw on an ebony board. Thanks for the tips!

 

[robobass]

I'm not sure you want to use water. Wet/Dry sandpaper yes, or Micro-mesh, which is better suited to such things.

 

[1st Bass]

As long as you don't really soak it, the water is fine--just enough to raise the grain. Then, as you say, sand it. Use a hard, fairly small block when sanding, so you won't enhance divots in the surface, as your fingers will surely do.

I used to finish my necks dry, and then when a customer brought it back complaining that the neck felt rough, I was perplexed, because I knew it had been silky smooth. Finally I realized that the player's sweat was raising the grain. So, I began making the pre-emptive move of dampening the neck to raise the grain, allowing it to dry, re-sanding it, and repeating until the grain would no longer respond to water. Then I do my usual finish on the neck, and they never turn up rough again. The same principle can apply to the Fingerboard, I expect.

 

[Turnaround]

As long as you don't really soak it, the water is fine--just enough to raise the grain. Then, as you say, sand it. Use a hard, fairly small block when sanding, so you won't enhance divots in the surface, as your fingers will surely do.

I used to finish my necks dry, and then when a customer brought it back complaining that the neck felt rough, I was perplexed, because I knew it had been silky smooth. Finally I realized that the player's sweat was raising the grain. So, I began making the pre-emptive move of sampening the neck to raise the grain, allowing it to dry, re-sanding it, and repeating until the grain would no longer respond to water. Then I do my usual finish on the neck, and they never turn up rough again. The same principle can apply to the Fingerboard, I expect.

Raising the grain by dampening the wood with water is a good practice. Be sure the wood dries out completely after dampening before you sand, and always use a new piece of sandpaper after dampening/drying. You need really sharp sandpaper or you will be pushing the raised grain back down again rather than cutting it off.

 

[krfoss]

Thanks for the tips! Sanded it, stained it, and put on the finish (Danish Oil). 5 coats, let fully dry overnight, then I'll wet sand with 0000 wool. I'll try to post photos when done. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Fast Freddie]

Interesting. I'll keep an eye out for your results if you update. As for me sometime ago I posted about my Engelhardt Maestro EM1's fingerboard and how I was thinking of dying it black with Fieblings USMC black. In my case, the FB is made from Jatoba, (Brazilian Cherry). After doing some testing it just didn't look ebony enough for me to even try. I decided to leave it as is, but I still want a better finish. I want the hardest finish that would stand up to me beaten it to death, (I love playing the bejesus out of this instrument). I'm thinking of rubbing on a few coats of Tru-Oil. Not trying to hijack but can anyone give me suggestions on real good hard finishing ideas? Thanks folks!

 

[Fretless55]

I'll be interested in hearing how the Tru-Oil works!

In the past I've always just used Watco Danish Oil.

 

[Fretless55]

Actually, not being a gun guy, I'd be interested in how Tru-Oil works on other musical instrument projects as well.

 

[krfoss]

I used tru-oil on a fretless electric bass a few years ago and it went on and looks great! Highly recommended.

For making your fingerboard rock solid, have you tried General Finish high performance gloss? I put a few coats of it on my coffee table top and it takes a beating (dog jumping up on it, plates scratching around, cups and water, etc). May be worth trying.

 

[krfoss]

Here are some pictures of how the neck turned out. I have a bit of a divot I couldn't get out, but its so far down the neck I didn't want to bother. Plays great.

I'm also including a picture of the electric neck with Tru oil on it. No stain, just the oil on maple.

 

[Fast Freddie]

Still working on mine. I'm doing multiple things. 95mm radius and my own adjustable bridge. I'm going for multiple coats of Tru-Oil. Thanks for the heads up on General Finish. No gloss for me though. I'm a fan of the satin look.

 

[GretschWretch]

Here are some pictures of how the neck turned out. I have a bit of a divot I couldn't get out, but its so far down the neck I didn't want to bother. Plays great.

I'm also including a picture of the electric neck with Tru oil on it. No stain, just the oil on maple.

My gosh! That's the lowest set-up I've ever seen on a DB. what are your string heights?

 

[Carl Hillman]

Here are some pictures of how the neck turned out. I have a bit of a divot I couldn't get out, but its so far down the neck I didn't want to bother. Plays great.

I'm also including a picture of the electric neck with Tru oil on it. No stain, just the oil on maple.

Wow, that's a flat fingerboard. Not a problem if you aren't using a bow, but you should maybe watch out for warping.

I had an Engelhard that had an ebony fingerboard replaned to about that thickness and it ended up unplayable after the wood twisted itself.

 

[krfoss]

Wow, that's a flat fingerboard. Not a problem if you aren't using a bow

Not using a bow, so the flatness doesnt bother me too much. The previous owner wanted a bevel, so he basically planed the middle of radius out and rounded out the G side. Problem was it left it being unplayable for a number of reasons. The board is going to be replaced at some point anyhow, so I might as well ride this out until I need to pop the board off and put a new one on.

The height of the strings are approximately 4-7mm from G to E.