How to clean/polish fingerboard?

[boondox]

I use and recommend lemon oil, but to be clear, the lemon oil used to clean and condition fretboards is not made from lemons. For example:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PWLemonOil/

Went with this stuff, and it worked great. Took the crap right off it instantly. $4 shipped. Thanks for the advice.

 

[testing1two]

I've used everything under the sun. Lemon oil is mostly petroleum distillates with lemon scent so it's more solvent than oil. Normally I prefer to use Naptha for cleaning and a separate product for oil (however, I've since changed my ways...read on).

Bore oil is good as a conditioner but it's on the thick side so you get the feeling that it doesn't penetrate much which isn't anything to lose sleep over but worth noting. Gerlitz Guitar Honey is very nice because it's light and not too oily (I believe Sadowsky started using this on all their non-maple fingerboards). Fret Doctor is the best conditioning oil I've tried. It penetrates well and really does a nice job on rosewood and ebony.

With all that said I just discovered a product called Gorgomyte and it is by far the easiest to use and delivers outstanding results on both the frets and fingerboard. It's a chemically treated cloth which polishes the frets, cleans and conditions the fingerboard all at the same time. Once you wipe down the entire board you buff the residue off with a clean cloth/old t-shirt and you're left with super shiny frets (puts steel wool to shame) and a clean, conditioned fingerboard.

http://www.gorgomyte.com/

 

[boynamedsuse]

Went with this stuff, and it worked great. Took the crap right off it instantly. $4 shipped. Thanks for the advice.

You are welcome. Glad to be of service.

 

[ko stradivarius]

I've used everything under the sun. Lemon oil is mostly petroleum distillates with lemon scent so it's more solvent than oil.

Huh? Not the pure lemon oil, as used in aromatherapy. Alembic even recommends it on their fretboards. You may be thinking of furniture cleaners such as Pledge.

 

[Headless Llama]

I use Ducks Ax Wax... Cleans things up, and it has a nice smell

And contrary to the name, there is not any wax in the product. It is just a clever name.

 

[masonsjax]

I use scotch brite pad if needed, then clean/moisturize with 3-in-1 oil (basically just motor oil) using a cotton ball, and buff with an old tshirt. You can use any oil that wont rot. Don't use olive oil for instance. Tung oil is a good choice too. If your fingerboard has finish on it, you can just clean it using a damp rag. No oil is needed.

 

[tsunami1052]

Gorgomyte - see link:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Turnaround]

I use Ducks Ax Wax... Cleans things up, and it has a nice smell

And contrary to the name, there is not any wax in the product. It is just a clever name.

Any ducks in it?

 

[testing1two]

Huh? Not the pure lemon oil, as used in aromatherapy. Alembic even recommends it on their fretboards. You may be thinking of furniture cleaners such as Pledge.

Yes, pure lemon oil exists as does pure orange oil and even pure rosewood oil. My point was that the vast majority of products one would find at a music store or the local home improvement store are not pure oils but rather solvents with fragrance or some oils added.

 

[Chris K]

0000 steel wool followed by lemon oil.

The way to go. Scotch brite may replace steel wool.

 

[testing1two]

I use scotch brite pad if needed, then clean/moisturize with 3-in-1 oil (basically just motor oil) using a cotton ball, and buff with an old tshirt. You can use any oil that wont rot. Don't use olive oil for instance. Tung oil is a good choice too. If your fingerboard has finish on it, you can just clean it using a damp rag. No oil is needed.

This is true but many industrial oils will cause discoloration, including 3 in 1. My brother was a loyal 3 in 1 user until he noticed discoloration on the back of his maple neck (yes, he applied the 3 in 1 on the fingerboard and back of the neck...duh). Obviously the darkening would go mostly unnoticed on dark rosewood or ebony but it is worth noting. I know it's tempting to to try Castrol GTX to protect against fingerboard viscosity and thermal breakdown, but don't....please.

 

[testing1two]

Gorgomyte - see link:

Invalid Link Removed

this.

 

[Papersen]

I've used everything under the sun. Lemon oil is mostly petroleum distillates with lemon scent so it's more solvent than oil. Normally I prefer to use Naptha for cleaning and a separate product for oil (however, I've since changed my ways...read on).

Bore oil is good as a conditioner but it's on the thick side so you get the feeling that it doesn't penetrate much which isn't anything to lose sleep over but worth noting. Gerlitz Guitar Honey is very nice because it's light and not too oily (I believe Sadowsky started using this on all their non-maple fingerboards). Fret Doctor is the best conditioning oil I've tried. It penetrates well and really does a nice job on rosewood and ebony.

With all that said I just discovered a product called Gorgomyte and it is by far the easiest to use and delivers outstanding results on both the frets and fingerboard. It's a chemically treated cloth which polishes the frets, cleans and conditions the fingerboard all at the same time. Once you wipe down the entire board you buff the residue off with a clean cloth/old t-shirt and you're left with super shiny frets (puts steel wool to shame) and a clean, conditioned fingerboard.

http://www.gorgomyte.com/

+1 on Gorgomyte.
I recently bought one from Stew Mac. Simple to use and I`m amazed how shiny frets look now.

Never found and easier and fool proof solution.

 

[Jimbob Jones]

+1 on the steel wool; I put a strip of masking tape over my pickups to keep the particles off.

Before oiling I clean the board with a rag dipped in naptha (lighter fluid), and judging by the amount of black gunk on the cloth, I think it's a worthwile step in the process...I usually leave it for 5-10 minutes to dry before applying oil.

I prefer raw linseed oil to lemon oil. I heard a couple of horror stories about using lemon oil over long periods of time, they probably weren't true, but it convinced me to try this alternative and it always comes up great.

 

[Growly Lytes]

Well i found some Orange Oil because i couldnt get the Lemon Oil from the Hardware store.It contains no wax,no silicone, is non toxic & made from real Oranges in Western Australia.You can see the little bits of peel in the bottom of the bottles
It can even be used on chopping boards to clean & restore.
I tried it & cant believe how good it works.Cleaned with Naptha then Orange Oil, with the naptha the amount of dirt that was on the rags was mind blowing.Even though they didnt look that dirty they were very dirty.To me it looks brand new again.
You can see the Orange peel in the bottom of the bottles,this is great stuff !
I was so worried about wrecking something but this stuff is amazing !
They have Lemon Oil made just for instruments too.

 

[K-Frog]

i've been using 0000 steel wool also, but I'll be looking into scotchbrite pads as well as the Gorgomyte. The steel wool particles are messy and I have been cleaning much of it with a magnet.

I follow cleaning with Howard's Feed and Wax. Rosewood only.
Maple just needs wiped clean (laquered)

 

[Captain Bob]

Agreed....Howard's Feed N' Wax. Prior to that clean the rosewood boards with Howard's Orange Oil. Light applications, and I use an old wash cloth. Allow the Feed N' Wax to sit for 20 min then buff.

 

[Sharknose79]

I know it's tempting to to try Castrol GTX to protect against fingerboard viscosity and thermal breakdown, but don't....please.

 

[ksandvik]

It's mineral oil-based. I use it on all my instruments.

Oh, I thought I was the only one that did the heresy of using Fast Fret not just on strings but also on the fretboard. Makes the fretboard really nice, shiny and slinky.