How to fix dry looking Pau Ferro?

[edro]

And you do NOT want to put real lemon oil on a guitar...if you can actually find real lemon oil locally....

 

[Lesfunk]

If it were me,and it’s not, I’d use a tiny bit of boiled linseed oil.
Rub it in then wipe it off.
Ta da!

 

[Lesfunk]

Stay away from that mineral oil. It’s a laxative you know....
Your bass will have the trots!

 

[edro]

JFI:

I have also Tru-Oil'd some Rosewood boards.... Beautiful and hard...

I blue glove up, cut a coffee filter in fourths, fold it up, and apply T H I N coats and a bunch of em. About two coats at the time though... with about an hour before I repeat. Only about a drop or so on filter, NOT MUCH.

||: Fretboard just BARELY shows wet on one coat, NO MORE THAN JUST BARELY :||

By the time I get to nut from pickup end, I can start over. After the second, I'll leave on one of the guitar work benches for a bit to cure... I have also set mine on a stand in the alley beside the shop for the sun to help cure the coats....maybe 15-20 mins... Back in, let acclimate, do it again... Thin coats. Thin. Thinner than not thin...

Bought a used guitar last year with a bit of slight troughing on the board. (Nail clippers. Get some...)
Leveled it out using Tru-Oil over a few days. Worked great... Nobody that has played it has noticed it... They DO remark on how good the board looks and feels...

 

[edro]

Stay away from that mineral oil. It’s a laxative you know....
Your bass will have the trots!

It'll keep that bass regular like a swiss clock....

 

[Nephilymbass]

Under two bucks at WalMart. 16oz. More than you'll use in a lifetime on guitars...
THIS is what you are actually buying with 99% of any "lemon oil" out there... Mineral oil with a drop of lemon scent. It is food grade (pure) since it is for constipation....

I cut a section of handkerchief, dosed with a few drops of mineral oil, roll it up between hands for a couple minutes to distribute oil evenly, then it is good for months to wipe boards down... Like Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya...

If you'll just plain feel better paying 20-40-100 times cost per oz because it has a nice fancy name on the label, knock yourself out. It is STILL mineral oil with a scent... May as well throw money out the window on the way to WalMart....

I’d rather take a bullet in the leg than shop at Walmart lol

 

[Nephilymbass]

If it were me,and it’s not, I’d use a tiny bit of boiled linseed oil.
Rub it in then wipe it off.
Ta da!

I’ve used that before on different wood. Worked pretty well.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

boiled linseed oil (for colour).

boiled linseed oil

I’d use a tiny bit of boiled linseed oil.

These folks are not mentioning that linseed oil will spontaneously combust if you don't take care in how you dispose of the waste.

 

[Nephilymbass]

These folks are not mentioning that linseed oil will spontaneously combust if you don't take care in how you dispose of the waste.

I’m gonna use lemon oil.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Use what you like, I just thought it's worth a warning to other unsuspecting folks out there who might burn their home down with a wadded up linseed oil rag

 

[Paulabass]

Try my famous 'Fretboard Finish and BBQ chicken marinade'- 2 parts birchwood casey gunstock oil to 1 part Minwax ebony stain. Looks great on pau ferro!! Small cans make enough for years, so share with friends.

 

[Axstar]

These folks are not mentioning that linseed oil will spontaneously combust if you don't take care in how you dispose of the waste.

I assume I'm in the company of grown adults who read the warning labels on stuff.

 

[Paulabass]

Use what you like, I just thought it's worth a warning to other unsuspecting folks out there who might burn their home down with a wadded up linseed oil rag

YES! Put used rags in jars, and seal tight.

 

[Rallypoint_1]

I assume I'm in the company of grown adults who read the warning labels on stuff.

I ageee! I suggested BLO but one needs to read the label of the hazards.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I ageee! I suggested BLO but one needs to read the label of the hazards.

This is true. I’m going to use lemon oil, I’ve already read that it is a carcinogen that’s why I’m gonna buy a small bottle instead of having a giant can of it sitting around my house for a decade.

 

[Axstar]

I ageee! I suggested BLO but one needs to read the label of the hazards.

Ach I'm just being contrary and difficult.

As a rule of thumb I take any paper towels or rags I use BLO on and keep them pressed out flat. If you do this any sort of heat generated is free to radiate out of the fabric. If you scrunch them up into wee balls then heat can build up in the folds and you end up with a fire.The best option is to soak whatever you are using to apply the BLO once you've applied it.

I've never noticed these things getting warm, let alone hot. The fire risk is maybe more pronounced in places with a warmer climate? I'm not going to cheat fire, either way.

 

[s_wood]

I really like Fret Doctor Fingerboard Oil. You can get it at Amazon and Reverb, or from the guy who makes it.
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It’s important to use just a few drops and wipe it off after a couple of minutes. Too much oil of any kind, or for too long, and your board will turn into a gunky mess.

 

[Rallypoint_1]

I use a few drops of BLO. A little goes a long way. I soak the paper towels in water and then dispose after a bit.

 

[edro]

I’d rather take a bullet in the leg than shop at Walmart lol

You have a point there... If you do, go early in the day before the space aliens take over...

 

[edro]

If one read the data sheets on most high priced so called lemon oils, one might find they are almost all mineral oil...