Lemon oil question

[Sunset Shalom]

So I got a bottle of lemon oil in the mail today to clean a few fretboards and just noticed on the bottle it says "Use only on un-finished fret boards"...

In another thread I made someone said I should use lemon oil only on finished fretboards becouse it often times has other ingredients that can mess up finishes.

So does that mean this is pure lemon oil and if so will it harm certain finishes which is why they say to use it on unfinished ones only?

I would really appreciate some clarification so I can use it on all my guitars with a clean conscious.

Also it may be worth noting the most grimy fretboard I have seems in need of a re finishing as the lower frets look pretty dry and I was hoping the lemon oil would clean em and oil them up again.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I just read lemon oil is good for certain woods sch as rosewood and ebony and that mixing it with linseed oil which is a good polisher and turpentine helps it soak into the wood and preserve it. Can anyone provide some insight into this? It sounds good in theory, I will have to do more research before I use any I guess.

Also here is the oil I bought:
Dunlop Fretboard 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
"Dunlop Fretboard 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil is specially formulated to clean away grime and quickly and easily return your guitar fretboard's original luster. Apply a thin coating using the Dunlop Dab-O-Matic applicator top, work away any gunk on your guitar, and wipe clean. It's that simple. Once the dirt is gone, Dunlop Fretboard 65 keeps it away with an invisible sealant that prevents stains and moisture. Player tested, tech approved”Dunlop Fretboard 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil cleans up the mess that the music business leaves behind."

It has a ton of 5 star reviews on MusiciansFriend and Amazon so I can't imagine it being bad...

I just read a thread on ultimate guitar where someone claims lemon oil actually dries necks out in the long run and recommended a synthetic oil instead.

Seems plenty of people use it with good results though so maybe it just depends on the wood of the fretboard or how people use it.

 

[bikeplate]

Every luthier I got to know recommend not using lemon oil. They all said it dries out boards

 

[Sunset Shalom]

Every luthier I got to know recommend not using lemon oil. They all said it dries out boards

I am just confused as there seems to be a lot of people saying it is good/ bad and I have read it's best for certain woods while others say its good or bad for anything... Seems there has to be some misinformation out there. I have also read you're supposed to use diluted oil so maybe people are over applying it.

 

[pica]

I use mineral oil on my fretboards. I believe there have been several threads on this topic. Do a search I'm sure you'll get all kinds of answers.

 

[Sunset Shalom]

This stuff has 82% 5 star reviews out of 244 reviews on amazon... 1% 1 star 2% 3 stars and 15% 4 stars. Clearly it works for most people.

I know reviews are not always the most accurate but it seems weird so many people would have good experiences with it if it really was harmful.

I use mineral oil on my fretboards. I believe there have been several threads on this topic. Do a search I'm sure you'll get all kinds of answers.

What kind of mineral oil? After reading about the lemon + linseed oil and turpentine I am considering trying a blend of stuff possibly.

Guess I will at least try out the lemon oil my my cheapest guitar as I already bought some.

 

[pica]

What kind of mineral oil?

I just use the Meijer brand mineral oil. You can call your local guitar store and ask them what they recommend.

 

[bikeplate]

The few builders I got to know over the years never use it. They all said linseed oil

 

[pica]

I would not recommend mixing different things together. I never heard of using turpentine. But that doesn't sound good.

 

[Sunset Shalom]

The few builders I got to know over the years never use it. They all said linseed oil

Well I was thinking of mixing them so I will have to get some linseed to try as well.

I would not recommend mixing different things together. I never heard of using turpentine. But that doesn't sound good.

The logic I heard was turpentine is a wood preservative and helps oils soak deeper into the wood, and lemon oil is a good cleaner and linseed a good polisher.

Seems worth trying, I don't see the harm in mixing certain things at least.

 

[Lammchop93]

I've used that Dunlop lemon oil on all my rosewood basses for the last 5 years or so, and my fretboards like clean and are very rich in color after use. They also stay that way gig after gig. I usually clean the fretboard and apply a new coat every 6-12 months.

 

[fretter]

Turpentine is a solvent, among other things. I think it might be flammable and produce noxious fumes.

 

[gjohnson441496]

I used linseed oil on my rosewood necked bass and it looks fantastic. There's a proper way to do it, though. I rubbed a little at a time on the neck in a circular motion, let it sit for a while, then wipe it clean off. There are a ton of youtube vids on it.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

No turp. It's flammable, and getting oil too far into the wood can warp it, attack the glue joint, oversaturate the board and detatch the fingerboard from the neck or cause other major problems.

Bore oil for clarinets is also a good possibility.

If you use lemon oil, only use the pure stuff that is not meant as a furniture polish. Those contain waxes and other additives which add shine to varnished wood but are terrible for the bare wood of a fingerboard.

I've used Formby's as needed for decades. On my doublebasses twice a year, and on the mucho dinero Alembics I played years ago. Never a problem.

Rather than dry out the boards, I've watched it swell closed cracks in dried out old ebony fingerboards.

No offense, Rob.

 

[Sunset Shalom]

I've used that Dunlop lemon oil on all my basses for the last 5 years or so, and my fretboards like clean and are very rich in color after use. They also stay that way gig after gig. I usually clean the fretboard and apply a new coat every 6-12 months.

I just noticed the color enhancing on my cheap epiphones rosewood fret board, it looks much better now. I hadn't realized how dull it looked as it is cheap anyways but after a quick wipe down of all the frets it is looking much lusher now and it plays way smoother! Definitely cleaned/ lubricated the board nicely.

6-12 months seems to be the consensus too from what I have read, some people use it monthly but that is pretty overkill and probably not the best.

Turpentine is a solvent, among other things. I think it might be flammable and produce noxious fumes.

Solvents are commonly used for finishing guitars be it alcohol or an industrial solvent, or even water which is often used as a solvent. Turpentine is distilled from trees at least and I imagine less toxic then many commonly used solvents. Many things produce toxic fumes, ever soldered wires? A lot of solder is made with lead. Many light bulbs contain mercury in trace amounts, there are toxins almost everywhere these days. It's not like I am drinking the turpentine or painting my house with it

I used linseed oil on my rosewood necked bass and it looks fantastic. There's a proper way to do it, though. I rubbed a little at a time on the neck in a circular motion, let it sit for a while, then wipe it clean off. There are a ton of youtube vids on it.

I will definitely have to get some linseed oil then

No turp. It's flammable, and getting oil too far into the wood can warp it, attack the glue joint, oversaturate the board and detatch the fingerboard from the neck or cause other major problems.

Alcohol is commonly used for finishing guitars and is also flammable, by glue joint do you mean set necks? I only own 1 electric with a glued neck and it seems simple enough to avoid getting any on it. Wouldn't warping be less of an issue with already finished wood? I guess turp might mess up the finishes but I have at least 1 or 2 guitars that could probably use a re neck finishing anyways though.

 

[Sunset Shalom]

Also regarding turpentine, I just read this on wikipedia which may interest some of you:


"Turpentine and petroleum distillates such as coal oil and kerosene have been used medicinally since ancient times, as topical and sometimes internal home remedies. Topically it has been used for abrasions and wounds, as a treatment for lice, and when mixed with animal fat it has been used as a chest rub, or inhaler for nasal and throat ailments. Many modern chest rubs, such as the Vicks variety, still contain turpentine in their formulations.

Taken internally it was used as treatment for intestinal parasites, and Invalid Link Removed because of its antiseptic and Invalid Link Removed properties. A general cure-all.[10][11] Sugar, molasses or honey were sometimes used to mask the taste, and bait parasites.

Turpentine was a common medicine among seamen during the Invalid Link Removed. It is one of several products carried aboard Ferdinand Magellan's fleet in his first circumnavigation of the globe,[12] and is still used today as an alternative medicine."

 

[fretter]

Also regarding turpentine, I just read this on wikipedia which may interest some of you:


"Turpentine and petroleum distillates such as coal oil and kerosene have been used medicinally since ancient times, as topical and sometimes internal home remedies. Topically it has been used for abrasions and wounds, as a treatment for lice, and when mixed with animal fat it has been used as a chest rub, or inhaler for nasal and throat ailments. Many modern chest rubs, such as the Vicks variety, still contain turpentine in their formulations.

Taken internally it was used as treatment for intestinal parasites, and Invalid Link Removed because of its antiseptic and Invalid Link Removed properties. A general cure-all.[10][11] Sugar, molasses or honey were sometimes used to mask the taste, and bait parasites.

Turpentine was a common medicine among seamen during the Invalid Link Removed. It is one of several products carried aboard Ferdinand Magellan's fleet in his first circumnavigation of the globe,[12] and is still used today as an alternative medicine."

That's what I read. Cool stuff.

 

[D-Smith]

I believe lemon oil is pretty much purely a volatile oil, meaning it will evaporate, eventually leaving nothing behind. Linseed oil on the other hand is a drying oil and leaves behind a solid. I've been using Behlen fingerboard oil for a while and I'm not sure what all the ingredients are, but from the way it smells, boiled linseed oil of one of the main ones. I'm sure there are other things in there like pure gum turpentine to thin it out a bit since boiled linseed oil is fairly thick. A couple quick applications leaves enough solids to give some protection from humidity changes and make the neck a bit more stable.

Behlen Fingerboard Oil

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

@Sunset Shalom No, I meant the glue joint that attaches the rosewood of ebony fingerboard to the neck material. Oil penetrates the board, compromises the glue, fingerboard falls off.

Why would you condition finished wood?

Turp would eat your finish. It eats paint. There's no "I guess" about it.

And the alcohol that is used for instrument finishes is basically Everclear, nearly pure ethanol into which flakes of shellac and colorant are dissolved and applied to the wood. Not the same thing at all as turpentine.

 

[loveandbass]

I use........water, on unfinished boards

 

[superheavyfunk]

I've been using lemon oil strictly since like 1998. I use it on all of my guitars and basses that have Rosewood fretboards and I've never had an issue.

I have a 60's Fender Jaguar and a late 70's Precision for vintage gear, and then for modern stuff, a 2007 recording king acoustic guitar, a custom made tenor resonator guitar, a Fender mandolin, and a frankenbass Precision deluxe. All have Rosewood and all have had the lemon oil treatment.

So YMMV and all that of course, but I say go for it. It's a product that's been in use for decades and as far as I can tell (ime, imo, wwjd), it's only on message boards where the conflict lies.