Nitro fretless fingerboard

[ped]

Hi folks

A local luthier who specialises in mandolins and acoustic guitars is converting a rosewood neck to fretless for me. We discussed options for coating the board mostly for aesthetics and he suggested nitro as he issues it often and has a decent workshop and booth to apply coats of the stuff.

I’ll be using rounds, playing infrequently and don’t mind having to re-coat now and then. Just interested to hear what people think of nitro (several coats) would be like as a coating.

We will also look into other options like resins but maybe it’s worth trying this first and seeing how it holds up?

 

[bholder]

I'd expect nitro to be softer and not very long-wearing as a board coating, but maybe there's some special recipe harder stuff? I don't really know, following to find out.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Yeah you'll be recoating often with Nitro, Poly is a better option.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Nitro is barely adequate on a bass body, unless you like a self-relic'ing finish. The combination of finger oils and rounds would strip Nitro right off a fingerboard. This Stewmac Fingerboard Oil is my go-to for all my fingerboards, it soaks into and hardens the wood a little, easy to use, wipe on, let it sit 15 mins, wipe off excess. Repeat for a couple coats until it stops absorbing any more. It cures overnight, but wait a couple days and then buff it out. Done. You would eventually need to re-coat it.

ColorTone Fretboard Finishing Oil - StewMac

Preserves and beautifies fingerboards and bridges, leaving a smooth non-sticky feel.

www.stewmac.com

If you want a more durable finish long term, consider a coating of CA glue or epoxy, rounds tend to eat most finishes. A company called HG Thor does a nearly bulletproof coating similar to the "Daimondkote" finish used by Pedulla on their Buzz Basses.

HG Thor Epoxy Fretless

 

[Lo-E]

Nitro would not last very long on a fretless board. Even with flats you’d have issues with durability. Nitro just isn’t a very tough finish.

You’d be much better off with a poly, epoxy or cyanoacrylate finish if you really want that glossy look. If not, just use a drying oil.

 

[ped]

Thanks folks. I’m in the UK - any links to suitable products to try?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I know there’s a few threads on here about CA coating a fingerboard or using epoxy. I’m not sure what brands are available in the UK but look for a name brand of CA glue, a few examples on this side of the pond would be GluBoost or Starbond. With epoxy I’d recommend a marine epoxy like Total Boat or West Systems. If those aren’t available find out what the boat building / repair guys use. Don’t go with a dollar store (pound store?) brand and definitely not a 5 minute type epoxy.

 

[bholder]

hmm my old Carvin has a fretless board out of that ebonite stuff that's developed some scratches and gouges and here it is I got a big bottle of black CA glue from Stew Mac I think it was how to get the two together and fix that sucker up!

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Is 5 minute epoxy good for ANYTHING? Maybe shoe repair?

 

[bholder]

Is 5 minute epoxy good for ANYTHING? Maybe shoe repair?

It's good.... ...for about 5 minutes!

 

[MIMike]

Don’t coat it with anything other than some sort of oil (I use boiled linseed oil) for a rosewood board.
Especially I’d this will not get a ton of playing time.
My Jazz with a rosewood board has been fretless for 35 years now; had rounds on it the whole time and only gets a coat of the above mentioned oil about once every three years.

 

[UntitledProject]

Is 5 minute epoxy good for ANYTHING? Maybe shoe repair?

What part of a shoe would you repair with epoxy?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Is 5 minute epoxy good for ANYTHING? Maybe shoe repair?

I’ve fixed templates with it or done the final fit on a template, especially if I’m just going to use that one to make the actual “production” template. I’ve also used it for a few other things like if I need a small amount to fill a pinhole in a body or something.

 

[ardgedee]

Is 5 minute epoxy good for ANYTHING? Maybe shoe repair?

It's good for the sorts of repairs you see on the "As seen on TV" ads for epoxy putty: Broken doorknobs or random other things that are not supposed to be in two pieces and don't need a lot of finesse to turn back into one piece. And where the cosmetic quality of the fix isn't that important.

Barge or Shoe Goo is better for shoe repair. Basically an extremely gummy rubber contact cement.

 

[ctmullins]

lol. Nitro will wear off in the first ten minutes of playing. Go with epoxy (as above).

 

[REV]

Also, Nitro takes a long time to get really dry.

 

[CryingBass]

Boat Seal

 

[TeeSee]

I know there’s a few threads on here about CA coating a fingerboard or using epoxy. I’m not sure what brands are available in the UK but look for a name brand of CA glue, a few examples on this side of the pond would be GluBoost or Starbond. With epoxy I’d recommend a marine epoxy like Total Boat or West Systems. If those aren’t available find out what the boat building / repair guys use. Don’t go with a dollar store (pound store?) brand and definitely not a 5 minute type epoxy.

Lol there is a "Poundshop" over here but I wouldn't buy anything from there except wooden BBQ skewers
However you can still get what Matt recommends over here too;

Amazon.co.uk : starbond glue

Gluboost | Tonetech Luthier Supplies

tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk : totalboat epoxy resin

WEST SYSTEM

wessexresins.co.uk

 

[ped]

Thanks guys and especially for the links. I might try the neck uncoated first then think about a finish once I can confirm that it's working well.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Thanks guys and especially for the links. I might try the neck uncoated first then think about a finish once I can confirm that it's working well.

Keep us posted. I’m sure someone here can come up with some tutorials if you decide to coat the fingerboard yourself. I’ve used CA a few times and like it. Just have lots of ventilation and keep a fan blowing across the bench. The eyes still get watery but not as bad.