Oil on rosewood fingerboard

[redkrayola]

1. Clean it with Naptha and a soft toothbrush. Dry.

2. Tape off the rosewood with 3M painters tape. It "lifts" any dirt residue left in crevices (esp next to frets). If you tape them neatly and carefully enough, you can do a quick light fret dressing with some 0000 steel wool while you're at it. ooooo, shiny! Remove the tape.

3. Pour a small, quarter-sized bit of motor oil.....not a typo.....motor oil...just don't use synthetic, into a small saucer. Dip your 0000 steel wool into this as you polish your rosewood with it.

4. Wipe it down really good and string it.

 

[One Drop]

I used to use lemon oil, too, but since trying boiled linseed the board dries out much more slowly, and it darkens the rosewood more, which is something I like aesthetically.

Art supply shops are a good spot to find real (i.e. boiled and not chemically treated) boiled linseed oil.

I imagine people who have no problems with lemon oil probably live in more humid climates; it's very dry here and a fretboard can dry out in mere weeks after being treated with it in winter.

 

[pin_head_47]

redkrayola, could you be more specific about the motor that you use? Is there a special weight or brand that you like the most?

I always thought that there were way too many additives in most motor oil for it to be useful on wood.

 

[Dee_01]

You guys must be mad!

I swear by this stuff:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

If you're thinking about boiled linseed oil, etc., have a read.

 

[scotch]

You guys must be mad!

I swear by this stuff:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

If you're thinking about boiled linseed oil, etc., have a read.

Thanks, there is some great info in there. Of course, the author is trying to sell his product.

With any oil treatment care must be taken to wipe off any excess oil. As far as boiled linseed leaving a film behind, I'm not too concerned as long as the fretboard wasn't too dry before application.

Thanks for the article/advertisement! Looks like a great product.

 

[Gene Leone]

This has worked great for me. 100% tung oil.

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

 

[alexit]

I used the dunlop stuff and yeah, the fingerboard did dry up...

...after 9 months of daily playing, so I put some more on. I've also put it on a bass, put it back in its case for over 4 months, taken it back out and it looked the same, still had that slick feel too. Although if you forgot to wipe the excess off, then that'll dry out.

Bottom line is, they wouldn't put rosewood fingerboards on a such a mainstream product if they expected everyone to go out in their garage and boil up some linseed oil every year.

Not like it's that big of a deal anyway, unless your board is dry to the point of cracking. I cleaned up a 70s P-bass that likely hadn't -ever- been cleaned, we're talking gunk halfway as thick as the frets were high. I avoided the heavier stuff like alcohol, mineral spirits, etc and just had a little patience with the traditional method. Took about half an hour but it came out. Oiled it up and looks nearly new.

 

[scotch]

Bottom line is, they wouldn't put rosewood fingerboards on a such a mainstream product if they expected everyone to go out in their garage and boil up some linseed oil every year.

Nobody's "boiling" oil at their home... you buy it that way. Just FYI.