Double Bass Removing rosin from fingerboard/bridge?

[B. Johnson]

I think that the best cleaning solution I have found to date is a mixture of powerdered pumice stone and baby oil. If you are cleaning the strings, bridge, or fingerboard rubbing alcohol works fine, just MAKE SURE you DON'T get it on the finish of the instrument, it will take it right off. But if you need to clean rosin off the instrument powdered pumice stone and baby oil works great. The oil softens it up, the pumice works as a fine cleaner. You MUST order the pumice stone from a violin dealer like internationalviolin.com because it has to be very finely ground. Hope this helps

 

[arnoldschnitzer]

Sorry, B., but I dislike your method. Pumice, regardless of what grade, is an abrasive. Use your rosin-removing technique enough times and you'll be rubbing bare wood.

 

[G-force]

Hey I got one for you all. A bow maker/ luthier here in uses, JIF liquid scouring solution to get the gunk. He just pours it on the instrument and wipes it off. I left shortly after he showed me this. But he never touched my axe. I was a bit shocked.

 

[B. Johnson]

Arnoldschnitzer, that's what the ground pumice stone is sold for at violin shops, but hey, to each their own, if it doesn't work for you, don't use it. All I know is it cleans the instrument with ease and doesn't hurt it at all. I have cleaned my instrument several times this way and I'm still just buffing varnish!

 

[Damon Rondeau]

Make no mistake: that pumice is an abrasive that's slowly rubbing stuff away. Just like sandpaper except finer particles. Why scrape when you can dissolve?

 

[Paul Warburton]

Arnoldschnitzer, that's what the ground pumice stone is sold for at violin shops, but hey, to each their own, if it doesn't work for you, don't use it. All I know is it cleans the instrument with ease and doesn't hurt it at all. I have cleaned my instrument several times this way and I'm still just buffing varnish!

Hi B, do me a favor and check out this site... www.aesbass.com
Thanks.