Moisturizing the finger board

[davismanLV]

Al, when you say "a high pressure isolation container" you mean...... WHAT, exactly?

 

[adorshki]

Al, are you thinking of Virtuoso cleaners and polishes? They're great! I use them. But not on a fretboard.

Ah yes, I think that's it. Mainly pointing out "silicone free", and why not for cleaning?.

I can't imagine why there would be silicone in woodwind bore oil. Why?

On reviewing Sandy's link, I think that's the same product I was thinking of, but I confused "silicones" with "petroleum distillates", which I have my doubts about. I can see the benefits in the bore of a woodwind instrument (waterproofing), but not so sure about fretboards (finish contamination).

 

[Neal]

Al, when you say "a high pressure isolation container" you mean...... WHAT, exactly?

Solitary confinement at your local correctional facility?

Neal

 

[adorshki]

Al, when you say "a high pressure isolation container" you mean...... WHAT, exactly?

A "bomb box".
You know, just in case.

 

[davismanLV]

Virtuoso cleaners and polishes are to be used on FINISHED surfaces, not raw, unfinished wood like fretboards. Is that what you mean by "why not for cleaning?"

 

[adorshki]

Virtuoso cleaners and polishes are to be used on FINISHED surfaces, not raw, unfinished wood like fretboards. Is that what you mean by "why not for cleaning?"

Isn't a linseed oil treatment a form of sealing or finishing?
Fretboards and bridges don't come out of the factory "raw", do they? (No snark intended)
Thought they all got a fine oil seal as part of the finish.

 

[davismanLV]

I thought you were asking "why not use Virtuoso on the fretboard for cleaning?" but I must've gotten confused. I'm not sure what they put on the fretboards or bridges at the factory, to be honest.

 

[adorshki]

I thought you were asking "why not use Virtuoso on the fretboard for cleaning?"

I was.

but I must've gotten confused. I'm not sure what they put on the fretboards or bridges at the factory, to be honest.

I'm not either, but all this posting's puttin' me in the mood for hissin' 'n spittin', know what I mean? :biggrin-new:

 

[Rayk]

Grab a beer guys easy does it you cleaning freaks ..... Hey honey the girls are fighting again .... what's that ? Yeah that's what I said get a beer ..... Bwahahahahahaha ....

 

[Neal]

I am willing to bet that fretboards came out of New Hartford raw.

I just wipe mine down thoroughly after playing with a microfiber cloth (under the strings and then over them). I don't want any residue on my fretboard, oil or otherwise, to attract gunk.

Humidity control is far more important than oiling to maintain the health of raw rosewood or ebony, IMO.

Neal

 

[chazmo]

Solitary confinement at your local correctional facility?

Neal

Yup. That'd do it!

 

[adorshki]

I am willing to bet that fretboards came out of New Hartford raw.

I'm willing to bet they came out with some kind of seal, like a light linseed rub and then buffed up, but not outright raw as in sanded and untouched afterward. Same with bridges.

 

[chazmo]

I'm willing to bet they came out with some kind of seal, like a light linseed rub and then buffed up, but not outright raw as in sanded and untouched afterward. Same with bridges.

I don't recall any discussion about sealing the fingerboard/bridge. That doesn't mean it wasn't done, though. I recall the final assembly area and watching them put a bridge on there... I don't recall any oil or sealant being applied.

Anyway, it's a good question.

 

[NEONMOONY]

Flat black spray paint, as needed.

 

[Rayk]

flat black spray paint, as needed.

brilliant ! Lol

 

[adorshki]

I don't recall any discussion about sealing the fingerboard/bridge. That doesn't mean it wasn't done, though. I recall the final assembly area and watching them put a bridge on there... I don't recall any oil or sealant being applied.

I'm just thinking, ya pull a brand new guitar out of the case, drop a drop of water on the fretboard, it don't soak in, it beads up, right? That ain't what I would define as raw.

Anyway, it's a good question.

One gets a little desperate for intellectual stimulation in solitary.

 

[Neal]

My understanding is that rosewood is a naturally oily. Consequently, under proper humidity conditions, it is unlikely to dry out.

Even under wildly unregulated conditions, I can say that my '73 D-35's rosewood fret board has gotten nothing in the way of oiling for over 40 years, and it looks and feels great.

I have looked at a lot of vintage Guilds over the last few years, and I can't recall a single one that has had a cracked fretboard. Divots? Sure. But so dry it was damaged? I have not seen an example.

Neal

 

[wileypickett]

I have looked at a lot of vintage Guilds over the last few years, and I can't recall a single one that has had a cracked fretboard. Divots? Sure. But so dry it was damaged? I have not seen an example. Neal

Different parts of a guitar (a guitar that wasn't properly hydrated that is) respond in different ways.

Bodies crack because the wood is thin, but fingerboards, which are thicker, don't crack; they shrink. You can easily recognize a shrunken fingerboard by its sharp fret ends, but detached bindings and loose inlay are other signs, and occasionally a neck cracks in the back, along the truss rod channel when it gets super-dried out.

I've seen all these things over the years.

My DV52, for instance, in addition to a top crack, had fret ends sharp enough to draw blood! The neck binding had split and come unglued at the 5th and 7th position fret marker dots and several frets weren't properly seated. I had the loose frets glued down, the fret ends filed, the binding reglued, and the top crack repaired.

None of this would have been necessary if the guitar had been properly maintained. But then, I could only afford the guitar in the first place because of all the work it needed -- it was cheap!

Glenn

 

[adorshki]

My understanding is that rosewood is a naturally oily. Consequently, under proper humidity conditions, it is unlikely to dry out.

I was thinking the point is not so much to seal humidity in as to keep bad stuff out, just like the finish itself.
IF somebody could explain why a brand new fretboard is so much more "shiny" than the inside of a rosewood bodied guitar, my ears are open.
For all I know it could just be matter of sanding with a fine enough grit.
But I really suspect there's something there bringing up that slight shine when it's passed over a buffer.
Maybe it's just the pore sealant they use before lacquering up the tops?
Oh all right time to do some heavy lifting.
Here's a thread from Talkbass:
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/rosewood-fretboard-finishing.520516/
Interesting that one poster confirms your comment about rosewood being so oily that a finish could actually flake off, although the same poster says:
"So applying the finish sparingly and carefully is important, regardless of what finish it is...

Two good choices that I like to use: high grade polymerized tung oil such as Sutherland Welles, and General Finishes Salad Bowl Oil, which is really a wiping varnish, not an oil....With any of those finishes, I thin them way down and pad them on carefully with a soft cloth pad, working between the frets if the neck is already fretted. My best case scenario would be to pad on the thin finish before fretting. Using just enough finish to seal the pores and keep the board looking well once the hot fingers start dancing up and down on it. I'm not trying to completely fill the pores or build up a high sheen."

Did they do that at Guild?
I kinda think it could explain what I'm suspecting, but that's all I could say.
I'm willing to say you could actually have a more than 50% chance of being right about 'em being "raw".
At least I've only 30 more days in the hole.

 

[Neal]

No doubt that poor humidification can cause a host of problems, including sharp fret ends, splits in the neck binding, etc.

What I am questioning is whether oiling the fretboard would have any appreciable protective effect on that damage, especially if you are applying the finish "sparingly".

Neal