My fret board(s) tend to get a bit gunky over time, so I use it every once in awhile to wipe down the entire guitar after cleaning the fret board (and usually adding new strings). Whatever people want to do, or not, is up to them and their preferences -- but, I've never had any issues using the Jasco Lemon Oil on various guitars.
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My fret board(s) tend to get a bit gunky over time, so I use it every once in awhile to wipe down the entire guitar after cleaning the fret board (and usually adding new strings). Whatever people want to do, or not, is up to them and their preferences -- but, I've never had any issues using the Jasco Lemon Oil on various guitars.
Just read this and what Turnaround said.
FRETS.COM
Anyone else that wants to use another method go right ahead. It's your instrument.
Some players talk of "feeding" the unfinished surface of the fingerboard with oil. Fingerboards are not actually hungry and don't really need to be fed, but a light coating of oil gives them a finished and clean look. If you do choose to oil the fingerboard, do it with care. Use a tiny amount of lemon oil or mineral oil on the rag, wipe it on the fingerboard, and then wipe it all off. You don't want to saturate the fingerboard, and you don't want a lot of oil running down into the fret slots. If there are cracks in your fingerboard, consider having them filled professionally, and don't get oil in the cracks.Generally, you'll want to stay away from linseed and other natural vegetable oils, which become sticky and gummy over time:
This kind of fingerboard cleaning should be a once-a-year event, at the most. Too much scrubbing and oiling can easily do more damage than good.
FRETS.COM
Anyone else that wants to use another method go right ahead. It's your instrument.
Not worth getting anyone's knickers in a twist ... whatever work for you on your guitar, is just fine by me. Really.
you know, really good olive oil actually coagulates and turns almost white in the bottle if you keep it at a low temperature like a fridge.
If your olive oil doesn't do this, it's time to change brands. There are so many fake ones out there which are truly horrible for your body. They've actually been able to formulate something close to the real taste so tasting it isn't a good measure. Besides there are too many different recipes and too many different olives to even talk about a standard taste.
Steel wool is a terrible idea.
The Frets.com advise sucks, naptha (or several other things) will do the cleaning job without raining tiny steel fibers all over/into your instrument which has magnets and lots of places that tiny stray steel pieces do not belong.
Linseed oil is the best treatment for rosewood fretboards that are too dry.
Linseed will produce a result that will last five times longer than "lemon oil" (mineral oil) or the snake oil that is sold in music stores with misleading labels.
Doesn't matter...Steel wool is just not the right thing to use to remove dirt and grime from a rosewood fretboard.
He is also suggesting you rub across the grain!!
Steel wool is an even worse idea with electric guitars/basses.
Naptha and a clean rag does a great job, or simple green max and a surgeons scrub brush will clean the fretboard then wipe with clean cloth.
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I have a bottle of Formby's "Furniture Workshop Lemon Oil" that I've been using on my fretboards the last decade or so.
My experience with mineral coil is that it's viscious and foodsafe. The lemon oil is about the consistency of water and flammable. How is it merely scented mineral oil?
I figure it would have to be scented mineral oil cut with a solvent of the same polarity, which aids in penetrating into the wood and explains to the lack of viscosity. But then this isn't "merely mineral oil" but an enhanced product.
(Refraining from Googling for the sake of conversation.)
My experience with mineral coil is that it's viscious and foodsafe. The lemon oil is about the consistency of water and flammable. How is it merely scented mineral oil?
I figure it would have to be scented mineral oil cut with a solvent of the same polarity, which aids in penetrating into the wood and explains to the lack of viscosity. But then this isn't "merely mineral oil" but an enhanced product.
(Refraining from Googling for the sake of conversation.)
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This is exactly what I was thinking, RustyAxe. I got my rosewood board looking brand new and that is the end result that I was looking for.
From the MSDS sheet for Formby's Lemon Oil Treatment 30015
Aliphatic Solvent 73.91%
Paraffin Oil 25.1%
d-Limonene 0.44%
That 0.44% amount of extract from Citrus is used as a fragrance.
Paraffin Oil could be Kerosene or Mineral Oil or a number of other things.
Aliphatic Solvent is often Naptha but can be a number of things.
The Formby's product is probably Mineral Oil, Naptha and Fragrance.
My point about these products is that the one thing on the label that they are selling is "Lemon Oil" and what is in the product is various ratios of unspecified oils and solvents and a 0.44% trace of citrus extract for fragrance to help them sell it.
But this has been the case for basically all of these products for 75 years.
Lemon oil in any large quantity would be very bad for wood.
Formby's does say in their description: " The pleasant lemon fragrance will leave your wood smelling fresh and clean! " so they are being a bit honest by sort of admitting it's just a lemon fragrance.
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When I Google this product it seems to be discontinued, it lists Formby's which I have never tried.
Jasco Lemon Oil Treatment
For Woods, Paneling, Fine Furniture and Cabinets
Containing pure lemon oil and petroleum distillate, it cleans and replaces natural oils that evaporate from wood.
This product contains no silicones, linseed oil, or beeswax that "build-up" on furniture.
Apply a small amount and polish until dry.
CONTAINS PETROLEUM DISTILLATE
COMBUSTIBLE
Jasco Lemon Oil Treatment
For Woods, Paneling, Fine Furniture and Cabinets
Containing pure lemon oil and petroleum distillate, it cleans and replaces natural oils that evaporate from wood.
This product contains no silicones, linseed oil, or beeswax that "build-up" on furniture.
Apply a small amount and polish until dry.
CONTAINS PETROLEUM DISTILLATE
COMBUSTIBLE
Turnaround
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Generally agree except the part about avoiding linseed and vegetable oils "which become sticky and gummy over time". If you are putting on enough oil to get gummy and sticky, you're putting on far too much oil.
True.
Even with mineral oil I have seen posts on guitar forums throughout the years that say " I just coat
the fretboard with mineral oil and let it sit for about a half hour and then wipe the excess off"
I wince when I see those comments.
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I didn't wait nearly that long. I used very sparingly and excess was wiped off in less than 2 minutes.
The other thing, from bitter personal experience, is that steel wool is an unhelpful product to use anywhere near a guitar. I applied an oil finish to a fretboard with it once, and I had steel wool particles trapped in the oil. They turned an odd colour over time.
As is routinely pointed out, steel wool shavings end up drawn to, and into, pickups. Even if they don't make it that far, it is easy to introduce a raft of micro-scratches into the finish of a guitar if you wipe them off with a cloth. Don't ask me how I know this.
Finally, I've never seen frets polished with steel wool that have been shiny enough for my tastes, and I hate the sensation of working with the stuff.
Yeah, the fact being that steel wool was not used to apply oil to a fretboard or used anywhere near a electric guitar in that article.Now fellas, let's not confuse each other with facts and science.
Nor was it used to polish frets.
Reading comprehension is a wonderful thing
Mineral oil is cheaper and it works as good as lemon oil. That's what I use on mine.
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Yes, that was the reason I posted that article noting the heads up if one uses linseed oil.
You can reuse the cloth or rag as well. Just wash it in hot dish water and rinse it well.