Colonel36 Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Hi. Does anyone put Danish Oil on their fretboard and if so, is there a good way to do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Have, but don't really need to on a rosewood board. Also there are various things called 'danish oil', most of them form some sort of coating, and you might not want that, they also take a fair while to dry. I've done it on boards, its jsut a wipe one, leave for a couple of minutes to soak in, and wipe off whats left. Some danish oils are actually wipe on varnish and you really don't want that, stick with ones that are tung oil and dryers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel36 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 Ok thanks. When you say wipe on and wipe off what's left do you mean wipe it off with the same rag or a dry rag and does it matter which direction it's done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Shouldn't need so much on a rag its wet over the whole thing. Direction doesn't matter because you are aiming to remove what's on the surface and just leave what is soaked in. Really have to question what you are hoping to achieve before doing that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel36 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 Just wanted to try it and try to achieve a nice finish but if you say it's no good then I'll try and find some info on tung oil and dryers..how to apply etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I really wouldn't want to use Danish oil on a fretboard. As you have been told they are a mixture of oils and solvents/drying agents but all the ones I've seen have also contained alkyd resins of the sorts used in gloss paint and varnishes, they do vary a lot though. I don't think I would use Tung oil either, too heavy. Unless you are prepared to do some serious research I'd stick to proprietary oils like Dr Ducks or ones based on lemon oils. They may look expensive but you use so little they cost almost nothing per application. My Dr Ducks has barely gone down in 5 years, maybe about a fifth and I have two guitars and three basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel36 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 Alright...thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Yeah lemon oils are best for fretboards I'd say. Better cleaning power and leaves a nice sheen to finish. Apply a small amount using a rag, leave to settle for a few minutes and then wipe off using a different rag. Use the wiping motion a few times in case there's any stubborn bits of grime on there. If you're looking to make an actual finish on the fretboard, then I'd use beeswax. Hardwearing, easy to clean and leaves a lovely finish after a few applications. Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Standard mineral oil is generally recommended over lemon oil from my research. Apparently you can get it in chemists and hardware stores, I need to track some down! Lemon oil apparently dries your board out after a short time, which I'm inclined to agree with after using it myself, it never seems to last long, after which it's dry as a bone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Like danish oil, 'lemon oil' refers to various different things, maybe some will dry your board. Probably the ones that are a detergent cleaner. Others are actually oily and make your board oily. Need to establish what the board is made of before suggesting what to do though. I've danish oiled finished maple boards because they need a finish and it feels nice. Rosewood boards, not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I Danish oiled a rosewood fingerboard once (years ago, but I think it may have been Rustins brand). It never looked right, and I later scraped it all off and used a lighter non-drying oil instead. I don't do it very often, but I tend to use a bottle of woodwind bore oil I have sitting around, which is just a light mineral oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel36 Posted October 11, 2013 Author Share Posted October 11, 2013 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1381419673' post='2238866'] Like danish oil, 'lemon oil' refers to various different things, maybe some will dry your board. Probably the ones that are a detergent cleaner. Others are actually oily and make your board oily. Need to establish what the board is made of before suggesting what to do though. I've danish oiled finished maple boards because they need a finish and it feels nice. Rosewood boards, not so much. [/quote] They're rosewood Mr foxen. I'm only playing around really but I'd just like a nice near gloss look...well. a nice shine if you know what I mean. Does what you put on the fretboard affect the sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 [quote name='Colonel36' timestamp='1381471696' post='2239487'] They're rosewood Mr foxen. I'm only playing around really but I'd just like a nice near gloss look...well. a nice shine if you know what I mean. Does what you put on the fretboard affect the sound? [/quote] Danish oil goes as far as the shiny side of satin at best. Got shiny, need to do other things. Plain oil and some rubbing will get you that far on rosewood. What you put on the fretboard can effect sound, mostly by getting on the strings and dulling them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 I personally would advise against using Danish Oil on a fretboard...period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel36 Posted October 11, 2013 Author Share Posted October 11, 2013 Right then. I'm down to Dr ducks - mineral oil - Lemon oil - or ..I quite like this - Beeswax. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel36 Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 I did the Beeswax today. Bit tricky to use but looks good now. I'll get some Dr Ducks for the next time. Thanks all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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