stop oiling your fretboards

[Stub Mandrel]

11 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

I use Dunlop 65 but other brands specifically for instruments are available. Never use pure lemon oil, or anything labeled 'lemon oil' which is intended to be used on furniture.

Absolutely correct, fingerboard oil is just light mineral oil with added lemon scent.

If you are tight, sewing machine oil then sniffing a lemon does the same job just as well, because it is the same thing.

 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 14, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Killed_by_Death]

3 hours ago, bartelby said:

fact threads are always fun...

Oil doesn't moisturize, fact.

Oil & water don't mix, & Water is what moisturizes, or water vapor (humidity).

 

[PlungerModerno]

Don't your fingers sweat a mix of oils and waxes? I know keyboards and touchscreens get pretty manky in use unless you clean them.

If you haven't cleaned a fingerboard in a while you'll generally have a crop of what some call "mojo" built up. I think oil or wax may help protect a unfinished piece of wood from splitting or warping due to extreme changes in humidity, especially on endgrain, like they do to lumber the world over:

I think people should know what's on their instrument, and care for it as they see fit. If it get's hot or will be in sunlight I'd say if it's painted, treat it like car paint, wax and polish it and keep it out of the sun as much as possible. If it's an oil finish I guess follow the directions for that finish. Not all oils get on with each other, or with all waxes is my understanding.

Edited May 21, 2021 by PlungerModerno

[itu]

Modulus Graphite user manual:

"Chechen fingerboards may benefit from an application of gunstock oil or similar light oil, generally during winter months when humidity is low. Test the Chechen fingerboard by dropping one drop of water onto the board to see how long it takes to soak in. If the drop of water takes less than 10-20 seconds to disappear, the board needs a light coat of oil. Use a clean cloth slightly moistened with the oil. Gently and evenly rub it into the wood fingerboard. Allow the oil to soak in for a minute, and then wipe off the excess."

[Killed_by_Death]

7 hours ago, PlungerModerno said:

I think people should know what's on their instrument, and care for it as they see fit.

They can float the whole thing in oil, for all I care, LMAO!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

I dislike the person who posted this a lot, but I agree with the message oiling vs. NOT

"Seen ninety-plus year old rosewood never oiled, perfect condition. Seen ten year old rosewood over-oiled that looked like driftwood. Spilt and frayed."

 

[PlungerModerno]

15 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

They can float the whole thing in oil, for all I care, LMAO!

 

Go to 1:40:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDZ_HyEBS4

[BassTool]

On 19/05/2021 at 18:21, Killed_by_Death said:

 

I've been telling people for years that oiling your fretboard just makes it pretty, it does nothing to protect it or moisturize it.

 

As said many times, never on a maple board.

Got to disagree with OP though, as rosewood really benefits from oiling. I make my own up from extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice, and apply to a cleaned down board.

It must sit flat for at least 24 hours to soak in, but the transformation is absolutely brilliant.

See the pics in my thread here..

 

 

[Killed_by_Death]

4 hours ago, BassTool said:

rosewood really benefits from oiling

All it does it make it pretty. What you're doing will have the luthier hurling expletives when they're putting in new frets.

 

4 hours ago, BassTool said:

white wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice, and apply to a cleaned down board.

It must sit flat for at least 24 hours to soak in

It your instrument, but using vinegar & citrus juice is damaging. Letting it soak, even worse. 

However, it's yours to destroy as you see fit. Have a nice weekend, what's left of it.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

I can't take anyone seriously who adds two ACIDs to their 'fretboard conditioner', & it boggles my mind that it gets likes. 

😲

[BassTool]

43 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

All it does it make it pretty. What you're doing will have the luthier hurling expletives when they're putting in new frets.

 

It your instrument, but using vinegar & citrus juice is damaging. Letting it soak, even worse. 

However, it's yours to destroy as you see fit. Have a nice weekend, what's left of it.

 

I've been destroying it since 1985, honestly, it's absolutely ruined...😉

[Killed_by_Death]

 

I'm accustomed to folks caring too much about how it looks.

The important part is how it sounds & plays & if you didn't care so much about looks you could forego lubricating the fretboard. 

I'm also accustomed to people being very very stubborn about this, because the industry has drilled it into everyone that fretboards require oil. That person in the OP ruined his, thanks to all that bull.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

5 hours ago, BassTool said:

extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice

Why are you adding two acids to the mix? The 'lemon' in lemon oil is just a scent, it's not real citrus juice.

Why olive oil?, it would go rancid, while mineral oil would not.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

Soaking for 24 hours is extra hilarious, let it get down into the glue so your fretboard will come off.

 

[Hellzero]

21 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

That person in the OP ruined his, thanks to all that bull.

I explained what really happened earlier and the guy oiling a maple fingerboard must be dumber than dumb. 🤦‍♂️

[Hellzero]

24 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

I'm also accustomed to people being very very stubborn

So you must be accustomed to yourself. 😉

[Killed_by_Death]

 

You've written twice that I can't read, but in this thread you seem to be the one who can't comprehend.

Take the advice, don't take it, but stop arguing when the facts are apparent.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

If you won't take my words for it, here's the words of a person who works on stringed-instruments for a living. <>---it's a hyperlink

"Oil inhibits, but does not prevent moisture migration. Oil does not feed the wood, nor does it do much good in replacing lost natural oils in the wood. And oil does nothing to help wood that has shrunken/warped because of moisture loss. These are not just my opinions - I have studied wood for more than 50 years and that is the collected wisdom of world experts over the last 200 or more years, experts whose works I have studied in depth"

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by Killed_by_Death
fixed hyperlink

[Maude]

4 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

All it does it make it pretty. What you're doing will have the luthier hurling expletives when they're putting in new frets.

Why's that then, can a luthier not work on a pretty board? 😉

Perhaps if you explained why it's such a bad idea rather than just ranting (and contradicting yourself as quoted), then folks might better understand. 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

I did not contradict myself!

Would you enjoy refretting an overly oily board?

More excerpt from the above link:

"It may look pretty, but won't do much else except wick into the fret slots and risk causing the frets to lift."

 

[Maude]

2 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

I did not contradict myself!

You said, "All it does is make it look pretty". Then carried on to say it would "have the luthier hurling expletives when they're putting in new frets". 

Unless looking pretty would cause a luthier to hurl expletives it must do something else other than make it look pretty, ergo contradiction. 

2 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

More excerpt from the above link:

"It may look pretty, but won't do much else except wick into the fret slots and risk causing the frets to lift."

 

Would the risk of frets lifting really cause a luthier problems in replacing them, surely it's helping in the removal?

 

3 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

"Oil inhibits, but does not prevent moisture migration. Oil does not feed the wood, nor does it do much good in replacing lost natural oils in the wood. And oil does nothing to help wood that has shrunken/warped because of moisture loss. These are not just my opinions - I have studied wood for more than 50 years and that is the collected wisdom of world experts over the last 200 or more years, experts whose works I have studied in depth"

Inhibit

verb

1. hinder, restrain or prevent (an action or process). 

 

So it inhibits moisture ingress and makes the board look pretty.  

I'm happy with that. 

The rest we can ignore as it's merely pointing out what it doesn't do.

🙂👍

[Killed_by_Death]

1 minute ago, Maude said:

Would the risk of frets lifting really cause a luthier problems in replacing them, surely it's helping in the removal?

IF they come out easily, they don't want to stay in, so refretting is not fun.

I've read enough complaints from pros about overly-oiled boards & that is the issue.

 

2 minutes ago, Maude said:

 

The rest we can ignore as it's merely pointing out what it doesn't do.

Let's not ignore the most relevant part, which is the crux of the biscuit:

"does not prevent moisture migration"

You conveniently ignore the most important part, like all the other blinded oilers.

Weren't you on about how important Density is to timbre?

😀

[Killed_by_Death]

 

Another "if you don't believe ME" example

oiling fretboards, good and BAD

"

When a fretboard is oiled, it is not possible to prevent that oil from seeping-under the fret.
Especially when using a non-drying oil, this can result in an accumulation of oil under the fret which causes true harm to the guitar.
Here's how:
- Can soften the wood in the vital fret slot region (non-microbial "rot")
- Can provide a microbial environment (oil/substance-dependent), encouraging microbial activity that will actually digest the wood under the fret (microbial "rot")
- Can lessen the fret's "grip" on the wood....frets can pop-up causing buzzing/dead spots
- Can complicate refretting; the wood is infiltrated with oil and fret replacement is compromised/more difficult

"

There are many examples on that forum from pros & their complains about clients over-oiling.

Just don't do it, and there won't be issues.

 

[Maude]

15 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

IF they come out easily, they don't want to stay in, so refretting is not fun.

I've read enough complaints from pros about overly-oiled boards & that is the issue.

😀

That's fair enough, so the point is not to overly oil your board, rather than not to at all. 

15 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

Let's not ignore the most relevant part, which is the crux of the biscuit:

"does not prevent moisture migration"

You conveniently ignore the most important part, like all the other blinded oilers.

Weren't you on about how important Density is to timbre?

😀

I not a blind oiler, but was struggling to find the actual point to your ranting. I'm reading the stuff you're posting from Talkbass but it doesn't back what you're saying. 

Your quote says it doesn't prevent, but does inhibit moisture migration. 

I'm saying if an oiling every now and again keeps the board looking pretty and inhibits moisture migration, then I'm happy to do it. 

It is in line with what you are posting. 

15 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

Weren't you on about how important Density is to timbre?

😀

Yes and no. I was saying what I thought about wood structure, not stating it as fact. I may have used the wrong terminology, not being a specialist in wood, but we actually had the same view,. Unfortunately your aggressive posting style wouldn't allow you to see that. 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by Maude