radansey Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 (edited) Can anyone recommend how to clean/polish an ebanol fingerboard to make it nice and shiny new looking? T-Cut?? Edited December 29, 2009 by radansey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil and Birchwood Gun Stock wax are the stuff you need [url="http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en&source=hp&q=Birchwood+Tru+Oil&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&rlz=1R2ADFA_enGB345&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=gr86S8C2MqD-0gTKm4mSBQ&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCMQrQQwAw"]http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en&...ved=0CCMQrQQwAw[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 It's plastic - I'd have a shot with T-cut or a similar mild abrasive polish, which works a treat on other hard plastics. Test it on an inconspicuous area first, though - as they say on the tin... Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I think that WD40 is recommended by Status for ebanol boards. I tried this recently and it worked extremely well (a dash of WD40 on 0000 wire wool was very effective!) However, I'd get more opinions and do some checking - I don't want to offer poor or potentially dangerous advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 oops I thought we was talking about EBONY, but now I understand ebanol is a synthetic material, is it? Oh well you live and learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 [quote name='lozbass' post='696167' date='Dec 30 2009, 10:53 AM']I think that WD40 is recommended by Status for ebanol boards. I tried this recently and it worked extremely well (a dash of WD40 on 0000 wire wool was very effective!) However, I'd get more opinions and do some checking - I don't want to offer poor or potentially dangerous advice[/quote] I used WD40 on my Vigier's phenolic fretboard with no ill effects, and it worked a treat. Frets came up nice and shiny, too. Just don't go mad and use loads. I used it on my Yamaha's phenolic board, too, and that's PURPLE (don't ask!) When I next change strings on my Streamline, if it's a bit manky, I'll clean it down with WD40. I don't think I'd use any abrasives, no matter how mild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Strangely enough WD40 didn't seem to do much good on my Streamlines FB (or a fretless Status neck I used to have) - still a bit grey and streaky in places. Not 'manky' as such but the 'stain' just seems to get into the phenolic resin somehow. I'm sure I'd be able to improve it using WD40 in combination with a mild abrasive (0000 as above) but not sure if this would open up a can of worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I'd avoid using WD40 on fretted boards, whatever the material. It contains solvents which probably aren't going to be good for the adhesive that holds the frets in! Ebonol & phenolic are both non-porous plastics, so anything that doesn't actually polish the surface of the material will just sit there as a coating - and come off on your hands & strings. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebasshead Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Just in case anyone's interested, it's similar to Bakelite... "Ebonol is technically known as "XXX Paper Phenolic", and is a paper-based high pressure laminate made from layers of black paper and phenolic resin." [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebonol_(material)"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebonol_(material)[/url] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenolic_resin"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenolic_resin[/url] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite[/url] So Ebonol bears similarities to Bakelite which is phenolic + wood flour whereas Ebonol is phenolic + paper...and as paper is made from wood Ebonol is a close relative by my simple reasoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I wouldn't use an abrasive. I don't think you should damage the surface! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='697172' date='Dec 31 2009, 01:35 PM']Ebonol & phenolic are both non-porous plastics, so anything that doesn't actually polish the surface of the material will just sit there as a coating - and come off on your hands & strings.[/quote] Another good reason not to use WD40 if you ask me. It's essentially a solution containing a solvent, so all the things it does manage to remove will dissolve straight through your skin and into you. I can't understand why anyone uses this on musical instruments, it's horrible stuff. If I have to use it on a car I make sure that I've got protective gloves and barrier cream on my hands for the same reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 The following text was forwarded to me by a BC member and is sourced (apparently) from Rob at Status - I'll admit to absolutely no technical knowledge here so will refrain from offering 'hard' advice - interesting reading however: "The phenolic fingerboard on my bass looks grey and has lost it's original black colour : The dry look on the fingerboard is where the laminated phenolic material is actually 'drying' out a little. It is often caused by being cleaned with a water or solvent based polish which can take the natural 'oils' out of the board. You can fix this very easily by cleaning the fingerboard with a very small amount of oil. Something as simple as WD40 is fine. Use a soft cotton cloth and wipe a VERY small amount of oil on the fingerboard and rub it in.... then clean it all off again leaving just a trace which has 'soaked' into the surface. This will bring back the dark colour of the board. 'Non waxy' types of furniture polish are fine for the gloss lacquer on the body or the lacquer on the BACK of the neck but not for the fingerboard." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Joe Zon recommends WD40 for cleaning & polishing the Phenowood fingerboards on his basses. I use it & it works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Would this stuff (or equivalent) be any good? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek7oIOOTssk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek7oIOOTssk[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Warm, soapy water. Why use anything else on a plastic? Definitely no abrasives though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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