Gazza 2905 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Hi Everyone, bit of advice needed. I have a Tanglewood Canyon 1 bass with an Ebanol fretboard, - it's a little under 2 years old. I've noticed recently that the fretboard appears to need a bit of refurbishing. The black colouring is very thin in places, it's starting to look like a wash for want of a better expression, & I can see what looks like a pale wood colour underneath showing through. Now, I know there are plenty of people who know a lot more about Ebanol than I do; but by my understanding, it's a synthehic polymer, & as such can't be treated with oil or woodstains in the same way you could with a natural wood fretboard. So, my question is, what can I do, or perhaps treat it with, to 'blacken it up' again? All help & advice much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Given how tough it is supposed to be, I am surprised you can see wood through it. Ebanol is cellulose and black phenolic resins, I don't think you can repair such a thing. You can certainly have it redressed, but that will only make the ebanol thinner. Its basically thin layers of black paper that are making it black and it can be grey sometimes (in places). It is possible that redressing will remove the lighter makes and expose the next layer of black paper. But given its properties, it inst something you can blacken retrospectively, the material is too dense to absorb anything, surely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Borrowed - [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/ebonol-fingerboard-care-837432/"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/ebonol-fingerboard-care-837432/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza 2905 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 Yeah, as I feared, there doesn't seem to be much you can do to refurbish Ebanol. [quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1349080713' post='1821339'] Borrowed - [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/ebonol-fingerboard-care-837432/"]http://www.talkbass....rd-care-837432/[/url] [/quote] Thanks for the link. Seems to mainly cover the cleaning of Ebanol, but my fretboard isn't dull or dirty, it's as if the ebanol has worn away & has gone see through! The colour (wood?) underneath is like the colour of maple. Very strange and very puzzling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I think that Rob Green (Status) recommends WD40 for the care of ebanol boards - somebody sent me an email to this effect a couple of years ago: if I can find it, I'll post it here. I've used it and it certainly 'blackened' the ebanol, some of which had a sort of grey, milky look to it at the edges of the board. A pic of the problem sketched in the OP might be useful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza 2905 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 Thanks, I might try some WD40. [quote name='lozbass' timestamp='1349097018' post='1821688'] A pic of the problem sketched in the OP might be useful? [/quote] I'll try & take a picture when I get home tonight. Just took the opportunity to post a quick question whilst things were quiet at work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza 2905 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 Here's a picture. Looks even ropier now I've taken the strings off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosebass Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 (edited) Oh dear, that doesn't look good. and it doesn't look like Ebanol either. From what I can gather from Tanglewoods specs, the fingerboard features 'compressed ebony' not ebanol. I would guess your bass has had a thin veneer of ebony over what looks like Rosewood. There is not much you can do to restore the finish without refinishing the board and a re-fret. If you are mearly concerned about cosmetics try some ebony wood stain followed by good old black shoe polish. Ebanol boards are 6mm - 7mm thick, and (as was mentioned) are a phenolic resin. They are used as an alternative to ebony on fretless basses as they are very wear resistant. I have used Mighty Mite necks with ebanol boards in my builds and the stuff is rock hard.... Paul Edited October 1, 2012 by Prosebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza 2905 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 [quote name='Prosebass' timestamp='1349113389' post='1822021'] If you are mearly concerned about cosmetics try some ebony wood stain followed by good old black shoe polish. [/quote] Thanks for the reply Paul. Yes, it's just a cosmetic issue really. Luckily I have a small tin of ebony woodstain that I intended using on a 'fretboard experiment' a while back, but never got round to it. I'll give that a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza 2905 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 [quote name='Prosebass' timestamp='1349113389' post='1822021'] From what I can gather from Tanglewoods specs, the fingerboard features 'compressed ebony' not ebanol. [/quote] My apologies, you're quite right Paul, it is compressed ebony. I've just tried a bit of lemon oil on one part of the fretboard, & it's started to look better; so I'm confident a bit of ebony wood stain, & some more oil, & I should have it looking as good as new again. I'll make a start on it tomorrow night. Sorry about claiming it was ebanol at the start, I don't know where I got that from! Thanks again everyone for your help & advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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