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stop oiling your fretboards


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12 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I saw the Hamsters once and 'Snail's Pace Slim' (Barry Martin) sprayed his guitar's neck with WD40 between every song.

Yeah, me too, it was weird, almost like a nervous tic.

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10 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

I'm not, it's a discussion.

You trolled, I bit, let's move on.

You folks have a knack for pretending to be polite with an insidious intent.

 

Well at the risk of causing further upset, lets recap and see what we appear to be facts:

  • Oiling your fretboard can make it look and feel more pleasant.
  • Over oiling can cause problems by softening the fretboard.
  • Oiling varnished fretboards can cause unpleasant streaking.

Then some points which are matters of opinion, but less contentious:

  • Sellers of fretboard oil emphasise the benefits of their products to help drive sales, which may encourage over-use.
  • Significant damage is rare and moderate use of fretboard oil doesn't seem to cause problems.
  • Custom fingerboard oil isn't significantly different in performance or effects, but smells more pleasant.

My personal opinion:

More instruments are ruined through over adjustment of truss rods and clumsy customisation; no-one is going to say 'stop adjusting your truss rod' or 'don't fit new pickups'.

 

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1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Well at the risk of causing further upset, lets recap and see what we appear to be facts:

  • Oiling your fretboard can make it look and feel more pleasant.
  • Over oiling can cause problems by softening the fretboard.
  • Oiling varnished fretboards can cause unpleasant streaking.

Then some points which are matters of opinion, but less contentious:

  • Sellers of fretboard oil emphasise the benefits of their products to help drive sales, which may encourage over-use.
  • Significant damage is rare and moderate use of fretboard oil doesn't seem to cause problems.
  • Custom fingerboard oil isn't significantly different in performance or effects, but smells more pleasant.

My personal opinion:

More instruments are ruined through over adjustment of truss rods and clumsy customisation; no-one is going to say 'stop adjusting your truss rod' or 'don't fit new pickups'.

 

That's a helpful summary, thanks.

Some useful comments at the start of the thread about:

  • don't ever oil maple fretboards  - any other woods fall into the maple / never to be oiled category?
  • in moderation =  limiting oiling fretboards to a maximum of once a year: is that a useful 'rule of thumb'?
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27 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

re: fret sprout

IF the oil protected the wood, as so many claim, then it wouldn't develop fret-sprout over Winter

 

That's a good point, I think most people believe it helps slow down the woods changing with the seasons, rather than stopping it. I could be wrong about that of course.

I think the reality is the finish, unless it's some sort of metalized finish (kinda like the inside of a packet of crisps?) or made of glass it will tend to allow water vapour in and out very gradually even if the entire instrument is sealed. Given most basses have raw wood in the neck pocket, pickup routes, and elsewhere like the machine head holes which mean water can slowly get in and out, even if you have a ""sealed" fretboard under a hard finish.

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  • 5 weeks later...

a small, insignificant, little known maker in california called "alembic" specifically recommends pure food-grade lemon oil (no it's not got anything else in it) for their ebony fretboards, once or twice annually, advice I've taken for years, just to present an actual user's  viewpoint into the mix. 

cheers

 

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36 minutes ago, timplog said:

a small, insignificant, little known maker in california called "alembic" specifically recommends pure food-grade lemon oil (no it's not got anything else in it) for their ebony fretboards, once or twice annually, advice I've taken for years, just to present an actual user's  viewpoint into the mix. 

cheers

 

That's what I have used since owning an Alembic (which I no longer have). If it's good enough for Alembic, it should be OK for a cooking Fender.

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my rosewood, wenge, and ebony boards all receive this treatment with zero downside, don't really understand the backlash...guess they don't sell it in music stores next to the dunlop and wd-40 varieties. 

pure, food grade lemon

stay safe

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2 hours ago, timplog said:

a small, insignificant, little known maker in california called "alembic" specifically recommends pure food-grade lemon oil (no it's not got anything else in it) for their ebony fretboards, once or twice annually, advice I've taken for years, just to present an actual user's  viewpoint into the mix. 

cheers

 

Well, they want to sit back and wait for the lawsuits 🙂

Pure lemon oil with nothing else in it is nasty stuff; you are much better using light mineral oil with a drop of lemon oil in it (e.g. Jim Dunlop 65). (note that when used for flavouring food you should only use one or two drops).

https://www.essentialoilsdirect.co.uk/lemon-citrus_limonum-essential_oil.html

Quote

Hazard Statements

 

H226, Flammable liquid and vapour.

H304, May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways.

H315, Causes skin irritation.

H317, May cause an allergic skin reaction.

H410, Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.

Precautionary Statements

 

P210, Keep away from heat, sparks, open flames and hot surfaces. - No smoking.

P241, Use explosion-proof electrical, ventilating and lighting equipment.

P262, Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing.

P273, Avoid release to the environment.

P280, Wear protective gloves/eye protection/face protection.

P301/310, IF SWALLOWED: Immediately call a POISON CENTER or doctor/physician.

P303/361/353, IF ON SKIN (or hair): Remove/take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse skin with water/shower.

P331, Do not induce vomiting.

Supplementary Precautionary Statements

 

P405, Store locked up.

P501, Dispose of contents/container to approved disposal site, in accordance with local regulations.

2.3

Other Hazards 

PBT or vPvB according to Annex XIII

No additional data available.

Adverse physio-chemical properties

No additional data available.

Adverse effects on human health

With the presence of furocoumarins, the product may have phototoxic effects (Skin).

 

Edited by Stub Mandrel
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10 hours ago, timplog said:

....in the interest of science I just tried igniting this lemon oil and it will not. zippo

there are no petroleum derivatives or alcohol. 

I've got to be honest, I suspect you 'pure lemon oil' is cut with something - concentrated limonene, the main component is easily flammable and causes contact dermatitis as well as killing fish.

But most of all, if you used enough to cover a fingerboard your bandmates would be saying you smell like a washing up liquid factory!

Whilst 'food grade' lemon oil is pure and concentrated lemon oil as sold in supermarkets for cooking is cut with vegetable oil:

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/289599286

Tesco Sicilian Lemon Extract 60Ml

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS: Rapeseed Oil, Lemon Oil.

 

Personally, my worry would be that vegetable oils (as opposed to mineral oils) are more liable to oxidation and becoming sticky and horrible.

 

Actually, would you be kind enough to share a picture of the lemon oil you use?

 

Edited by Stub Mandrel
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Interesting! I found this on Alembic's website (forum sewction):

Quote

You will need to oil your fingerboard at least twice a year. We recommend using Jasco brand lemon oil, but any transparent lemon oil will do nicely. Avoid brands that are cloudy, their high wax content only leaves your fingerboard dirty and all that wax makes your strings go dead more quickly.

Jasco brand seems to be no longer available, but I also found:

 
Quote
11 Jul 2007 — I have this ancient bottle of Jasco oil. It says that it contains pure lemon oil and petroleum distillates. I've used it on speakers before, I think....

 

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What this is still going on?

NOT OILED:

not_oiled.jpg.6720cdde1427ce27124b60a0ecdfb1f6.jpg

 

OILED:

oiled.jpg.f19917ef9844ffa1b60bd2c23479209d.jpg

Same bass, same camera (samsung phone) before and after. Dunlop 65 lemon oil on fretboard and headstock.

Keep oiling your fretboards people, it helps. Just not when the board is Maple. Maple should be left alone.

 

 

 

Edited by DiMarco
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