clean fret-board

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clean fret-board

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El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

clean fret-board

Hello,
I want to clean of my fret-board next time i restring and have a couple of questions, I begin with the stupid one, is it bad for the guitar to have all the strings removed for a longer period of time?

My action plan is to take one of those kitchen sink cleaning brushes with the straws which aren’t super abrasive, dip it in some hot but not too hot water mixed with soap(the kind you clean the floors with)then give the fret-board a few passes with the brush, then “rinse” of the remaining soap with some fresh water. When dried, put some almond oil on a rag and apply it to the fret-board.

Is this a OK method?

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 18 2015 22:03:07

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

quote:

ORIGINAL: El Rey De los Bagres

Hello,
I want to clean of my fret-board next time i restring and have a couple of questions, I begin with the stupid one, is it bad for the guitar to have all the strings removed for a longer period of time?

My action plan is to take one of those kitchen sink cleaning brushes with the straws which aren’t super abrasive, dip it in some hot but not too hot water mixed with soap(the kind you clean the floors with)then give the fret-board a few passes with the brush, then “rinse” of the remaining soap with some fresh water. When dried, put some almond oil on a rag and apply it to the fret-board.

Is this a OK method?

No! Do not put soap and water on your fingerboard. If you want to clean it use something like lemon oil on a cloth and friction (scrubbing motion) side to side.

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John Shelton - www.sheltonfarrettaguitars.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 18 2015 22:13:46

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to jshelton5040)

Oh man glad I asked before doing, for a change…so where do I get this lemon oil, never heard of it before? Any comments on the first question and are it necessary to apply any other oil after the lemon oil?

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 18 2015 22:26:49

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

No problem with taking the strings off. I have guitars with all of the strings off all of the time and have never heard any one say their guitar has suffered for it.

I like using lemon oil too. Here is a thread about finger board oils. http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=279712&p=1&tmode=1&smode=1

Hope that's helpful

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 8:36:59

krichards

Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Stephen Eden)

quote:

I like using lemon oil too

I use the oil of lemons!
What is sold as lemon oil contains no lemon oil whatsoever. How they get away with this is beyond me, but large companies seem to be able to do pretty much what they want.

Actually, I use any citrus oil, tangerine, grapefruit etc

Deja vu. I'm sure we've been here before.

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Kevin Richards

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 14:41:21

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Sure was thanks a lot, i guess the lemon oil thread left me a bit confused but now i at least know it exists and i can venture off in to the world in search for this magic concoction known as lemon oil or citrus oil.

Cheers!

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 16:21:20

tijeretamiel

Posts: 441
Joined: Jan. 6 2012

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

quote:

ORIGINAL: El Rey De los Bagres

put some almond oil on a rag and apply it to the fret-board.

That's what I use.

Works a treat.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 16:52:06

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to tijeretamiel)

Do you use it clean of the board as well as "treatment", do you know how to polish the frets by any chance?

Un Saludo.

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 19:50:45

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

quote:

ORIGINAL: El Rey De los Bagres

Do you use it clean of the board as well as "treatment", do you know how to polish the frets by any chance?

Un Saludo.

Some people like polished frets some don't. If you want to polish them there are several ways. If a customer wants polished frets I use a polishing wheel followed by rubbing compound on a soft cloth. You have to clean the fingerboard after words using some form of oil. We use lemon oil made with lemon and olive oil.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 20:00:49

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to jshelton5040)

Thanks a lot, really appreciate you guys taking the time to share you're knowledge!

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 20:20:28

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to krichards)

quote:

What is sold as lemon oil contains no lemon oil whatsoever. How they get away with this is beyond me, but large companies seem to be able to do pretty much what they want.

The reason for them calling it lemon oil is because of the scent that is added, otherwise it would be just unscented mineral oil. Pure lemon oil is not advised because of it's high acidity.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 20:29:54

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

you know what i use from time to time ....to get the dirt out from near the frets ....
and old toothbrush and some furniture spray , for wood ...
you dont have to press hard with the brush ,, just a light motion and you will see the dirt on the brush .. and the spray is for wood anyway , just a bit to help ....

works for me anyway ............

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 20:47:47

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Kiko)

The problem with furniture sprays is that they are made to make furniture look good, which means that they often have stuff to fill in the little gaps and somewhat restore the furniture's finish... that stuff will build up.

From my experience, in the long run the fret/fingerboards that had the least amount of "maintenance" over the years are the ones who show a healthier and better looking wood.

2 or 3 drops of lemon oil are enough for me to clean the whole fretboard. This "deeper cleaning" happens once, maybe twice a year.

Some people use 2 or 3 drops PER FRET and REAPPLY after it's all clean. They do this every month.

Do what you think it's best.

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"Ya no me conoce el sol, porque yo duermo de dia"

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 21:08:56

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

quote:

and old toothbrush and some furniture spray

And it leaves your teeth with nice semi-gloss glow afterwards!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 21:15:11

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Leñador)

yeah ... gotta admit it does taste funny ....makes me feel ill ..... and girls wont kiss me anymore ... and try not to cough afterward when sitting in front of an open fire .....

but hey ...look how nice the guitar looks .....

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 21:50:32

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to jshelton5040)

Mr Shelton, may i ask what the ratio between lemon and olive oil is roughly?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 19 2015 22:15:55

krichards

Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

Pure lemon oil is not advised because of it's high acidity.

Not advised by who? I do advise it. It works well

And I'm not sure of its ph. Are you sure the oil is acidic? It doesn't react with the metal frets. It has no adverse effect. It simply cleans and polishes. I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 20 2015 6:27:27

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

El Rey de los Bagres is from Sweden, and I dont think we have things like lemon oil "citronolie". Maybe because there are no lemons in it.

I dont know why, on this forum people freak out so much about cleaning and oiling the fretboard. Maybe because its easy to be an "expert" on this topic.
You can clean with white spirit, (terpentin paa dansk) and oil with whatever mineral or vegetal oil that is not to acid and thick 10-40 engine oil is to thick. The special oils you buy under the name of fretboard oil, smells and feels like what is known as sewing machine oil.

Dont use spray polishes. they are normally full of silicons and that stuff can be difficult to remove.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 20 2015 8:22:15

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

I have a question about oil but not what kind but when. Here in New England we are entering the heating season which means dry indoor air and the need to add moisture via humidifier and/or guitar type humidifiers. Will oiling the fret board during the time when we have to add moisture decrease the absorption of moisture due to oil repelling water?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 20 2015 12:01:34

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

quote:

ORIGINAL: El Rey De los Bagres

Mr Shelton, may i ask what the ratio between lemon and olive oil is roughly?

We don't have a ratio. Just put a little lemon juice in some olive oil. It only takes a tiny amount to clean and oil the entire fingerboard.

Usually we clean the fingerboard and leave the oil in place for a few minutes then rub it off.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 20 2015 14:19:51

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to jshelton5040)

Thanks a lot for the info!

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 20 2015 18:52:32

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

The fret-board was pretty filthy and dry looking(should have taken a before pic)but anyways, opened the case today to play some and discovered that the d-string had popped during the night, so i had to change the strings and cleaned the fret-board as planed. I used almond oil because the one lemon i had in my fridge was semi rotten but i will try that next time.

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 0:39:17

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

quote:

I used almond oil because the one lemon i had in my fridge was semi rotten but i will try that next time.

I ain't no chemist but if it rots in the fridge...

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 1:26:16

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

I ain't no chemist but if it rots in the fridge...

Then the lemon must have been old?

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 2:04:46

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

quote:

Then the lemon must have been old?

Unless your fretboard has time freezing capabilities, how's it going to stop that lemon from turning rancid?

Bottom line: I never use anything on wood that has components that will age and rot.

To clean I use agua rás (white spirits I think) and to "condition" I use mineral oil (the guitar fretboard stuff). Just enough white spirits and very little oil.

If you clean your strings after playing, you won't even need to use white spirits for many years (that stuff is for deep cleaning... smells great too).

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"Ya no me conoce el sol, porque yo duermo de dia"

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 2:11:48

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to El Rey De los Bagres)

stringsbymail and several violin oriented companies sell a product by planet waves for fingerboards. might be something useful or just a bottle of oils that can be found elsewhere for less. the folks at stringsbymail are good about answering questions.

many woodwinds are made from ebony and there is a product called bore oil which is used on woodwinds. one can get it pretty cheap on the internet.

luthier mercantile sells a synthetic fingerboard oil which is rather expensive but they say there is enough to oil 30 boards. not sure if it is synthetic snake oil or the perfect oil. the product is aisyn which is made by aerospace lubricants, inc.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 11:48:50

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sr. Martins

Bottom line: I never use anything on wood that has components that will age and rot.

Odd, I've been using it for around 50 years and never seen any evidence of rotting fingerboards.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 14:27:39

El Rey De los Bagres

Posts: 86
Joined: Apr. 29 2014

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

Unless your fretboard has time freezing capabilities, how's it going to stop that lemon from turning rancid?

Bottom line: I never use anything on wood that has components that will age and rot.

To clean I use agua rás (white spirits I think) and to "condition" I use mineral oil (the guitar fretboard stuff). Just enough white spirits and very little oil.

If you clean your strings after playing, you won't even need to use white spirits for many years (that stuff is for deep cleaning... smells great too).

OK i now i get it, thought you where insinuating my fridge was filthy ;-) well i am no chemist either but one thing is for sure and that is everything degrades, even mineral oil.

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♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ Olé Bagreeee!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 14:34:53

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to jshelton5040)

quote:

never seen any evidence of rotting fingerboards

Neither have I.. who's talking about rotting fingerboards? Not me..

quote:

one thing is for sure and that is everything degrades, even mineral oil.

The way/rate in which that happens makes all the difference.

You've been dying since you were born. A bullet through your brain could have that same effect but at a much different pace.

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"Ya no me conoce el sol, porque yo duermo de dia"

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 15:27:38

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: clean fret-board (in reply to Sr. Martins)

as it happens , im gonna change my strings and clean the guitar tonight ...
might use an angle grinder, metal wire oven pad , some bacon grease , prego na pão to wipe it in with , throw a pint of lager on it and wipe it off ....job done ....
its to get that ''authentic gitano sound ,,, you know ...

i'll let you know how it turns out ...

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Don't trust Atoms.....they make up everything.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 21 2015 17:00:18