Ebony Fingerboard oil

[Dansk_84]

Hi guys

I was wondering if anybody here could give me some advice about fingerboard oil. Ive nearly finished the construction of the body of my second guitar and this time i have gone for a beautiful ebony fingerboard. Something i didnt do on the last one i build was oil the fingerboard and i have only discovered it is essential to ensure the wood doesnt dry out.
I have heared people on forums talking about using Lemon oil, red oil and even olive oil, can anybody give me advice on what is best for the job as i dont what to be putting anything on the fingerboard that will damage it.

Dan

[voodoochild]

Hi guys

I was wondering if anybody here could give me some advice about fingerboard oil. Ive nearly finished the construction of the body of my second guitar and this time i have gone for a beautiful ebony fingerboard. Something i didnt do on the last one i build was oil the fingerboard and i have only discovered it is essential to ensure the wood doesnt dry out.
I have heared people on forums talking about using Lemon oil, red oil and even olive oil, can anybody give me advice on what is best for the job as i dont what to be putting anything on the fingerboard that will damage it.

Dan

Lemon oil is ok but teak oil is best IMO. I like to mix it with Butchers paste wax 1 to 1 and apply it generously. Let it stand for 30 minutes or so and wipe it off. This protects the fingerboard in the long run.

[tedmich]

I have had great results with Howards Feed-N-Wax, its orange oil and beeswax. Also if you want a JET black ebony board, first use Fiebing's Pro Oil Leather Dye in Black, then wipe down real well and use the HFNW.

[billyz]

Clarinet Bore oil is good for fingerboards, especially Ebony.

[Dansk_84]

Cheers guys for your replys, ill have a look into the suggestions you made

[Rob Mercure]

Stringed instrument fret boards don't need any sort of oiling and this will only serve to deaden the strings and cause a build up of oil based funk against the sides of the frets. It's part of the myth of "feeding" woods and finishes and basically a way of selling unnecessary poop to the consuming public. If you're FB is cracking it's a result of too low atmospheric moisture and not any need for oiling. Caveat emptor.

Rob

[Bruce Johnson]

Rob, I have to disagree, at least partly.

A new, freshly machined fingerboard needs to have some kind of protective finish applied to it. The purpose is to seal up the pores on the surface and prevent applied moisture (like finger sweat, beer, condensation) from sinking in. Getting the surface or just one area damp is what causes the real damage from swelling and cracking. It also helps to reduce or slow down the expansion and contraction of the wood during big humidity changes. This is particularly important on dense, dry woods like ebony. Leave a brand new ebony fingerboard dry, and it will almost always crack. Softer woods like rosewood are less critical, but it's still a good idea to initially coat them with something. It's not necessary on waxy woods like cocobolo.

However, I agree with you that there's no need to "feed" the wood by wiping fresh miracle oil on there every week or month. That's just going to build up gunk. If the initial sealing coat was any good, it shouldn't even sink in.

I apply one or two coats of a hardening fingerboard oil (I like StewMac's) to a new fingerboard, and that's usually all it needs. If the instrument is played regularly, finger grease will add a protective top coat. If the instrument is old and rarely gets played, then it doesn't hurt to recoat its fingerboard every ten years or so. This is just to keep the pores sealed up as the wood moves over time.

[Rob Mercure]

Bruce,

I've seen 50 year old ebony fretboards that were never fed anything 'cept "finger oil" <grin> that have never cracked and I've seen ones slathered with brand name fretboard oil that still cracked. I still maintain it's a matter of moisture, proper seasoning, and a good choice of cut/species. Much of what passes as "ebony" isn't and there are many species within the ebony genus with quite varying characteristics. Look at orchestra instruments - they almost never crack and they aren't oiled - but the "ebony" used is usually a high grade. And "ebony" itself is a bad culprit as rosewood is less likely to crack and in these day and times perhaps "ebony" is a poor choice for a fretting material.

But everyone's experiences may differ and I live in a very wet part of the country - the Central Appalachians - and really have never live west of Bid Muddy.

Still I believe that this is more "racket" than salvation and I've never seen a Martin guitar - for instance - that came with a finish on the fretboard.

Rob

[Guitarist]

My fave neck has a thick ebony fretboard and though I've givin it olive oil a couple times prior, I doubt I'll need to again. Rosewood sometimes shows dirt so much I clean it with isopropyl (yes this may be horrible) and then restore it with some lemon oil (which is cheap, so I bought some. This sure draws the beauty of the wood out and yes many guitars leaved the factory with no conditioning whatsoever.

Still, if we're after resonance then soaking in oil to the wood would likely deaden the sound until things cure some. Does part of this oil evaporate over time?

[voodoochild]

The main reason I do the oil and wax thing is to decrease drag on the board. It also makes the board look purdy after fretwork. In regards to the fingerboard cracking and such, thats more of a humidity thing. You can feed oil all day, but the humidity or lack there of, will destroy everything. In theory if you control the humidity, you should never have to use oil on the fingerboard. However I do think that oil does protect from wear and tear in the long run. The sweat and grime from your fingers along with exposure to the elements can cause the fingerboard to rot over time. I have seen this on lots of very old guitars.