Fret board finger marks

[NegativeEase]

Re: Fret board finger marks

That is a good point. Balsa is classified as a hardwood, in case you're interested.

ha. good point. love that.

[ehdwuld]

Re: Fret board finger marks

I would oil it and let the oil soak in for a bit
The dents might just lift out

It's not like you've been chipping at it

Oh and trim your fingernails

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Fret board finger marks

If it doesn’t affect playability I would just move on and play it. Don’t worry about what you can’t undo.

[TinPan]

Re: Fret board finger marks

I would oil it and let the oil soak in for a bit
The dents might just lift out

It's not like you've been chipping at it

Oh and trim your fingernails

Lemon oil?? And trim nails "good advice" And Thanks for all the good advice from you all, I much appreciate it

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Fret board finger marks

Any oil isn't going to raise the grain. Water might, but usually only if the wood has been compressed like a dent from being bumped, but if water actually helps it will be irregular and will need to be sanded after...which really opens another can of worms for a fretboard with the frets still in place.

Unless you're prepared to remove the frets, sand down the fretboard, replace the frets, do a fret level and crown and polish job, just leave it as is.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Fret board finger marks

You DO NOT fill scratches in a fretboard, simply sand to remove the scratches (several grits), and polish. You DO NOT fill.

I have to totally agree with the goober. Filler is the worst idea for many reasons, including:
Fillers are generally opaque and under the best of workmanship will leave it looking horrendous;
Fillers are usually not as hard as wood and will wear down very quickly in this situation;
Way too much work to end up with an even surface with the frets in place;
Without proper preparation, the filler would probably just chip out anyway.

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Fret board finger marks

Also, as someone else pointed out on here and linked an interesting article, being a "hardwood" has little to do with being harder to the touch or resistive to wear -many softwoods are much harder than many hardwoods. It had to do more with the growth rate and internal structure of the wood to classify it for industrial application -rather than the actual hardness.

Hardwood also means a broad leaf tree that loses its leaves seasonally, as opposed to a conifer (pine).

[ehdwuld]

Re: Fret board finger marks

Any oil isn't going to raise the grain. Water might, but usually only if the wood has been compressed like a dent from being bumped, but if water actually helps it will be irregular and will need to be sanded after...which really opens another can of worms for a fretboard with the frets still in place.

Unless you're prepared to remove the frets, sand down the fretboard, replace the frets, do a fret level and crown and polish job, just leave it as is.

I disagree

[AlexR]

Re: Fret board finger marks

Hardwood also means a broad leaf tree that loses its leaves seasonally, as opposed to a conifer (pine).

The distinction is actually a flowering plant vs conifer.

There are as many species (if not more) of evergreen hardwood trees as there are deciduous.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Fret board finger marks

You are certainly free to disagree if you like. But if I'm wrong, there are a whole lot of guitar players who use fingerboard oil (like lemon oil, etc) who are in a really big heap of trouble.