Ebonize a Fretboard

[NegativeEase]

Back in the late 70's I bought some ebonizing stain from International Luthier Supply in Tulsa. Supposedly Martin used the same brand. Smelled like kerosene, and it listed coal oil and lampblack as the darkening agents. It did work, but smelled terrible for a day or two after application. Encased the bottle in a half-inch thick coat of epoxy when I found out it was suspected of causing cancer.

Man, my money upon reading the original post was that you would have been triggered into a rant.... instead you are knee deep in this ghetto fabulous fret board darkening technique!

Ive never considered this -it does sound nasty and dirty, Ebony fretboards are my favorite looking and feeling fretboards, so I go for those guitars that have them.

[GuitarStv]

There's no smell at all using Higgins ink. The stuff is just carbon black (fine bits of black ash) suspended in water. Usually I like the look of rosewood, but on certain guitars (especially with black bodies) it can look crappy.

[mistermikev]

The India ink that I linked does not have any blue tinge to it at all, and showed no signs of fading in a couple years of use. It does not come off on fingers at all after applying the way that was mentioned. A properly glued fretboard is not going to lift when using it. (I wouldn't apply it to a fretboard that isn't glued to a neck though).

Stew-Mac specifically recommends that ink for dying fretboards - https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...erboard-stain/ . They stopped recommending feibings leather dye ever since the newer formulations of it leave a blue tinge when dying.

fwiw i mentioned nothing about lift. what I'm saying... is if you put products on a fretboard that add moisture... you can cause issues with twist/cup. that is how wood works. that's why alcohol based is better. if you were doing this on a new build or unattached fretboard... you could afford to do whatever and then allow the wood to dry after and then sand it flat. Doing it after it is built is not a great idea... but ymmv.

good to know about feibings. as I said I've never used it... but it is very common to use to darken ebony. that said... I'm not sure we want to go so far as to make stew mac an authority. there are some great luthiers that work for them, and not questioning that... but wouldn't be the first time they've said things that are not exactly good advice. go google search for stew mac broken truss rod for example lol.

[GuitarStv]

To paint a fretboard black with ink, you need maybe 1/2 an ounce of the stuff. If you think that amount of water is going to cause problems with your guitar, how the hell do you avoid sweating while playing gigs?

[nexion218]

To paint a fretboard black with ink, you need maybe 1/2 an ounce of the stuff. If you think that amount of water is going to cause problems with your guitar, how the hell do you avoid sweating while playing gigs?

Not to mention when it soaks up the applied fretboard oil...

[Wattage]

minwax now has true black, these are $6

[beaubrummels]

2 pages in I'm going to ask a potentially dumb but practical question: It's a bolt-on neck. Why not just get a neck that has the fretboard you want?

[UnderTheFlame83]

2 pages in I'm going to ask a potentially dumb but practical question: It's a bolt-on neck. Why not just get a neck that has the fretboard you want?

If I can find one of the earlier Baretta Special necks that actually used darker rosewood I would. Don't see them for sale unfortunately.

[mistermikev]

To paint a fretboard black with ink, you need maybe 1/2 an ounce of the stuff. If you think that amount of water is going to cause problems with your guitar, how the hell do you avoid sweating while playing gigs?

I build guitars... and as such I run a lot of wood through a planer. One of the things I do with figured wood, when running through a planer... is to take a damp rag and wipe down the surface of the wood. this is a common practice to prevent snipe on a planer with super figured wood. When you do this... all you are doing is getting the very top surface of the wood damp. Generally this top layer is removed by the planer in a pass... we're talking 1/64" of wood. If you don't let the board sit... held down to the planer carrier board with double sided tape... for at least a day... often times you will find that the wood will bow/curl. This phenomena is pretty much common knowledge among wood workers. if you add any amount of moisture to wood it can cause a change in tension. you would have to be one sweaty dude to put as much moisture on your fretboard from sweat as you would from applying a thorough color coat to it... perhaps you sweat like that, I don't - but if I did I would wipe it off as soon and as much as possible. Either way... use your india ink... knock yerself out. Just saying... having seen a thousand times how much wood can move... after being thoroughly dried and tested... even here in AZ where the air is super dry and evap happens in seconds... i would not risk adding anything water based to any part of my guitar. Could also cause fret sprout. a change in moisture in the air can literally cause the sm thing and is well known among anyone who has set up a guitar at different times of the year. So with that in mind... I would suggest an alcohol based carrier... as that will not risk adding moisture. If you don't think that is a reasonable suggestion - ok. We disagree. Nothing wrong with that and I respect your right to your own opinion.

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Balinese artisans use shoe polishing compound diluted in gasoline to stain their wooden carvings.

[UnderTheFlame83]

I got this

[UnderTheFlame83]

I have a couple of these Kramer Baretta Specials and decided to leave the white alone. Its stock and will stay that way. Instead, I have a little project in mind for the black one. Ordered black Gotoh tuners, graph tech saddles, and black Gotoh strap buttons for it. I will stain the fretboard on it. Since I have the trem decked I see no point in upgrading it, or the pickup, and I have no issues with the stock nut. Should look great once it is all blacked out.

[eclecticsynergy]

Cool that know they offer true black now; didn't know that.
The ebony one sometimes requires going over it a second time.

[UnderTheFlame83]

Cool that know they offer true black now; didn't know that.
The ebony one sometimes requires going over it a second time.

Yeah I saw the ebony one, too. There was a peice of wood comparing all the different colors and true black was darker than ebony.