Finishing/treating rosewood? Help please.

[Erlend_G]

So, now I got several rosewood pieces;

-the fretboards of my guitars, AND-

-a very beautiful, hand carved smoking pipe. I think it's rosewood, atleast it's a slightly porous, dark brown open pore wood. That looks like rosewood.


Now, the pipe was all dried up when I got it; so I applied several coats of a natural tar/lindseed oil mixture I got in a tin. Also used this for my Epi's fretboard. The tar/oil mixture is rather fine, though it's maybe not what I'm looking for.


I noticed, that while my Peavey's fretboard is "smooth" and has no open pores; the Epi's board has pores that is filled up with grey/black gunk;
-and it also gets very "gunky" quick. Is there something that would "seal" the pores, and maybe keep the gunk from sticking so easily?


Regarding the pipe- I want to finish it with a natural oil/laquer , while also being able to polish to the highest shine possible. (with some fine sanding cloth or such)

Any tips on which product to apply; - and how to do it? General 2 cents?

thanks!

-Erl ♪

 

[GuitarStv]

Putting tar on fretboard wood seems like a terrible idea to me. I'd assume that this is the cause of your problems with the Epiphone fretboard. If I were you, I'd do a very deep clean of the board with some naptha and a toothbrush/rag to try to remove as much of whatever you put on the board off. If the naptha doesn't get it all off (and it likely won't), then you will probably have to sand it down a little bit to remove that stuff.

Generally, rosewood doesn't need sealing and rarely if ever needs oiling. If you wash your hands before playing guitar you shouldn't have issues with gunk sticking to it.

 

[ICTGoober]

Most professionals in North America now use Howard Feed'N'Wax to clean fretboards and provide protection to the grain.

 

[Securb]

I use guitar polish on my fretboards and clean them every time I change strings. Regular maintenance prevents build-up. When I work on someone else's guitar that has build-up, I use a soft toothbrush and some guitar polish to remove it.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Best just to use plain lemon oil to condition fretboards. It is available anywhere. If you have less than 20 guitars, for only a couple bucks you can get enough to last 10-20 lifetimes..

 

[hamerfan]

Hi Erlend, first i would clean the Epi neck with soapy warm water on a damp rag, this fights the sticky feeling. Than get some naphta, a old toothbrush and a dry cotton rag (old t-shirt), clean out the pores with the brush. Then you can bring tiny bit of light fretboard oil on the rosewood, rub in and wipe off.

 

[Erlend_G]

The toothbrush for cleaning is a great idea! thanks alot.

-i heard (syntetic) lemon oil, is just mineral oil with lemon scent. And won't work as well as real organic oils. I once had a product called "Fret Doctor", which I actually reviewed here back in... 2005? . That was a very, very good fretboard oil. Need to check if it is still sold.


Any suggestions for finishing the (rosewood) pipe? . Got some clear nail polish, lol. But that's way too crude. hehe.

-Erl

 

[nexion218]

While I understand that most of these fretboard oils are just rebranded "snakeoil", I took my luthiers advice and tried out the PRS Fretboard conditioner. Something is indeed different about tha specific brand of snakeoil, for some reason the wood seems to soak it up better than the other brands I've trie, so I'd recommend that for the guitar.

As for the pipe, I'm hack so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I recall reading that linseed oil can be built up to form a thin finish and then buffed. Maybe Doc or Goob can elaborate on that. I also heard that one has to careful disposing of the rags used, then can self combust under certain circumstances!

 

[GuitarStv]

As for the pipe, I'm hack so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I recall reading that linseed oil can be built up to form a thin finish and then buffed. Maybe Doc or Goob can elaborate on that. I also heard that one has to careful disposing of the rags used, then can self combust under certain circumstances!

Linseed oil (and boiled linseed oil) will polymerize and can be built up into a thin finish with a little work. It's the main ingredient in True Oil, which many have used to finish guitar bodies and necks.

 

[hamerfan]

The toothbrush for cleaning is a great idea! thanks alot.

-i heard (syntetic) lemon oil, is just mineral oil with lemon scent. And won't work as well as real organic oils. I once had a product called "Fret Doctor", which I actually reviewed here back in... 2005? . That was a very, very good fretboard oil. Need to check if it is still sold.


Any suggestions for finishing the (rosewood) pipe? . Got some clear nail polish, lol. But that's way too crude. hehe.

-Erl

It's still available here

https://www.doctorsprod.com/product-page/fret-doctor

 

[GuitarDoc]

The toothbrush for cleaning is a great idea! thanks alot.

-i heard (syntetic) lemon oil, is just mineral oil with lemon scent. And won't work as well as real organic oils. I once had a product called "Fret Doctor", which I actually reviewed here back in... 2005? . That was a very, very good fretboard oil. Need to check if it is still sold.


Any suggestions for finishing the (rosewood) pipe? . Got some clear nail polish, lol. But that's way too crude. hehe.

-Erl

Don't get the synthetic kind...genuine lemon oil used for furniture conditioning.

 

[GuitarDoc]

For the pipe...linseed oil or Danish oil.

 

[Securb]

Any suggestions for finishing the (rosewood) pipe? . Got some clear nail polish, lol. But that's way too crude. hehe.

-Erl

Don't use nail polish, when the pipe heats up you could be inhaling harmful toxins. Pipes are cheap, throw it in the trash and get a glass or metal pipe.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Pipes are cheap, throw it in the trash and get a glass or metal pipe.

A hand-carved rosewood pipe?! Some are collectible or just things of beauty. They're not just for smoking.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Don't get the synthetic kind...genuine lemon oil used for furniture conditioning.

Lemon furniture oil - even when the scent used is natural - is not the same thing as lemon oil.
It is lemon scented mineral oil - I used Formby's for decades.
Actual citrus oils can degrade wood over time.

I've had good results on fretboards with bore oil / Fret Dr; also with Feed N Wax.

 

[formula73]

I’ve always used Gerlitz Guitar Honey BUT it’s not a magical cure-all. It smells like mostly mineral spirits with some light oil mixed in to darken the board afterwards.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Lemon furniture oil - even when the scent used is natural - is not the same thing as lemon oil.
It is lemon scented mineral oil - I used Formby's for decades.
Actual citrus oils can degrade wood over time.

I've had good results on fretboards with bore oil / Fret Dr; also with Feed N Wax.

No, I didn't mean the lemon scented mineral oil. I meant real lemon oil which is also used for furniture.
If it degrades wood, there are millions of people gonna end up with lots of firewood.
I really don't think it's going to hurt wood...at least not in my lifetime, or my kids', or my grandkids'.

 

[Erlend_G]

whoa, first I didn't dare open the post; because of 5 notifications

-but the advice from you guys is GREAT!

Thanks alot . We appreciate it, (I, the Epi "Mariam", and my rosewood fiancè, who helps me medicinally, "Fiona" )

..think I can close this thread now, or let it go.


I was looking for 000 (?) buffing/polishing pads today., But couldn't find it.

Hoping to keep both guitars, and pipe; for a lifetime. So I'll have time to make a real nice finish work.


Peace out, and god bless you all.

-Erlend ♪

 

[eclecticsynergy]

No, I didn't mean the lemon scented mineral oil. I meant real lemon oil which is also used for furniture.
If it degrades wood, there are millions of people gonna end up with lots of firewood.
I really don't think it's going to hurt wood...at least not in my lifetime, or my kids', or my grandkids'.

My understanding is that actual lemon oil contains of powerful solvents and significant amounts of citric acid: great for cleaning, perhaps not so good for regular application year after year.

Experts discourage using pure lemon oil on antiques. I think it might also be a little too potent for vintage fretboards.
Fine for occasional use on relatively new wood, I'm sure - and no doubt it's excellent at removing accumulated crud.
Not saying the stuff will dissolve your guitar, just maybe not ideal for those who oil their board every time they restring.

Some oil their fretboards far more often than necessary.
I only oil rosewood once a year or so myself, and ebony even less than that, maybe every two years.
In terms of conditioning the wood, every five years or so would probably be plenty.
It's too little humidity which dries wood out, not loss of oils.

 

[Securb]

Zymol is very good but very expensive