OOOO steel wool and fret wear

[Sam SG]

So I allways use 0000 steel wool to polish frets if they are oxidized.
Anyways on my ongoing strat saga. When I first got it back I steel wooled the frets shiney and also got a little aggressive and removed the poly skin off the fret board( thick 70s style poly on maple fingerboard)
Now I Keep playing it thinking Id like scrub the snot out of it till the poly is super thin even if it pops through in spots I dont care. But will that get risky for the frets? That much scrub a dub dub?

 

[Chris Pile]

Steel wool is the devil. Use Scotchbrite.

 

[hamerfan]

Always tape off the wooden parts and use a small magnet for cleaning up, when you use steel wool.

 

[Bill Dennis]

I have not used steel wool on a guitar in many years. I use fine to micro grit stuff or a Dremel with a buffing bit and compound.

No, I would not try removing poly. Thin poly or thick it still feels like poly.

 

[GuitarStv]

If you've already pulled some of the poly off the neck, then there's not a huge risk in continuing. I'd hit the fretboard with some danish oil or similar afterwards just so you're not playing on/rotting out the bare wood itself.

 

[switchman]

Another vote for Scotch Brite over Steel wool. Purple, Grey, White is a good progression. Steel Wool shards can ruin pickups and generally make a mess.

I think it would take a long long time to thoroughly remove a thick polish finish in between frets with either one though.

 

[Chris Pile]

My problem with steel wool is that the crumbs are not only magnetic, but they conduct electricity, they rust, and contaminate the whole work area. I'm not even counting the ways they sometimes poke and hurt me.

Let the cabinet makers use it.

 

[switchman]

... they conduct electricity...

So true! I've seen a sliver get in a control cavity and short two lugs of a switch. But need a magnifier to see it. Now that I think about it, it was an acoustic guitar builder who told me to use steel wool way back. Before I knew about scotch brite.

 

[Sam SG]

Damn....I got a whole bag of it. Ive done the backs of half my necks and all my rosewood fingerboards with it. I mask off the pickups though.
I usually do it right in the middle of the music room then sweep up the shards afterward. Lol

 

[jeremy]

i have a bunch of steel wool, i get it aint great, but it works and ill use it up. i use a weak bar magnet to clean up the mess

 

[ehdwuld]

I de-poly the neck of my last project
But left the fretboard exclusively

That will be another day
Probably at fret change

 

[Mincer]

I get that raw maple isn't the best for stability, and it can look pretty dirty in a small amount of time, but I use Murphy's Oil Soap and Gun Stock Wax on my raw necks, and it works well (and they stay clean). Music Man uses the same thing.

 

[Sam SG]

Best feeling neck I ever had was a 74' strat neck with a C shape that had been refretted and the fingerboard was unfinished. Shoulda never sold that build.

 

[GuitarStv]

I get that raw maple isn't the best for stability, and it can look pretty dirty in a small amount of time

I find that it's only the fretboard that collects gunk on my oiled maple necks. The back of the neck always stays clean somehow. For this reason, I think I'd prefer a finished top of fretboard and just sand down the back of the neck (which is like 95% of what you feel anway) if I was stripping poly off.

 

[jeremy]

i have a few raw maple necks, two with rw boards, one with ebony. the rw necks are thick, 1" all the way basically. the ebony isnt quite as stable but its much thinner. they do get dirty quickly for sure

 

[Sam SG]

I find that it's only the fretboard that collects gunk on my oiled maple necks. The back of the neck always stays clean somehow. For this reason, I think I'd prefer a finished top of fretboard and just sand down the back of the neck (which is like 95% of what you feel anway) if I was stripping poly off.

I actually like when maple fretboards get gunk on um. Looks cool along with wear popping through the finish.

 

[GuitarStv]

I actually like when maple fretboards get gunk on um. Looks cool along with wear popping through the finish.

It can look cool, but when the gunk builds up enough it actually makes the fretboard kinda sticky and I find it becomes harder to do bends and vibrato . . . so it has to be cleaned off. It's WAAAAAY easier and less time consuming to clean off a poly fretboard than an oiled one.