Caring for Ebony????

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

Hi guys,

anyone familiar with the care of ebony fretboards? I noticed that the frets feel like they are sticking out farther on my Evo Deluxe since it's gotten so cold and our air heat is pumping away. It seems like the wood is shrinking similar to a maple unfinished fretboard. I picked up some Dunlop fretboard conditioner. Will this do the job?

Thanks!
Rich

Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 162 Location: Northwest Missouri

Fret board conditioner should do the trick. I use lemon oil on my guitars.

Sprinter

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

I have lemon oil but can I use it on ebony??

Also, I am not sure it is the purest lemon oil as I got it at Sam Ash and it is their own brand - Guitar Research brand lemon oil.

I used to use it all the time on my Peavey wolfgang's maple neck and fretboard.

I am surprised the fretboard shrunk, as I thought that was an unfinished fretboard issue; not ebony. Confused

Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 162 Location: Northwest Missouri

papersoul wrote:

I have lemon oil but can I use it on ebony?? Confused

It should be fine. The lemon oil I use is called Dr. Stringfellow's.

Sprinter

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

I guess I thought lemon oil was only for maple boards and I believe this guitar research brand has some petroleum distillates? I'll have to check. Maybe I'll use the fretboard conditioner.

I also thought you only want to use oli on unfinished boards. Plus, the bottle says the lemon oil is more a cleaner........but I guess it adds back essential oils.

Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 34

For ebony boards, try some olive oil or baby oil.

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

Kevin, are you serious? How do I know if the board is finished or not? Is the Evo's ebony board finished?

I was told by a reliable source that I should use lemon oil as Sprinter said.

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2004 12:07 am

papersoul wrote:

Kevin, are you serious? How do I know if the board is finished or not? Is the Evo's ebony board finished?

I was told by a reliable source that I should use lemon oil as Sprinter said.

Lemon oil should be fine. Funnily enough during a cheapo period I have also resorted to olive oil. It works fine too. Doesn't smell as pretty tho.

As to whether your fretboard is finished or not...no idea. I would have thought you would beable to tell by feel.

Joined: 03 Dec 2003 Posts: 332 Location: Phoenix, AZ

You're correct to be concerned if your oil contains petroleum distillates although it's still far from the end of the world if you use something like that.. If you don't know for sure pick up some Homer Fornbey's (sp?) lemon oil...it's pure. Definately fine for ebony, rosewood, any type of fretboard.

Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 303

papersoul wrote:

anyone familiar with the care of ebony.....

Are you talking about that magazine for black people? Never read it...wouldn't know how to care for it.

Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 4797 Location: BEERMUDA

I heard lemon oil a lot...however I don;t need it as of yet none of my boards are dried out

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2004 3:33 am

I use mineral oil.

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2004 4:58 am

I've been using "WATCO SATIN OIL" for over 20 yrs now! Seem's to work on ebony/rosewood real well Surprised

I figure if it's good for my old furniture, it should be good for my old fretboards??? I don't have any maple fretboards.

F.G.

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

Okay, one of the fine members of the foum emailed me some info and said lemon oil will do the trick but I am worried about this brand with the distillates.

Where can I get Homer Fornbey's?????

A small local shop recomends pure borage oil.

I found out that ebony is never finished because it is so tight grained.

Joined: 30 Nov 2003 Posts: 1088 Location: Espoo, Finland

I use UMI Bore Oil. Seems quite good. Though I haven't tried anything else.

Mikko

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

It sounds like I could just use pure lemon oil. I am going to go on a hunt for pure lemon oil today......Home Depot? Guitar Center?

I guess it's not worth it to use those Dunlop kits.....that includes the cleaner...conditioner, etc.

Funny you also mentione Bore oil because that is what a local luthier recomended to use to clean and condition.....he said it's better than lemon oil. He uses it on old violins.

Rich

Joined: 30 Nov 2003 Posts: 10593 Location: Canada

Lemon Oil is the industry standard for cleaning fretboards, (it has nothing to do with lemons BTW, it's a petrolium product, it's just yellow and has a tart smell). It cleans grungy fretboards well, but tends to strip the natural oil out of the wood. It replaces those oils with it's own that actually later evaporate leaving the wood drier then it originally was.
It's poisonous, and some brands are flammable.
Light Mineral Oil works great, while not as good of a cleaner, it's much better for the wood. It's inert, doesn't evaporate, go bad or smell, and some people drink it as a home cure. Both Hamer and PRS recommend it over Lemon Oil. The only problem with light mineral oil is that it doesn't evaporate at all, so only use a little. The best place to buy it is your local drug store. The stuff for sale for human consumption is the purest.
I'll use lemon oil on a guitar that got really grungy, or if I bought it used, for its solvent properties, and I'll usually wait until the next string change to put on the Light Mineral Oil. And I only do that every couple years on most of my guitars. That's all you need with Light Mineral Oil. You don't want to over do it either, it's just there to stop humidity changes from affecting the wood and to keep the board clean.
I also wash my hands before I play most of the time. With 38 guitars, that's a lot of strings to change, so I do my best to keep them alive if I can. The fretboard on most guitars is unfinished, and allows mosture in and out due to changes in the weather, making the wood expand and contract which causes cracks, bowing, and the frets to stick out the edges, ouch.
I've seen a bunch of guys use goofy things. Some work, some LOOK like they work, some cause problems later. Vegetable oils go rancid over time, 3in1 is a light mineral oil but has other crap in it (solvents) that may loosen inlays, it stains and it smells. Silicone/Armor All etc. looks great but contains silicone and that makes refinishing impossible... Linseed and Tung Oil dry hard, they're a finish... Linseed can feel gummy once it gets warmed up. Tung Oil on the back of an unfinished neck is great though.
I know some expert printed in his book that Lemon Oil and Light Mineral Oil are the same thing, he probably meant they both work on fret boards, but they are not the same. Lemon Oil is poisonous and some brands flammable, says so right on the label, Light Mineral Oil is not poisonous (some people drink some as a laxative), has no scent, and it doesn't burn.

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

Check this....

http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

I think I might just pick up the Dunlop guitar care kit which has evrything I'll need..

The article I attached says that most bore oil is just cheap mineral oil.

The Dunlop conditioner says it's a premiumfretboard conditioner replenishing the natural oils.

Joined: 03 Dec 2003 Posts: 332 Location: Phoenix, AZ

>>Lemon Oil is the industry standard for cleaning fretboards, (it has nothing to do with lemons BTW, it's a petrolium product, it's just yellow and has a tart smell).

Sorry to have to correct you, but this is just plain wrong. Yes, the cheap and common grocery store variety "lemon oils" are generally petrolium products, but the "real deal" has *everything* to do with lemons and is a purely organic product.

I have no doubt that there are other products available that will work just as well, but I've been using organic lemon (and orange) oil for over 40 years and have never had a problem. I continue to wipe down my vintage fretboards when I feel they're getting a bit too dry and expect that they'll outlive me. Smile

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

Thanks for the information. I have some nice guitars with ebony fretboards and I want them to last. I noticed this winter that the frets are really sticking out on the sides. I bought a cheap Sam Ash Lemon Oil that says contains petrolleum distillates. I also have a Dunlop Fretboard Conditioner. Could I use any of these? What about a good quality bore oil? I am very confused and don't want to do any harm to my guitar. Could I use the cheap lemon oil to clean and the Dunlop conditioner to condition? Dunlop sells a guitar care kit also.

Maybe I could get the organic, pure lemon oil. Do you know where to buy?

Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 218

This was recomended to me by one of the forum members:
www.weiman.com/lemonoil.html