I've used coconut oil for a variety of things over the years and found it one of Nature's wonders. This morning , I decided to try something on my Singlecut's rosewood neck , after 16 years it had seen a small bit of wear , so I hit it with 3000 grit just to smooth things out, then put a trace amount of coconut oil ( paste) on a clean rag and wiped and buffed the neck ..... OMG it really brings out the natural beauty and SLICK ! NOTE : very important to buff it out ( I did it by hand until the neck was warm) , rosewood is a naturally oily wood so this is just to clean and restore ..
rosewood ~ oil conditioning
- Thread starter Greywolf
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Smooth !!!
Bogner
Redwood Original - Pure Blood
- Joined
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I Had No Idea...Thanks For The Tip!
Coconut oil is a no-go for me. So are other food-based oils for their tendency to go rancid.
Coconut oil is (according to this site but also quite a few others) the #1 oil to avoid on a guitar:
rockguitaruniverse.com
I'm glad whoever's using it hasn't had problems but I wouldn't recommend it.
Also, cutting board oil does soften wood; I had a lovely Martin that I used it on a few times, and eventually I could sink a fingernail into the wood with very light pressure. It ruined the fretboard physically and the guitar never sounded or played the same.
Also used it on an actual maple cutting board that was built into the counter of the island one of the kitchen sinks was on, but in that application the wood was supposed to absorb knife cuts without dulling the knife too much, so it didn't matter much that it got soft.
But on a guitar? No thank you. Avoid.
Coconut oil is (according to this site but also quite a few others) the #1 oil to avoid on a guitar:
Can I Use (Coconut, Olive, Lemon) Oil, Vinegar On My Guitar | Rock Guitar Universe
Many people try to use household oils or products to maintain their guitar hoping to lower the costs. If you own a guitar you might…
rockguitaruniverse.com
I'm glad whoever's using it hasn't had problems but I wouldn't recommend it.
Also, cutting board oil does soften wood; I had a lovely Martin that I used it on a few times, and eventually I could sink a fingernail into the wood with very light pressure. It ruined the fretboard physically and the guitar never sounded or played the same.
Also used it on an actual maple cutting board that was built into the counter of the island one of the kitchen sinks was on, but in that application the wood was supposed to absorb knife cuts without dulling the knife too much, so it didn't matter much that it got soft.
But on a guitar? No thank you. Avoid.
DISTORT6
NJ Devil
Neal Schon uses salami. Allegedly.
ideally the amount used is almost negligible, and buffing removes most of the residual, it's not soaking the wood until saturation.
the furniture folks say " raw linseed oil or teak oil for rosewood is the best bet . No petro based. Once or twice a year, apply oil to your rosewood pieces to gently restore them to like-new condition. Using a soft, clean cloth, apply a little quantity of oil to the surface, working with the grain of the wood" One of the folks I've worked with contends that coconut oil is the closest to humans natural and I can tell you from many years of woodworking that just hand rubbing a finish .. literally... can make it shine ... of course this on non lacquered woods.
the furniture folks say " raw linseed oil or teak oil for rosewood is the best bet . No petro based. Once or twice a year, apply oil to your rosewood pieces to gently restore them to like-new condition. Using a soft, clean cloth, apply a little quantity of oil to the surface, working with the grain of the wood" One of the folks I've worked with contends that coconut oil is the closest to humans natural and I can tell you from many years of woodworking that just hand rubbing a finish .. literally... can make it shine ... of course this on non lacquered woods.
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Bogner
Redwood Original - Pure Blood
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Can "Sausage Fingers" Do Something Similar?
DISTORT6
NJ Devil
When I bought my PS acoustic, I thought whatever they treated the fretboard with was excellent stuff, because it looked and felt great. So I asked about it.
I was told boiled linseed oil was used as one of the steps. The word, 'boiled' was stressed.
Unfortunately, I don't remember what they sealed it with after wiping it off - there was something mentioned in the conversation, but my fretboard never needed treatment, and I plain forgot.
The reason I remember the boiled linseed oil is that my brother uses it when mixing his own oil paints, like the Old Masters did, and I recalled him talking about his ingredients, and thinking that paintings made with that kind of oil paint have lasted a very long time, indeed. So that seems like a pretty good bet.
As an aside, his paintings are pretty amazing if you haven't seen them, you owe it to yourself: www.robertschefman.com
I’m not plugging his work, I’m just proud of him for being masterful. I've never mastered an art form, and it amazes me when someone's great at something. Here’s one of his oil paintings:
Of course, raw and boiled linseed oils are two different products.
There you have the full extent of my knowledge about linseed oil. other than flax seed (which is linseed) is good for digestion and thought to aid in reducing heart disease and diabetes.
Here's my thinking about oils and other products to use on guitars:
The guitars I have were hella expensive. I'd rather err on the side of 'not controversial'. Just the way I roll.
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Spectacular Art ! It runs deep in your Family !
I completely agree with the conservative approach , especially on cherished instruments. As with most things in life, tried and true is that way for a reason . The things most humans desire are a result of adherence to that principal.
I completely agree with the conservative approach , especially on cherished instruments. As with most things in life, tried and true is that way for a reason . The things most humans desire are a result of adherence to that principal.
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Lewguitar
Old Know It All
That's what I use too. Howard Cutting Board Oil. Never had any problems with it.
It's 100% Pure Food Grade Mineral Oil. Same oil used in Baby Oil and most of the fretboard conditioners like Dr. Ducks.
Only it's a 10th the price.
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JasonE
New Member
I rarely oil my fretboards. When I do I use Fret Doctor. I have had the bottle for many years. It goes a long, long way. It is rosewood bore oil for wind instruments. It works great. It takes a very small amount to clean and oil a fretboard. Put it on a rag and wipe it on the wood. Let it set for about a minute then wipe any excess off. That is it. I do that about once every 8 to 10 years.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
I always clean the crud off the frets and then polish them with 000 or 0000 steel wool when I get a "new" guitar.
I like those frets to shine!
Then I clean and oil the fingerboard like you do, let the oil set a minute, and rub it down.
Some folks have a thing against cutting board oil but my guitars get it a couple of times a year at least.
No problems whatsoever.
It's good for wooden pipes too!
JasonE
New Member
I bought a set of fret erasers from Stew Mac. Those things are great for polishing frets. I was planning on using a buffing wheel on a Dremel with a little buffing compound. These erasers work well enough that I didn't go down that road. I know the buffing wheel will do a great job.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
I'll bet they work great.
Someone here on the forum (Greywolf?) turned me onto these fretboard protectors that are nicer than the version I'd been using. I bought a set
You can polish the frets across the fingerboard without scratching the wood.
I round the ends if need be with a fret end rounding file and then polish the frets to a soft gloss.
FRINE Fret Polishing Kit - Sweetwater
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This is why I don't buy used guitars. You're buying the previous owner's guitar care idiosyncrasies.
Here's a link to what Dan Erlewine says about fretboard oil: You want one that dries and doesn't seep into the wood to soften it.
Fretboard Finishing Oil - StewMac
In this video, Dan Erlewine explains all of the qualities of fretboard finishing oil and applies a protective finish on the fretboard of a 1953 Gibson J50.
In my experience, cutting board oils don't dry (therefore they attract dust and gunk), and they do seep into the wood. Yours is no different. Howard says this about its ability to seep into the wood on their company site:
"Cutting Board Oil is a deep penetrating 100% Pure USP Food Grade Mineral Oil..."
This has the same ingredient - food grade mineral oil - as the stuff that softened my Martin's fretboard and caused the wood to swell by the frets. I'd avoid it. YMMV, obviously.
There are a zillion products out there that are made to address the problem of fretboards in the best way, and they're not expensive. I truly don't understand why anyone would want to use something with known drawbacks.
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Lewguitar
Old Know It All
Yep. I remember you mentioning all that in another post.This is why I don't buy used guitars. You're buying the previous owner's guitar care idiosyncrasies.
Here's a link to what Dan Erlewine says about fretboard oil: You want one that dries and doesn't seep into the wood to soften it.
Fretboard Finishing Oil - StewMac
In this video, Dan Erlewine explains all of the qualities of fretboard finishing oil and applies a protective finish on the fretboard of a 1953 Gibson J50.www.stewmac.com
In my experience, cutting board oils don't dry (therefore they attract dust and gunk), and they do seep into the wood. Yours is no different. Howard says this about its ability to seep into the wood on their company site:
"Cutting Board Oil is a deep penetrating 100% Pure USP Food Grade Mineral Oil..."
This has the same ingredient - food grade mineral oil - as the stuff that softened my Martin's fretboard and caused the wood to swell by the frets. I'd avoid it. YMMV, obviously.
Never happened to me.
And the 2" thick free standing maple butcher block in my kitchen is still as hard as the rock maple it started out as.
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Rosewood fretboards aren't made of 2" thick maple.
Perhaps you're lucky. I still don't understand why you'd want to use that stuff when there's better stuff, but they're your guitars.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
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