Author Topic: Fretboard oiling thoughts (Read 2443 times)

sonicus · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2016, 02:11:44 PM »

Forest ,
Thanks for your informational post. The irony with the Naphtha ban in California is that Acetone and various other solvents were left on the self.
Take a look @ The MSDS on Acetone;
https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/00140.htm

I also worked in industries where I was exposed to various substances and chemicals that are now considered toxic and undesirable . it is interesting that the elimination of such various chemicals are being forbidden in some states and are still readily available at the corner hardware store in other states .

Here is an interesting article; http://www.dipyourcar.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-12294.html

Wolf

wick5 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 04, 2016, 05:32:27 PM »

How often should one lemon up a fretboard?

flpete1uw · « **Reply #17 on:** January 04, 2016, 05:48:33 PM »

That's brings up a good question, what is the shelf life of pure lemon oil? I mean a very small amount goes a long way so much so that the tiny bottle I had after 3 years started to smell like what Gregory stated. More coconut than lemon. For the ~$5 I just replaced it figuring it will last a few years.
Not sure if I had to, just liked the fresh lemon.

Pete

mica · « **Reply #18 on:** January 04, 2016, 06:43:25 PM »

Old English has a small amount of lemon oil in it, but it's 90% petroleum distillates according to its MSDS.

Once a year is usually adequate. If you live in a really dry place (like a place where either the AC or the heater is on all the time (I'm looking at you, Chicago)), then it should be twice a year.

slawie · « **Reply #19 on:** January 04, 2016, 07:52:29 PM »

I frequently used shellite naphtha based lighter fluid to refurbish rubber printer platens back in the day. It would strip off the oxidised rubber and refresh the grippiness. Last I checked I'm still alive.
When I was a kid of around 12yo my mate and I found a gallon paint tin full of mercury. We played with that stuff for weeks.
Back in the early 80's I would carry around radioactive isotopes on aircraft, in my car, at home and in my tool box.
Nothing like a refreshing dose of Carbon14 or caesium186 to get the old eyes to light up!
I really should go and check if I'm still alive!
Slawie

bigredbass · « **Reply #20 on:** January 04, 2016, 10:10:00 PM »

I still can't find in all this whether Bore Doctor is for smooth-bores or rifled bores . . . sheesh !

Joey

rjmsteel · « **Reply #21 on:** January 05, 2016, 06:00:46 AM »

Thank You Mica,

Twice a Year then it is.

I guess I should update my frequency, (looking back from Chicago Home of The Blues or should I say a really dry place).

lbpesq · « **Reply #22 on:** January 05, 2016, 08:01:22 AM »

I keep my lemon oil in the fridge. I recently finished my first bottle after around 6 or 7 years. It still was clear and smelled like lemon oil should. I have frequently picked up guitars that have probably not been oiled in 40 or 50 years. It's amazing how much oil these old ones can suck up!

Bill, tgo

keith_h · « **Reply #23 on:** January 05, 2016, 09:50:25 AM »

Slawie,
I used to use blanket restorer for the rubber backing on offset presses. It was mostly naphtha with some other stuff mixed in. It worked so well on the press blankets that I decided to try it to restore windshield wiper blades. I found I could get an extra 3 to 6 months out of them by using it.

Keith

ed_zeppelin · « **Reply #24 on:** January 05, 2016, 10:05:02 AM »

My bottle of Fret Doctor arrived! I discovered a bit of a conundrum (the Foghorn taught me that word. I think it's Latin for wtf?): while the Mighty Xarcon provided two links for Fret Doctor in the OP, you can only order it through be-a-fifer, and I don't want to be a fifer.

I don't even want to support people who feel inclined to fife (fifists?) as it was outlawed in the Constitution (or should have been). Who wants to play an instrument that produces sounds that makes it feel like someone is forcing sewing needles into your eardrums?

We're bassists. We prefer sounds that feel like sumo wrestlers jumping up and down on your chest.

My point - as nearly as I can figure out - is that be-a-fifer page is the single most informative resource I've ever seen for information about fretboard care:

... Whereas it's impossible to even find Fret Doctor on the Doctor's own site!

Nowhere does it say whether Bore Doctor is the same as Fret Doctor, either. (I assume it is, but that's mostly because I'm a married man, so I assume a lot, like when I vowed; I do, how quickly that would be countered with oh no you don't!)

I discovered from that page that because I had treated my fretboards (37, at last count) with lemon oil that turned out to be lemon-scented mineral oil, and/or Pledge (the silicone-based polish discussed on that page), I have to get some Homer Formby's Buildup Remover to clean that crap off the wood before applying Fret Doctor, otherwise it won't penetrate!

If a lack of penetration is concern for you (you know who you are), you need Homer Formby and Fret Doctor!

It's also interesting that Fret Doctor doesn't necessarily darken the fingerboard, it actually restores it to its original condition, which is darker (usually )

Grenade Oil sounds interesting (use it on fifers).

sonicus · « **Reply #25 on:** January 05, 2016, 10:19:16 AM »

In the late 1970's I got a job through a guitar player in the band that I was playing in at the time working in a huge print shop that did Flexographic Printing . It was just supposed to be short term in between audio gigs and the such anyway I was hoping . I was given the job that no one wanted working in the Tank Room . My job was to clean press parts in huge vats containing wonderful chemicals such as MEK and Isopropyl Acetate and Sodium Hydroxide. I couldn't stand it and one day I felt so lame that I went to the Doctors office within the plant . He took a look at my throat and larynx and wrote out a statement declaring that the reaction the chemicals were having on me warranted legitimate reasons for an immediate medical dismissal from that job . That was just after 3 months or so . That guy did me a big favor getting me out of there.

Wolf

jalevinemd · « **Reply #26 on:** January 05, 2016, 10:53:56 AM »

I called the Doctor's Products customer service line prior to ordering my Bore Doctor. Previously I had used Fret Doctor but found that it is more expensive on the Be a Fifer website. According to customer service Bore Doctor and Fret Doctor are exactly the same.

bigredbass · « **Reply #27 on:** January 05, 2016, 10:20:03 PM »

OK, so I'll get Bore Doctor, and I REALLY want some of that Grenade Oil ! ! !

Joey

ed_zeppelin · « **Reply #28 on:** January 06, 2016, 03:32:21 AM »

quote:I frequently used shellite naphtha based lighter fluid to refurbish rubber printer platens back in the day. It would strip off the oxidised rubber and refresh the grippiness. Last I checked I'm still alive.

I'm glad. But how's your grippiness?

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #29 on:** January 06, 2016, 06:26:39 AM »

Naphtha and benzene are actually different compounds. In fact, naphtha is a mix of a bunch of crudely refined hydrocarbons based on their boiling points. Benzene is one unique ring structure. The permissible exposure limit for benzene is actually 1 ppm rather than 100. I wouldn't want to breathe naphtha all day, but it is definitely not nearly as carcinogenic.

(Message edited by hydrargyrum on January 06, 2016)