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  1. #1
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    Default Fretboard finishing oils

    Hello, and thanks for reading this.

    I'm in the final stages of a solid body electric guitar, based loosely on a Les Paul Junior. A couple of WIP photos below.

    Tasmanian Blackwood slab body, mahogany neck, blackwood fretboard and headstock veneer.
    I'm all but finished doing the body, neck and headstock veneer in TruOil, thanks to great advice from Rustynail of this Forum.

    Before using any TruOil on those parts, I'd used HBO (Hard Burnishing Oil) on the blackwood fretboard using the matte finish technique of 2 coats, 24 hours apart, before installing the frets and gluing it to the (bare wood) body.

    As the fretboard got a bit 'dirty' from subsequent handling over a month with the application of the Tru oil to the body and mahogany neck (should have worn a cotton glove when holding the neck) , I decided a couple of days ago to sand the fretboard back a little with 800 , just enough to have a smooth clean surface of previously applied HBO.

    Ive brush applied another 2 coats as done previously over the last 48 hours, and it all looks good. I will probably give the HBO fretboard surfaces a light buff with a felt attachment in a dremel in a few weeks time , just to give it a low satin finish, and to maybe harden it some more (?).

    Can anyone advise if I should do any more HBO coats (its probably got 2-3 coats in total now), and if it is wise to do the dremel and felt buff idea for the reasons I've stated ?

    regards,

    Don

    20170430_133300.jpg

    20170430_133327.jpg

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Melbourne, Aust
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    17

    Default Fretboard oil

    Hi Don

    I use boiled linseed oil thinned down and usually only apply one coat or two at the most. It drys very hard and enhances the grain. You don't want too big a build of finish because it can become gunky.

    Great looking guitar! BTW, did you use standard Blackwood as the fretboard or did you hunt down a very dense piece? Just been going through the fretboard selection for my next bass and decided on ringed gidgee which I have just ordered.

    Cheers
    Kevin



    Quote Originally Posted by donnyb View Post
    Hello, and thanks for reading this.

    I'm in the final stages of a solid body electric guitar, based loosely on a Les Paul Junior. A couple of WIP photos below.

    Tasmanian Blackwood slab body, mahogany neck, blackwood fretboard and headstock veneer.
    I'm all but finished doing the body, neck and headstock veneer in TruOil, thanks to great advice from Rustynail of this Forum.

    Before using any TruOil on those parts, I'd used HBO (Hard Burnishing Oil) on the blackwood fretboard using the matte finish technique of 2 coats, 24 hours apart, before installing the frets and gluing it to the (bare wood) body.

    As the fretboard got a bit 'dirty' from subsequent handling over a month with the application of the Tru oil to the body and mahogany neck (should have worn a cotton glove when holding the neck) , I decided a couple of days ago to sand the fretboard back a little with 800 , just enough to have a smooth clean surface of previously applied HBO.

    Ive brush applied another 2 coats as done previously over the last 48 hours, and it all looks good. I will probably give the HBO fretboard surfaces a light buff with a felt attachment in a dremel in a few weeks time , just to give it a low satin finish, and to maybe harden it some more (?).

    Can anyone advise if I should do any more HBO coats (its probably got 2-3 coats in total now), and if it is wise to do the dremel and felt buff idea for the reasons I've stated ?

    regards,

    Don

    20170430_133300.jpg

    20170430_133327.jpg

  4. #3
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    Jul 2013
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kev.au View Post
    Hi Don

    I use boiled linseed oil thinned down and usually only apply one coat or two at the most. It drys very hard and enhances the grain. You don't want too big a build of finish because it can become gunky.

    Great looking guitar! BTW, did you use standard Blackwood as the fretboard or did you hunt down a very dense piece? Just been going through the fretboard selection for my next bass and decided on ringed gidgee which I have just ordered.

    Cheers
    Kevin
    Thanks Kevin. I'll leave it at then at 2-3 coats I have on there. Should I buff it as I described ?

    I didn't seek out a dense piece, just ordered a blank from The Guitar Emporium on the Sunshine Coast (who I can recommend), stating it was for a fretboard and that the grain should be more or less like the body grain in a photo I supplied. However, I did notice that both the body (which was well seasoned) and fretboard are surprisingly soft untreated. For example, fingernails must be cut short before working with Tassie Blackwood !

    I also had to do fair bit of small dent steaming before applying the Truoil to the body and HBO to the fretboard , but that may be due to my ignorance of general woodworking practices. I'm a late in life apprentice (65 years).

    I did a fair bit of research, including on the general woodworking forum here, and found that Tasmanian blackwood is not a popular fretboard material. I cant find the email now, where Perry Ormsby advised me that Blackwood can be a bit grubby to handle, or words to that effect. So I sealed the fretboard with Feast Watson sanding sealer and choose HBO following advice via Rustynail in the general woodworking Forum, which hardens with burnishing. I don't know how hard it will be when just applied as a brush on -wipe off 2-coat matte finish, as per the HBO application instructions on the can, but it does feel right.

    I will report back here ( I only discovered there was this sub forum recently) after its all finished and played for a while. I'm letting it hang and dry for a month once the last coat of anything goes on .I'm spraying the cavities with shielding paint this week.
    20170110_142503 (1).jpg

    Thanks again,

    Don

  5. #4
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    Melbourne, Aust
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    Default

    Hi Don

    Can't really give advice on buffing because I don't buff mine but seeing its buffing oil I think it catalyses, therefore sets, with the heat. My suggestion is to always use a fretboard made from dense timbers. Seeing you are like me and prefer Australian hardwood, here is a list I have been compiling by trawling luthiers website and using the amazing book by Keith Bootle - Woods in Australia. I just ordered two gidgee boards from Loggerheads and am waiting with baited breath.

    Gidgee 1250 kg/m3
    Brigalow 950 kg/m3
    Cooktown Ironwood 1220 kg/m3
    Mulga 1100 kg/m3
    Sheoak Rose 920 kg/m3
    Sheoak River 770 kg/m3
    River red gum 900 kg/m3

    Cheers
    Kevin

  6. #5
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    Default

    Yes, I know from an experiment I have done that you have to be careful with the speed of the felt i.e too much friction and the HBO starts to kind of melt, and pick up on the felt . Ive done the shielding paint yesterday (see pic below), and as the guitar is now hanging up to properly dry the oil finishes for a few weeks, I can research the buffing more. I will call the manufacturer too who are based in Australia.

    Great list of timber, thanks Kevin.

    What is Gidgee ? I mean, like Blackwood I think is in the Acacia family( I think Ive read). I'll google it too. Is it generally a plain or featured wood, and are there any pitfalls/tricks with it eg shaping the radius ?


  7. #6
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    Default

    Hi Don

    Gidgee is an Acicia, as is Mulga, and are desert hardwood like Cooktown Ironwood. Because it is dense it is hard on tooling. Cooktown Ironwood has interlocked grain so it is difficult to machine, ie you can't thickness it because chunks will pop out but they polish to a beautiful lustre with no finishes.

    That guitar is looking great. You are very fastidious with the finishing! Good luck with it all

    Cheers
    Kevin

  8. #7
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    Default

    I looked at some pics of Gidgee. I like some of the grain patterns, but not all. I think I would try to select from the supplier's shelf if possible. I was thinking when I saw it that it might go well with a sassafras body. What do you reckon ?

    And I like your word 'fastidious'. Most of my friends say OCD !

    My guitar (based loosely on a Les Paul Junior) is having a Schaller Flagship Piezo active bridge pickup (which is invisible), with a Gibson Burstbucker 1 or Classic 57 at the neck. I have already played it before I commenced any finishing (in case something drastic needed to be corrected with my build), using the Burstbucker #1 in the neck. The blend of the humbucker with the piezo sounds great, but not sure how I feel about the piezo alone. Its good, just so very different.

    When it all back together, I am going to play it to some other muso friends on the BB#1 and then, as it appears to only have the one pickup, discreetly switch to the blend position and watch the reaction ! 'What the ????' lol.

  9. #8
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    Apr 2011
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    Sydney, AUS
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    Default

    Hi Don

    I'll second the boiled linseed suggestion for next time - I have used it to finish Indian rosewood fretboards with no problems. Just as Kevin said - not too heavy or it will become gunky. Many other oils won't cure and will leave you with a sticky fretboard which isn't very nice to play. Unfortunately I think your biggest problem may be the blackwood fingerboard - there's a chance it's not dense enough to grip the fret tangs and the frets may lift in time. If you have a radiused caul (assuming you used one to radius the fretboard) you could clamp a few frets at a time so that they're level with one another and run some thin CA glue underneath the frets from the side. You may get away with it - but if it's a problem down the line this would be the easiest fix.

    Guitar looks great BTW! I was thinking about building a junior myself! Would love to see the finished product

  10. #9
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    Sep 2008
    Location
    Melbourne, Aust
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    Default

    Hi Don

    I promised some photos of ringed Gidgee so here they are. I requested a piece with sapwood and I think it will look spectacular. Both of these are going on five string bass's, starting with a blank 7mm thick. And as I said before, I will finish them with thinned boiled linseed oil.

    And Don - I hope you glued your fretboard on with a PVA type glue like Titebond because you if heat the fretboard it will soften the glue so you can remove it if needed - hopefully you won't have to!

    Cheers
    Kevin

    IMG_2658.jpg

  11. #10
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Bee View Post
    Hi Don

    I'll second the boiled linseed suggestion for next time - I have used it to finish Indian rosewood fretboards with no problems. Just as Kevin said - not too heavy or it will become gunky. Many other oils won't cure and will leave you with a sticky fretboard which isn't very nice to play. Unfortunately I think your biggest problem may be the blackwood fingerboard - there's a chance it's not dense enough to grip the fret tangs and the frets may lift in time. If you have a radiused caul (assuming you used one to radius the fretboard) you could clamp a few frets at a time so that they're level with one another and run some thin CA glue underneath the frets from the side. You may get away with it - but if it's a problem down the line this would be the easiest fix.

    Guitar looks great BTW! I was thinking about building a junior myself! Would love to see the finished product
    HI JOSH,

    Sorry, Ive been offline for a week. Fortunately, I superglued all the frets in when pressing with a SMac caul. Time will tell if its wicked enough, but I'm pretty sure it will have.
    Should have some photos in a couple of weeks of the completed guitar.

  12. #11
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    Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by kev.au View Post
    Hi Don

    I promised some photos of ringed Gidgee so here they are. I requested a piece with sapwood and I think it will look spectacular. Both of these are going on five string bass's, starting with a blank 7mm thick. And as I said before, I will finish them with thinned boiled linseed oil.

    And Don - I hope you glued your fretboard on with a PVA type glue like Titebond because you if heat the fretboard it will soften the glue so you can remove it if needed - hopefully you won't have to!

    Cheers
    Kevin

    IMG_2658.jpg
    HI KEVIN,

    That wood is 'out there'. It should be a head turner. Please keep some photos coming as you do the build.

    I did use Titebond Original for the fretboard.

    Also, I cant speak highly enough of David Fletcher of Fletcher Guitars in Sydney. His instructional videos are fantastic and I followed his LP Jnr video verbatim. Very detailed and easy to follow.
    If you have not heard of his work, he has a website.

    Will post photos of the completed build in maybe a week. The surfaces are feeling dry, just a touch sticky.

    Regards,
    Don

  13. #12
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    Hi Don

    What is the shielding paint you used and where did you get it? I have been using David Fletcher's video's for a while and they are a great source of inspiration - especially his jigs

    Cheers
    Kevin

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by kev.au View Post
    Hi Don

    What is the shielding paint you used and where did you get it? I have been using David Fletcher's video's for a while and they are a great source of inspiration - especially his jigs

    Cheers
    Kevin
    HI KEVIN,

    Shielding paint is used in guitar electronics cavities and I suppose a myriad of other electronics applications.

    Not my brain thing , i.e. electronics, so don't ask me how it all happens, but its used to stop electrical interference from other internal and external sources eg neon lights being picked up by the guitar's components (magnets , copper windings and other weird stuff) and transmitted to the guitar's amplifier as a hum or buzz.

    I know that if the shielding paint surface is not earthed to the guitar's (very low voltage) earth circuit, the shield can act as an antennae ! I earthed my pickup wiring outer metal braid by screwing it down with a very small metal clamp to the shielding paint surface. Then check for full continuity between the two with my ohm meter.

    Apparently humbucker pickups don't need shielding paint in the cavities (hence hum - bucking) , but single coils do for sure, I'm told. Anyway, I used it with this project and in the amp last week after re-assembly of all components, its dead quiet on both the passive humbucker and the 9v powered (active) piezo bridge pickup. Cant say if it would have been the same without the paint though !

    I got my paint from 'cat music' in the UK, via ebay au, or ebay UK, but its a trick to spray it as I did. Most people (without ocd) brush it on.
    cat-music.co.uk
    Regards, Don

  15. #14
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Bee View Post
    Hi Don

    I'll second the boiled linseed suggestion for next time - I have used it to finish Indian rosewood fretboards with no problems. Just as Kevin said - not too heavy or it will become gunky. Many other oils won't cure and will leave you with a sticky fretboard which isn't very nice to play. Unfortunately I think your biggest problem may be the blackwood fingerboard - there's a chance it's not dense enough to grip the fret tangs and the frets may lift in time. If you have a radiused caul (assuming you used one to radius the fretboard) you could clamp a few frets at a time so that they're level with one another and run some thin CA glue underneath the frets from the side. You may get away with it - but if it's a problem down the line this would be the easiest fix.

    Guitar looks great BTW! I was thinking about building a junior myself! Would love to see the finished product
    Hi Josh,

    After beam dressing, crowning and dremel polishing the new frets , and setting it all up to low action specs (eg .004" relief at the 7th), I needed to clean the previously HBO finished fretboard of polish residue. I ended up using a small amount of HBO as the cleaner on a several lint free white rags , and then did two more coats of HBO, this time buffing the second coat as it was getting tacky, as per satin finish instructions on the HBO tin, varied by me by using buffs, not an orbital sander and fine grit W&D, which btw, the latter method apparently acts as a grain and imperfections filler as a slurry is produced.
    .
    I used a clean cloth buff and felt buffs on a 240V drill (not a dremel) at low-medium speed , testing surface temperature every few seconds. I wanted very warm, not hot. The frets , being superglued originally, would not like 'hot'.

    Its come up nice in terms of smoothness, but cant say if its any harder as it has to 'fully cure' for a week before any handling in use, according to the instructions. It looks harder though ! lol.

    Time and playing will really tell.

  16. #15
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    Sep 2008
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    Hi Don

    I have started a new tread on my bass build , if you are interested. Got some photos of the gidgee fretboard and headstock veneer on there for you.

    Cheers

    Kevin

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