Cleaning Ebony Fretboards and Naked Spruce

[an uncalloused fingertip]

What do you normally use to wipe down your fretboard? Is it ok if you dab it with a damp rag touched with isopropyl alcohol, or can this damage the wood? What about unfinished spruce tops?

Gene

[Dale Ludewig]

I don't think I'd be using the alcohol. If you get any on the finish, it would probably not be a good thing. In general I just use a rag. Is there a bunch of gunk on it?

Are you playing a mandolin with an unfinished top? Now that's going to get dirty. And the only way I know to "clean" it is to sand it. And then it will be thinner. It really should have some finish on it. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[woodwiz]

I just use a dry rag. If anything got spilled on it, I would just use a damp rag. #I don't put any solvents near any finishes without good and specific reason.

Unfinished wood will get dirty and nasty looking and there is nothing you can do but sand it off. #Washing will help, but will not get it clean. The main purpose of a finish is to protect the wood and to keep it from absorbing stuff.

[PaulD]

More or less what they said... alcohol would remove finger oils and dirt, but I wonder if it would also remove natural oils from the wood. I use a 50/50 mix of mineral oil and mineral spirits to clean the fingerboard and finish on my instruments and it seems to help seal the moisture in the fingerboard. I don't know if that kosher but it's something a local luthier recommended to me years ago. I don't think you would want to get the oil on the unfinished top wood unless you plan on finishing with an oil finish or shellac later.

Paul Doubek

[woodwiz]

Mineral spirits won't do much harm, if any at all, and removes oily dirt and evaporates completely.

Mineral oil doesn't dry or harden, and attracts dust an dirt, can soak into wood and make it punky in extreme cases.

[phynie]

so is alcohol a bad idea? #I use rubbing alcohol to clean my fretboard as often as once a week. My hands sweat a ton and muck up the board in a matter or a few hours. #I just try to keep it from building up. #I just got a replane and refret, so I do not want to mess it up now that I am working with a fresh surface. #What would one suggest instead of using alcohol? Is mineral spirits a good idea? Seems harsher than plain old alcohol.... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[woodwiz]

If a dry rag just won't do the job, mineral spirits has a lot lower solvent power than alcohol and doesn't damage any finishes that I know of. And I've been studying finishes for over 30 years.

Different solvents dissolve different things. My choices for cleaning instruments are: Dry rag, damp rag, mineral spirits. I clean fiddle strings with alcohol, but never get it on the finish because even isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol can butcher a violin varnish, and will also damage a shellac or even some lacquer based mando finishes.

For polish, I avoid all oils because they are dust and dirt magnets. If I feel I have to polish an instrument, I will use a white, cream type polish without strong solvents.

That's my take on it. Opinions may vary.

[an uncalloused fingertip]

So mineral oil it is. It's a good thing I didn't use alcohol too much; alcohol is just for drinkin' I guess. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif

Gene

[woodwiz]

I hope that was a typo. You want mineral spirits, if anything.

Mineral oil doesn't have much cleaning power, won't evaporate, and tends to gunk things up.

[mrt10x]

link (http://www.muzique.com/schem/fret.htm) for a small article on the subject, and Elderly has a couple of products specifically for this. oil (http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/GRP16.htm)

[an uncalloused fingertip]

I hope that was a typo. #You want mineral spirits, if anything. #

Mineral oil doesn't have much cleaning power, won't evaporate, and tends to gunk things up.
Sh-hit. Thanks much woodwiz for the follow-up clarification. I have the eagle and the red-and-white flag over my ancestors and am no stranger to stupid and/or bullheaded acts. I might have actually sought out the oil http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif . These precious little fretted gems need to be cared for well.

Gene

[PaulD]

As usual... these discussions can be very enlightening. I've been using the mineral oil/mineral spirits mixture with good results, but mrt10x's link and woodwiz's posts make a good argument for avoiding the m. oil. Conversely, Frank Ford's Frets.com article on instrument care (http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Cleaning/cleaning02.html) states that occasional use of mineral oil and lemon oil on the fretboard are fine as long as you use it sparingly and wipe it all off (always a good idea with oil finishes IMO). There is also an MIMF.com archived article (http://www.mimf.com/library/fretboard_cleaning.htm) in which mineral oil and mineral oil based cleaners are recommended. Granted, this world is full of varying opinions and you can find most of them written out on the Web somewhere. Many are based on sound reasoning and many others are not... so whaddya do?

I'm coming away from this thread thinking that my 50/50 blend is probably okay if I only use it once a year or so and wipe it thoroughly... which is about how I use it. I'm also picking up that mineral spirits or naptha should be fine as a fingerboard cleaner any time... it's still probably good not to overdo it. Be careful with oils, polishes, and the like when cleaning a crazed finish as they will bleed down to the wood (not from this thread, but from the Frets.com link).

Lastly... I'm due for a string change on the fiddle so I think I'll try cleaning them with alcohol as per woodwiz's suggestion. If I don't like the results I don't have to do it again. I happen to know that my fiddle varnish is alcohol soluable as I tested a small area once... so I'll make a point not to drip.

And lastlier... I'll continue to monitor this thread and read elsewhere to see if something changes my mind about the mineral oil thing.

Paul Doubek

[Bill Snyder]

Gene,
There are filters on certain words because the owner of this site thinks these words should not be printed. I find it offensive that you would circumvent the filter by placing a hyphon in a forbidden word.

[woodwiz]

I'm coming away from this thread thinking that my 50/50 blend is probably okay if I only use it once a year or so and wipe it thoroughly...
I don't see a problem there, as long as you use it rarely, sparingly, and wipe it all off. You just don't want to use much at all, or very frequently because of the buildup problem.

Mineral spirits will draw some of the natural oil out of the wood, along with finger oils and dirt, so I wouldn't use much of it, either. That's why I recommend a dry rag unless something stronger is actually needed.

I think we're talking about two different things, here. I wipe my mandolin and fiddle down each time I play them. Al I use for that is a dry rag. Maybe once a year or so when I have the strings off, I'll do a cleanup, and use a rag dampened with water or mineral spirits, followed by a dry rag. I rarely use any kind of polish, but that's just personal preference; I like a toned-down look.

When I get rosin built up on my fiddle strings that doesn't come all the way off with a dry rag, I'll just dampen the corner of a rag with alcohol and pinch the string in the cloth. I just clean the part with rosin on it, usually.

[PaulD]

I think we're talking about two different things, here. I wipe my mandolin and fiddle down each time I play them.
No... I think we're just not fleshing out the entire mando/fiddle care story. I keep a rag in with my instruments too and usually (not always) wipe them down before putting them away. I especially try to get all the rosin off the fiddle strings, top, fingerboard, and bow... but then that's not mando related! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif I usually clean the fingerboard and instrument body when I change strings, which is not as frequent as it should be.

pd

[an uncalloused fingertip]

Gene,
There are filters on certain words because the owner of this site thinks these words should not be printed. I find it offensive that you would circumvent the filter by placing a hyphon in a forbidden word.
I am very sorry for the crude, four-letter word William. Maybe we should get together, compare notes, and be a memorable side-show act at the next local V#gina Monologues gathering. We can express our shame for the luggage we were cursed to be born with http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif .

Gene http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif