Cleaning a dirty fingerboard

[Danny]

Hi all

 

I would have checked at www.frets.com before posting here but it won't load for some reason.

 

My fingerboard is really gunky, my guitar is about 4 or 5 years old and is my daily go to guitar at home.

 

I also suffer from gunky acidic sweat which means I get through strings quicker. Normally when I change my strings I just use a bit of household polish and a clean cloth and that does the job, but after 4 or 5 years I have some ingrained muck around the fret wires and a bit of fingerboard discolouration.

 

My 1st thought was to use some 0000 steel wool with a drop or 2 of Lemon Oil and just go with the grain of the board.

 

Just so you all know it's an acoustic guitar and has an ebony 'board.

 

Actually now I've taken a closer look I 'think' the discolouration might be the black dye on the board rubbing off with playing wear, so it's really just a 'de-gunking' that's required.

 

Any ideas/comments/warnings are appreciated.

 

I hope you get www.frets.com back up soon Frank

 

Regards from England

 

Danny

[Chris Rochow]

Hi Danny !

Ebony is a bit soft.... go gently.  Use a suitable blade (single edge razor, etc. ) and gently scrape the grime away from the fret..slow smooth strokes. Once you feel you have the 'bulk' of the grime off... next use a "Scotch Brite" piece, soaked in Naphtha (Lighter fluid) and briskly rub off the grime. ( I use an old 'wash cloth' sometimes instead of the Scotch Brite) Wipe with a dry cloth. Once satisfied with the cleaning. If you wish to re-stain the board; 1) Stew Mac has the dye/stain OR 2) just go to your leather shop (saddle maker) and get the dye there for a fraction of Stew Mac's price. USE GLOVES!!

After it is well dried, use 4 ought steel wool to lightly go over the dot markers to clean them of the dye, and polish clean the frets.  Done!

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

I second Chris. And if you feel not comfortable enough with scraping (which is what I usually do), a hard toothbrush with some naphta or soapy water is a good help.

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hi Danny- I have a method of cleaning fret boards when I do a set up and I use #0000 Steel wool and a bit of paint thinner.

The thinner doesnt seem to have an adverse affect on the finish of any guitar that I have used this method on so I wish you the best and good luck...  Peace, Donald

[Brady Anderson]

Hi Danny,

For the fingerboards with aged, caked gunk, I use "Simple Green".  If that's not available diluted liquid dish soap works about as well.  I rub on a liberal amount with a rag or paper towel and scrub with a toothbrush.  It creates quite a muddy mess but does lift the gunk.  I then wipe it off with a damp rag, let it dry and follow up with Naptha and a fingerboard conditioner like "Guitar Honey" which further cleans the wood.  I don't like the idea of scrubbing the fingerboard with abrasives or scrapers as this can remove wood, so I only do that in extreme cases.  If the frets are oxidized and dull, I sometimes use metal polish to shine them up followed by the above cleaning schedule.  Like stated by others, a touch up with some black dye (on ebony) finishes the job. 

Scrubb away my friend.

Brady

[Danny]

Hi guys

 

I REALLY appreciate that you all took the time to reply and give me some great advice, thanks to you all.

 

I never realised Ebony was soft, I always thought of it as a pretty dense and robust wood, but ya learn  something new every day so they say.

 

The one thing I have discovered is how damned difficult it is to find old fashioned razor blades in the 21st century. I looked in the local supermarket and the local £1 shop (I think you'd call it a Dollar Store in America)

 

So thanks for all the advice guys, now I just gotta figure out how to make a bone nut and bridge saddle without spending more than my guitar cost new on tools at StewMac, wish me luck ;-/

 

Also, I just discovered that Frank Ford has been unwell (get well soon Frank) but does anyone know when, and indeed if, www.frets.com will be back online, it was my first port of call, only it weren't their no more..........

 

EDIT - FRETS DOT COM IS  BACK, YAY!

 

Thanks everyone and get well soon Frank

 

Danny

[Barbara Millikan]

You can find single edge razor blades in the paint section of your hardware or paint store. They come in boxes of 5 or 10, and are used in paint scrapers to clean paint off windows when painting trim.

Barbara

[Ned Knepp]

I buy them in boxes of 100 from the same sources.

[LARRY KLOSE]

I use a dental pick with a couple of scraper tips for the heaviest gunk--like one they used to use to clean/scrape your teeth before they went to ultrasound.  One tip has the scraper edge parallel to the length of the handle, the other is 90 degrees, both are angled off the end of the handle.  The edges are not super sharp but enough to obliquely contact the fingerboard while taking off the gunk.  the tips allow getting right up into the joint between fret and board.  Go lightly!  I then use one of the cleaning regimens listed above.  Simple Green, by the way, is a citrus derived "environmentally friendly" cleaner IIRC and may not be sold under that name in UK.  Always check all of this stuff on your finish in an inconspicuous spot--under the edge of the soundhole or under the truss rod cover if there is one.  I've had surprisingly bad results from stuff that was supposed to be "safe."  An automotive version of citrus de-greaser is strong enough to remove lacquer from brass and plastic.

The scraper is available at www.micromark.com IIRC, maybe as part of a set that includes two other dental picks I never use.  I found out about them because I am also a model maker--Micro Mark sells tools for model makers, some of which are very useful for lutherie and at far less cost than StewMac.

Larry

[Mark Pollock]

I just cleaned up a filthy fretboard on a red label Yamaha for my classroom. 0000 steel wool, naptha, and an old credit card cut with an edge to pry out the worst. Repeat as necessary. I added a bit of lemon oil afterwards to restore the look of the rosewood and clear the haze from the naptha. ($25 from Goodwill, now I have a good playing, loud sounding, toneful guitar for my classroom, and I won't cry too much when some asshole breaks into my room and take it. Gotta love teaching.)

[Lee Gendvilas]

Hi Mark. What do you teach? I'm currently teaching general/vocal music, elementary k-6 in Scottsdale, AZ.

[Mark Pollock]

3rd grade. But I will also teach a ukulele club this year!

 

Hope your year is good,

 

Mark

[Lee Gendvilas]

May your year be good also (with no break-ins). Ukulele club sounds like fun. Will it be before, during or after school?