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I have a guitar in the works that will be getting a tulip wood fingerboard, and the board I'm using has the usual amount of white/off white stripes. Has anyone had success with some kind of clear penetrating sealer/finish on fingerboards? I don't want to put on a film finish (like a Fender Strat with a maple finger board), and I don't want to add color to the finger board. The concern is that without some kind of finish the finger board will get grimy in short order.

Thanks, Doug

It is not pure clear, will darken somewhat but Lemon Oil. Any type of oil or what ever is going to darke the wood some what.

I know you said you don't want to, but... I think a film finish is really the only way to go unless you want to be constantly scraping and cleaning it. Unless you only play notes in the dark areas.

You can do a satin film finish so it doesn't look all glossy like a strat. Just rub it out with steel wool.

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

A tulipwood fingerboard has no more need for a finish than does any other rosewood board. If some hand grime builds up, wipe it off with a cloth and "lemon oil" furniture polish.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Howard, you don't think the light areas are going to look like maple would without a finish?

_________________
Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Thanks for the input guys. I've assumed that the light areas of the tulip wood will turn grey from finger dirt and metal from the stings like a maple board does.

Howard - are you saying the natural oils in the tulip wood along with the usual lemon oil treatment will keep this from happening?

One idea that has come to mind is to flood it with CA.

Thanks, Doug

i think howard may be thinking of the rosewood tulip wood dalbergia varibalis and another i cant remember the name of.
which has red and yellow stripes and is as dense as most rosewoods but comes in small diameters.

whereas the fingerboard in question is american tulip wood or poplar i belive.

there is quite a big diference between the two and where tulip rosewood can be treated as any rosewood fingerboard a poplar fingerboard will need a coat of some kind of finish to avoid staining and wear etc.

Joel.

If the fingerboard is magnolia, a/k/a "tulip," a/k/a "poplar" (it's neither a tulip nor a poplar), then you have made a bad choice. It won't hold frets well, and it will wear like, well, like poplar.

I'm assuming we are talking dalbergia frutescens/decipularis.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Just to add to the confusion, there are other trees called magnolia, as well. But in any case, too soft for fingerboards.

The true rosewood commonly called tulipwood is dense and oily enough to behave like other rosewoods despite its light color; it makes a good fingerboard.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

The finger board wood I'm intending to use is Dalbergia frutescens. Like Howard says, its is very dense and oily. Other than my concern (unfounded?) about dirt stains, it appears to be very suitable for a finger board.

Doug

HI Doug,
If you use lemon oil it may take so long to dry that it may actually attract dirt not protect against it .
Try a gel wipe on poly ,4 or 6 coats kind of "french polished " in then sanded back with 600 grit. Next , 2 or 4 coats and then buffed with steel wool . Some folks pre finish the FB prior to fretting.
The kind I use on maple boards is ROCKLER brand with a photo of Michael Dresner on the can.This stuff dries on EIRW and AmazonRW but not at all on Cocobolo.
I would try a test first!
A thin barrier of 1 coat of shellac as a sealer first can help.
When I am done the film is .002" or less and the pores are still open somewhat.The feel is like an old bannister that has been touched a millon times.
Hope this helps ,good luck
Brett

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How long is that in luthyears?

Lemon oil doesn't dry slowly--it doesn't dry at all. It evaporates. The stuff that's sold as "lemon oil" furniture polish is a petroleum distillate of about the weight of kerosene with some citrus scent. It evaporates off in a few days. Its usefulness is in cleaning off gunk, and then leaving a temporary shine behind.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I've found fiddlebrite so be a great cleaner/restorer for fingerboards...a very old luthier turned me onto it ~30 years ago when I had taken my father's '58 D-28 in for some work as a father's day gift

http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/V401.htm

Sorry, Doug. I ass-umed you were talking about the poplar-like, non-rosewood kind. Go with Howard's advice.

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Hi Howard
The "lemon oil " I used years ago took so long (months)to evaporate off that I wonder if we are even talking about the same stuff.So now I use Guitar Honey instead.
Thanks for the info though.

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How long is that in luthyears?

Doesn't SM sell fret board stain for just this reason? Its some sort of penetraiting stain to even out the color of fingerboard. Let me see if I can find the link...........


http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supplies/Colors,_tints,_and_stains/Black_Fingerboard_Stain.html

Ok, here it is. It appears to be black...but at least you can see what the concept is.

Joe

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Joe

The issue is he want to keep the varance in shades rather than tone it down.

Ah yes, I see Michael. I thought he said he Wanted to add color and not the opposite.

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Joe