Finishing a fingerboard with olive oil?

[DGV]

I seem to recall reading about wiping on and polishing a fingerboard with olive oil as part of setting up.  Does anyone do this?

 

 

[Brad Dorsey]

I do the final sanding of the fingerboard after applying mineral oil.  The idea is that the pores in the wood will be filled with a slurry of oil and sanding dust.  After the final sanding, I wipe off any oil remaining on the surface.  I think olive oil would work just as well.

[Rue]

Now...just because I'm curious...how about canola oil? Or is one vegetable oil that different (property wise) from another? For this purpose I mean...

[DGV]

I think one eHow expert would say we need a "special lubricant" for this purpose.

[Rue]

LOL...well, I was hoping for a more expert, than an eHow expert, opinion...

[Violadamore]

I seem to recall reading about wiping on and polishing a fingerboard with olive oil as part of setting up.  Does anyone do this?

Only if it's made of celery.  Don't forget the vinegar and garlic. [Munching noises] 

[franciscus]

I seem to recall reading about wiping on and polishing a fingerboard with olive oil as part of setting up.  Does anyone do this?

I always use the olive oil instead of mineral oil because the both are not of the drying kind and because I always have the virgin olive oil at hand, but not the mineral one, since my daughter came out of diapers.

[The Violin Beautiful]

I've tried using mineral oil as a part of the finishing process, and I know of a few people who use it. I'd be reluctant to use olive oil or any other food grade oil that could become rancid over time. Although I think mineral oil is a better alternative, I'm reluctant to recommend it. In my experience, I've found that oil used to finish the board tends to leave behind a film that attracts dirt and metal debris from the string windings. It's harder to clean off a fingerboard that has an oily buildup on it. As a player, I don't like it when I can leave fingerprints on the board.

[bcncello]

Just a newbie here but I won't make use of olive oil. It would become very dirty with time

[FredN]

Also consider Neatsfoot oil available at animal feed stores. Produces a shine, penetrates and is not sticky.

[Peter Lynch]

Not sure why you are thinking of a non-drying oil.  What is the advantage to this?  I use very thin coat of Tung or Watco or Joe Robson's "Tried and True" boiled linseed oil.  Sand with 600 -800 grit and wipe / buff off everything that you can. 

[Conor Russell]

I use liquid paraffin. I get it in the pharmacy, where it's sold as a laxative.

 

I sand the ebony, wash it off with a pad and warm water, and polish it with fine steel wool and oil. I don't think there's a need to go right up through the sanding grits, and I don't like a mirror shine, just a good even sheen.

[David Burgess]

I use liquid paraffin. I get it in the pharmacy, where it's sold as a laxative.

 

Wash hands before eating.

[Conor Russell]

Damn!. Thanks Dave.

 

Edited. Probably so, Rue.

[Rue]

TMI...

[Dwight Shirley]

Also consider Neatsfoot oil available at animal feed stores. Produces a shine, penetrates and is not sticky.

modern neatsfoot oil is made of lard

[NickIsWorking]

modern neatsfoot oil is made of lard

In that case, bacon grease? Yum.

[jezzupe]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancidification

 

imo, it's not a great idea, I  mean it will work, but VOO has a shelf life of 2-3 years, after that the fats will breakdown and go rancid. Now granted we are not licking our fingerboards {hopefully} but it could impart a stink, and worse case scenario it could create a mold reaction that could start to "fester" . I'm sure it could be done and is, I know people that use it as a lube for grain fill, but I personally think cutting board grade mineral oil is a better choice

 

"huh'huh, hey, smell my finger...board"

[Christopher Jacoby]

If you have a light box and a couple of days, nothing beats linseed oil. I use tung most of the time.

[jezzupe]

Actually, really, if you have the time and patience, I think Cohiba oil is really the best. This was something that Carlo suggested I try, I think Schleske determined that Cohiba increases radiation.

 

Anyway the stuff we got is really thick, I've used it straight, diluted in solvent, and mixed with other oils...The thing that seems to be unique is that it goes on thick and syrupy, you just leave it on the wood and let it slowly soak in....Once soaked in, the finger board feels kinda "sticky", initially I thought it was not good, BUT as time goes by and it dries {1 month} suddenly it starts to act like wax on skis....like a paraffin. It does require patience, and I don't think is something you would want to put on and then ship it out right away, but If you have the time it its pretty cool, and may have some minor acoustic benefits

 

Howard orange oil is also a very good oil that can go on after other oils have been first applied.

[David Burgess]

If you have a light box and a couple of days, nothing beats linseed oil. I use tung most of the time.

Don't even need a light box, if you purchase hardware store linseed oil with dryers. Even a thick film will dry overnight.

Tung or linseed oil are mostly what I have settled on too.

[CarloBartolini]

Actually, really, if you have the time and patience, I think Cohiba oil is really the best. This was something that Carlo suggested I try, I think Schleske determined that Cohiba increases radiation.

 

Anyway the stuff we got is really thick, I've used it straight, diluted in solvent, and mixed with other oils...The thing that seems to be unique is that it goes on thick and syrupy, you just leave it on the wood and let it slowly soak in....Once soaked in, the finger board feels kinda "sticky", initially I thought it was not good, BUT as time goes by and it dries {1 month} suddenly it starts to act like wax on skis....like a paraffin. It does require patience, and I don't think is something you would want to put on and then ship it out right away, but If you have the time it its pretty cool, and may have some minor acoustic benefits

 

Martin Schleske acoustic analysis of violin varnish:

 

....The changes in the speed of sound and damping were measured after a drying interval of nine years. Spruce wood strips were used as the support material with a grain orientation transverse to the longitudinal direction of the strip and a thickness of 3.0 mm.......The increase in the speed of sound.....The leader is copaiba balsam (+18.8% compared to untreated wood).

[DGV]

Can one speed up drying of Cohiba oil by using heat and UV light? 

 

Carlo: copaiba balsam is for the spruce top, not for the fingeboard, right?

[Rue]

Reiterating the lesson, while keeping it simple (for those of us with minimal mental storage space):  to oil a fingerboard, use linseed oil with drier additive.

 

Do not use food oils.  Other oils may work...but then it starts getting complicated again...

[Jeffrey Holmes]

Don't even need a light box, if you purchase hardware store linseed oil with dryers. Even a thick film will dry overnight.

Tung or linseed oil are mostly what I have settled on too.

 

Me too.  I believe this was discussed at length in another thread.  If interested, try a search...