Lemon Oil

[mikeller]

What type of Lemon Oil do you folks use for your Ernie Ball maple fingerboards? I've am having trouble finding any real lemon oil, everything is lemon oil polish?

Thanks!

 

[MusicManJP6]

I picked up some Dr. Stringfellow Lem-Oil made by Kyser at my local music store. Had to go a few places to find it. Seems to be a hard item to find. Worked wonders on my rosewood fretboard. It gave me that 'just brushed clean feeling'............

OR grab some fretboard conditioner wonder wipes, (insert cheesy announcer voice)NEEEEEEEW FROM ERNIE BALL!!!!

 

[candid_x]

I get it here: Lemon Oil by NOW Foods, Lemon Oil

I use it only very sparingly on maple neck and board, to clean, not to let soak in, as on a rosewood board.

 

[jongitarz]

Get some Wonder Wipes!

 

[MikeVt]

Get some Wonder Wipes!

Hehe....you guys need to deliver them to Pete first! I have a big standing order in the hopper!

Mike

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

I use Dunlop 65 lemon oil or D'Andrea lemon oil

 

[mikeller]

Thanks alot for the replies. Local GC had some Dr. Stringfellows

 

[OrangeChannel]

Second time we talked about this in a week. I use Formby's Lemon Oil. Roche Thomas fingerboard oil is great too.

 

[Sweat]

Get some Wonder Wipes!

Would love to, but they must be in stores to purchase!

 

[germangallardo]

Would love to, but they must be in stores to purchase!

+1

 

[jazzbo jim]

I try to keep my hands clean when I play and when needed I use Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil followed by BC Tru-Wax. A little elbow grease and TLC as well.

 

[GrooveMerchant]

You don't really need lemon oil for a maple fingerboard. It's the unfinished rosewood ones that need conditioning with lemon oil.

 

[jagged]

you're not suppsoed to use lemon oil on maple fret boards... it'll wipe off any of the sealants/protectants and etc. that is on it....

only use lemon oil on rosewood or ebony...

 

[candid_x]

you're not suppsoed to use lemon oil on maple fret boards... it'll wipe off any of the sealants/protectants and etc. that is on it....

only use lemon oil on rosewood or ebony...

Incorrect. You can use a little lemon oil to clean maple, including fret boards. Just don't use too much. EB, in fact, recommends it on their FAQS (for maple boards and backs). Course now that Wonder Wipes are out, that'll polly change. True lemon oil has been used to clean and polish wood finishes for thousands of years, which is why Pledge and other commercial products advertise it on their packaging, though they mainly now just use lemon scent.

 

[candid_x]

I try to keep my hands clean when I play and when needed I use Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil followed by BC Tru-Wax. A little elbow grease and TLC as well.

Works great, dunnit? The difference with BC oil and wax is that it absorbs into the wood, and then hardens in the pores. It's actually a hard finish, unlike lemon oil. Minwax does pretty much the same thing, as does Watco Danish oil. The hardened finish retains the feel of natural wood, and continues buffing up long after it has dried.

 

[jazzbo jim]

That is my understanding. BC oil sets in fast and dries hard so as to seal the pores of the wood from moisture. It does tend to clean some of the grime off but steel wool will do a good job too. This will also allow for better penetration of the BC oil. THe BC wax gives it the nice smooth feel as well as a nice lustre. It has protective properties as well but not the same extent as the Tru-Oil.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that any solutions contain silicon or citrus oils are not necessarily a good thing for guitar necks. True?
I know PRS (whoever they are ) recommends lemon oil for their rosewood necks (I said "necks" not just fingerboards).
I think I'll just trust the experts and by the wipes.(Althought the thought of asking for wipes for my Balls is enough to make me blush )

 

[candid_x]

That is my understanding. BC oil sets in fast and dries hard so as to seal the pores of the wood from moisture. It does tend to clean some of the grime off but steel wool will do a good job too. This will also allow for better penetration of the BC oil. THe BC wax gives it the nice smooth feel as well as a nice lustre. It has protective properties as well but not the same extent as the Tru-Oil.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that any solutions contain silicon or citrus oils are not necessarily a good thing for guitar necks. True?
I know PRS (whoever they are ) recommends lemon oil for their rosewood necks (I said "necks" not just fingerboards).
I think I'll just trust the experts and by the wipes.(Althought the thought of asking for wipes for my Balls is enough to make me blush )

It does set really fast, yes. Faster than other oil finishes I've tried. I'm not sure it cleans especially well though. I agree with 0000 steel wool, both for preparing the wood for the oil and because it cuts through grime.

Just about all oil finishes have petroleum distillates, including BC. I've never heard that citrus oil is bad for wood or wood finishes, including guitar necks. Silicone builds up and can streak and leave prints after awhile. I don't care for silicon polishes.

Lemon oil has been standard for cleaning and conditioning rosewood boards for as long as I can recall.

I'm looking forward to trying the Wipes. I'm sure EB has done their home work.

 

[candid_x]

There is a problem using products like Pledge on rosewood boards, however. While they use the term "lemon oil" on their packaging, they contain very little if any actual lemon oil. They can actually dry the rosewood out rather than condition it. I wouldn't use that stuff on guitars, period. In fact, I won't use any sort of polish or wax on guitar bodies. I see no reason to use anything but a slightly damp cloth, followed by buffing with a clean cotton cloth, especially on today's tough poly finishes.

 

[mikeller]

I wound up cleaning both front and back of the neck with Murphys wipes, then treated the fingerboard with a small amount of Dr. Stringfellow's Lem Oil, then applied the Birchwood Casey Oil and Birchwood Casey Wax to the backside of the neck in accordance to what is on the FAQ. Nice.

 

[pauldogx]

After trying a bunch of different stuff on my rosewood fingerboards--I have settled on Gerlitz Guitar Honey---its the best I've tried---for me anyway.