Linseed oil for the fretboard

[russhaire]

I saw on the Taylor website they recommend linseed oil for the fretboard...i have looked everywhere and the only place I can find it is Home depot and they only sell it in GALLONS! I'd never use that much..where can I get it in smaller quantities?
Russ

[Jeff M]

The other thing you might find easier is plain old mineral oil.

I find I oil my fretboards VERY VERY LIGHTLY about once a year. They really don't need any more than that...if even that.

Nice brief article about cleaning your guitar from Frets.com.
Great information site about guitar maintainance/repair by Frank Ford, luthier, repair expert, owner of Gryphon Stringed Instruments, moderator over at the AG magazine Forums "Luthiers Corner";
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musi...leaning01.html

To quote;

" Some players talk of "feeding" the unfinished surface of the fingerboard with oil. Fingerboards are not actually hungry and don't really need to be fed, but a light coating of oil gives them a finished and clean look. If you do choose to oil the fingerboard, do it with care. Use a tiny amount of lemon oil or mineral oil on the rag, wipe it on the fingerboard, and then wipe it all off. You don't want to saturate the fingerboard, and you don't want a lot of oil running down into the fret slots. If there are cracks in your fingerboard, consider having them filled professionally, and don't get oil in the cracks. Generally, you'll want to stay away from linseed and other natural vegetable oils, which become sticky and gummy over time........

This kind of fingerboard cleaning should be a once-a-year event, at the most. Too much scrubbing and oiling can easily do more damage than good."

[Chazmo]

You can buy some bore oil at the music store (used for woodwinds). This comes in a little bottle. I use this on my fretboards.

[YummyPork]

Is that linseed oil at Home Depot the stuff you'd want to put on your guitar?

I'm thinking it's not. It is linseed oil plus all sorts of other stuff in it that make it more suitable as a wood finishing product (and more toxic). Solvents, dryers, hardeners and the like... There are are linseed oil finishes - Tried and True for example - but I can't imagine putting that on my guitar neck either.

[guitar1580]

I've read alot of bad things about using linseed oil, although some do seem to recommend it. Martin recommends 3-in-1, which is less permanent....cleans and shines, but mostly evaporates. For years I've used Holloway House, also a light mineral oil, with lemon scent, with great results. Lately, I've been using Gibson fretboard conditioner......very similar, works well, and was recommended by a local luthier.
I definitely believe in oiling.....after seeing some dry chalky looking fingerboards. I like mine slick and fast.
I do mine 2 or 3 times a year, but as stated above, a few drops on a rag goes a long way......not meant to be slopped on.

[DChap]

picked mine up at a Hardware store, works great.

[MichaelK]

There's nothing wrong with boiled linseed oil on a fretboard, as long as you use very little (which is all you need) and wipe off the excess completely. "Raw" linseed oil will not dry, it's used as the vehicle for oil paints - the Van Gogh type, not house paint. "Boiled" has dryers added, big deal. Any idea what's in the stain they use to make ebony uniformly black? Are you worried that your fretboard might get cancer from (gasp) artificial ingredients?

I've been using the same quart can of boiled linseed oil for... I dunno how many years. At least 10 or 15. Over that 10 or 15 years I've used maybe one ounce or less. I have 8 guitars that have either rosewood or ebony fretboards and I'll put a little oil on whenever one looks dry to me, which on average ends up being about once every 1.5 - 2 years. An application requires one Q-tip end's worth of oil.

Joe Glaser, Nashville's top guitar tech, told me that he uses Lemon Oil, the stuff you get at the supermarket.

But there's always someone willing to sell internet guitar players (as differentiated from actual guitar players) the FINEST (fill in the blank) EVER MADE for an exorbitant sum, like $40 an ounce for specially formulated, all natural fretboard oil that won't do the awful things to your fretboard that all other oils will.

[dmarkturner]

I found that Lowes sells boiled linseed oil in smaller containers than does Home Depot...but it will still last practically forever.