Oil for Walnut Body

[andyenobs]

Hi
Does anyone know for certain what sort of oil should be used on the walnut body as a periodic maintenance exercise ? Or even better what Rickenbacker use in the factory.
No guesses please just accurate answers.
Thanks
Andy

[Guzzitd63]

From page 7 of the Care and Maintenance Manual (available online here: http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/manual.pdf )

"Oil Finish Maintenance

Beyond routine cleaning, the best way to maintain a hand rubbed oil finish (as seen with the Rickenbacker W Series and older models), is with Tung oil and a 3M Scotch-Brite™ Ultra Fine Hand Pad (#7448.)"

[andyenobs]

Hi David
Thanks for the information.

[doctorwho]

FWIW, when I owned a 650S, I used tung oil from The Real Milk Paint Compnay, as it is a truly pure tung oil with no additives.

https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils ... chinawood/

Keep in mind that without additives such as antioxidants, the oil will become rancid as it ages, so don't buy a lifetime supply at one time!

[andyenobs]

How often do you think a Walnut body requires re-oiling? Once a year or longer?

[doctorwho]

IMO, it would depend on how often it is played. Just like with a standard glossy painted finish, if it starts to look dull or the back of the neck starts feeling sticky, then that would be a time to do a touch-up (you might not need to use the Scotch-Brite pad for that).

When I got my 650S from the previous owner, it was quite dirty (probably hadn't been cleaned for a while), so when I used the tung oil with the Scotch-Brite pad, it brought up a lot of dirt, as indicated when I used a white cloth to wipe it down. I kept repeating the process until a clean white cloth looked like it hadn't picked up any more dirt.

One other thing, if there are any scratches, sand them with fine sandpaper before doing the tung oil treatment. My 650S had a couple of spots that needed that, and afterwards you couldn't tell that they were ever there.