Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I know this has been posted before, but that thread seems to have disappeared?

I have a 98 Ci that is essentially in natural wood finish, which I like. Will leaving it unfinished damage the woods and/or make it prone to neck problems? (Warmoth don't warrantee unfinished maple necks!)

If I did re-oil the bass, should all the fittings be removed i.e tuners, bridge, pickups?

IIRC John Hall said the factory use an oil with a varnish in, would Danish Oil be suitable, as this sounds very similar in make up?

And finally, someone suggested the use of a wax as a final finishing stage...unfortunately I can't remember what was recommended!! Any suggestions?

http://rpstuff.org/~muppetprince/Rick4004C_body.jpg

Watco's Danish Oil is a good finish for this purpose. But buy the "Natural" version, as they also sell it in "Walnut", with some stain tossed in, and this will discolor the neck-through portion of your bass.

I use a good paste floor or furniture wax. Minwood Natural, Johnson's paste wax, or Butcher's Boston floor wax all work well. Apply and buff off before it's fully evaporated. It's a bear to buff if you let it sit.

On my Ci I removed all of the bright metal parts and washed them carefully with mild detergent to brighten them up. While they were off, I gave the entire instrument a cleaning with a "Coconut Cleaner" that I got from a piano specialty place. Then, it got a light coat of pure tung oil (as recommended by the owner's manual). After reassembly, I put a VERY light coat of Johnson's paste wax on the walnut parts just to give it a little shine. Looks great. The tung oil finish on the neck makes it really easy to play -- actually nicer than the paint finishes on my 4003 and 4004.

I prefer the tung oil with mineral spirits added ... I haven't refinished my 4004ci yet but I have some other oil finished basses ...

Barry ... that bass is pretty clean ... I would leave it be for a while ...

The "Danish Oil" in Watco's is in fact, tung oil. But it is blended with linseed oil and a cobalt drier, and some waxes to be a really wood- and user-friendly mix. I've been using it on my oak and walnut stuff since I discovered it in 1969 (!) with great results.

I think RIC says "tung oil" to offer more options (Watco's can be a bit difficult to track down in the sticks...)

Thanks for the info. I thought it was Johnson's wax, but couldn't remember!

I have tracked down the UK distributor of Cory Care products and will be using the coconut cleaner when the time comes to clean it.

I don't fancy taking all the hardware off and as it isn't 'dirty' as such will leave it for a while as I do like the natural feel.

(Watco's can be a bit difficult to track down in the sticks...) ... and in the UK I suspect!!

you can always get 100% tung oil and add mineral spirits to it yourself and add some linseed oil as well ... or better yet find some watco stuff on the internet and have it shipped right to your house ...

I just picked up Watco's Danish oil natural and Johnson's paste wax at OSH for my Hamburg 230 project(body has been reshaped and contoured to look like a 3/4 scale 360). They had a complet line of Watco products.

i can't find the "Coconut Cleaner".
what else could be used to clean a 4004c?

also, is the wax a necessary step for revitalizing the finish (i like the no gloss look).

I have some oak furniture that I oil finished in the 80s with tung oil and applied the paste wax ... it still looks great 20 years later ...

thanks.

i have some "goof off" cleaner, i think it is citris based. would that work to clean it or should i use mineral spirits or acetone?

Dane, what is OSH??

Orchard Supply Hardware.

You can get "Coconut Cleaner" at www.corycare.com

They sell several nice products especially made for pianos and other fine wood musical instruments -- like RIC guitars and basses.