PRIMER ON THE CARE AND FEEDING OF RICK FINISHES

[jingle_jangle]

Sure, as long as you don't worry about my sanity when I start the Bay Area Hyphee rap.

[sowhat]

Um. What's sanity?
Well, in fact, i don't mind rap, but since a friend of mine hates rap, i also kinda hate it - i mean rap. I mean, one letter is missing from this word. The first one. But then again, it's just my opinion of rap. It may be cool, oh yeah! And 100 % sane. Methinks.

[johnallg]

Back on topic, I second Sheena's request for the proper treatment for Rick oiled finishes.

[jingle_jangle]

I've written on this topic several times. There was a long thread on it about a year or so ago, in which we discussed all sorts of natural and synthetic oils as related to the maintenance of these finishes. I seem to remember Karl Teten (?) recommending woodwind bore oil, and posting a link to an exhaustive article on this topic.

I use Watco's Danish Oil finish to keep oiled finishes looking great. I own a beautiful one-off Greene and Greene "umbrella stand" long case clock in a fumed golden oak finish. Watco's is all I use to keep it looking its best. I purchase the Watco's in pint tins, and use the Natural (colorless) kind. It has tung oil, linseed, a bit of spirits, and natural waxes (I believe) dissolved in small quantities, or maybe the wax is a component of one of the oils.

Watco's is wiped on. It contains no solvents. (Formby's has butyl cellusolve and alcohol to liquify the old finish.)Wipe the Watco's on nice and wet, and let it penetrate for five minutes or so, then using a dry clean cotton cloth, buff the excess off and keep buffing until the waxes rise and the surface feels hard, slick and non-sticky. Do not let the stuff dry--it will remain sticky and attract dust and dirt.

When I do a walnut guitar, I disassemble the body and remove the tuners, too. Then I go over the guitar a couple of times in a row, and reassemble after the final buffing.

Rick's manual mentions a regimen (I'm going from memory) using tung oil and very fine steel wool, I think. My own opinion is: if they recommend it, it must be good. My own way comes from years of working with handmade hardwood stereo component cases, which I used to build back in the '60s and '70s until black became the style.

You can also use a hard paste wax like Johnson's floor wax or Butcher's Boston Wax, applied with fine steel wool and buffed out. Don't let this dry, either, especially Johnson's. It is a bear to remove once dry.

Whenever using these "rub in" products, go WITH the grain of the wood.

So, pick your method and you'll keep your walnut guitar looking good and resisting moisture for a long time.

That helps John. But Sheena, I don't know any Russian brands for this stuff!

NEVER use Pledge.

[johnallg]

Thank you so much for this insight, Paul. Sounds like a winter project is scheduled for me. I'll look for the old thread and see if it is still accessable, or if it has "rolled" off.

Pledge sucks for furnature, so it would be no better for my prized bass!

[jingle_jangle]

Theoretically and traditionally, Hofners should have some relief.

But show me a Hofner Beatle bass with a perfect neck...

If a ruler wiggles across your Hofner's frets, the neck is back-bowed and you need to de-tension the truss rod.

[jingle_jangle]

David, does it play OK? Does it buzz? Is the action OK for you?

If it plays all right and the action's fine and there are no buzzes, leave it alone, is my advice.

[jingle_jangle]

Nope. My advice is to leave it. If you must detension it and fiddle around, try Googling the info. My forté is Ricks.

[beatlefreak]

Paul's right - As long as that Hofner plays OK with no buzzing on any of the frets, it's best to leave it alone. If you take some of the tension out of the neck, you're likely to raise the action, not lower it.

[beatlefreak]

I had figured from one of your previous posts where you said that you could use a little less with the action, that your bridge was already adjusted as low as it could go.

[muppetprince]

Dear Cur Mudge, I was wondering if the RIC restoration kits you mentioned in this thread ever saw the light of day?

[jingle_jangle]

Wow. That's a lot of water under the bridge. I have been steadily quite busy since this thread last saw the light of day...most RRF members who have wished to restore the shine to their Ricks, have been acquiring the Scratch-X, Zymol Cleaner-Wax, and cotton diapers (which are the three components that these made-up kits would have) on their own initiative. Best sources in the USA have been the automotive departments of K-Mart and Wal-Mart. Using Goggle will also help you to source these items.

[muppetprince]

I agree the key ingredients are readily available even here in the UK, it is the laser cut plexiglass sanding blocks that are difficult to find. The cotton nappies available over here are either terry cotton or muslin are either of these of any use for polishing?

[jingle_jangle]

The plexi blocks are not really necessary for 90% of the shine-ups out there.

Muslin nappies are best.

[muppetprince]

Thank you!