Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I went to Pep Boys this morning and got some Scratch-X and Zymol, to spruce up the basses. I was reading the directions, and on the bottom of the zymol bottle it says "Not intended for vinyl, wood, or simulated wood, metalized plastic, decals, or flat paint.

It obviously is ok on wood as you have been using it for a while, but what's up with the warning?

We're not using it on wood. We're using it on conversion varnish, which is a urethane plastic.

This is to warn off the uninformed who would try to use it on unfinished (bare) wood (why?). But why are the uninformed "the uninformed"? Because they seldom read, that's why...

That is what I suspected. Thanks!

Which means it is not good for the fretboard on a 4004.

And you are correct in that I didn't read the definitive thread on using the stuff. I wanted to have it my hands before I dove into the details. That way I could use it as soon as I read how to.

Paul, any thoughts on Butcher's Boston Polish for an unfinished rosewood fretboard?

Well, it's a great floor wax...

But I think that it would be prone to waxy yellow buildup around the frets!

Paul, what DO you recommend as the ultimate care for unfinished wood fretboards? I have several 24-fret Alembics with unfinished ebony fretboards, and one with a true rosewood unfinished fretboard. All have carved solid-slab pieced abalone inlay (adhesive unknown). What should I use (if anything) on these to prevent the infiltration of finger oils and sweat into the wood, potentially discoloring it, while preserving the color values and integrity of the abalone itself from acidic dissolution?

Unless you use a concentrated acid, the abalone is pretty much safe...

I've spent a lot of words on recommending Kyser Dr. Stringfellow Lem-Oil, available at nearly any music store. This stuff is really nice for unfinished boards. Someone jumped in one time (sorry, don't remember who--was it Karl Teten?) and recommended bore oil (not for guns, for woodwinds...). Others chimed in to support this choice, too.

I would suppose, though I've not tried the bore oil, that either would be an excellent choice.

The adhesive in your Alembic's inlays is a mix of wood dust and epoxy resin.

"Acidic dissolution". Of course!

So wassamatta with "acidic dissolution" conceptually, Sir Curmudgeon? Chemically, that is what happens with bare abalone, if you have acidic skin pH, isn't it? It is just a modified calcium compound, a nacre similar to limestone more than marble in its properties. Happens more with ladies than with men, statistically. It just takes longer with moderately-low pH than it does with much-lower pH...

Lem-oil sounds good. Bore Oil is formulated for corks-against-wood. I use it with the woodwinds in the music room. Not sure how it would do with just-wood against rubbing finger surfaces, though, that will take some thought.

Concentrated acid??? Try dropping a bit of abalone in a glass of chardonnay, and measure the time in minutes until it is dissolved

As I said, Elys, "Of course!" And if we're gonna get that technical, let's get practical, too, and say that the only thing that would protect that form of mollusc nacre in any meaningful way, would be to seal it, as any oil that's gonna protect is also gonna gum over a century or two. So we do what Parthenon Preservers, Ltd. are doing in Athens to their nacreic charge.

Never did the abalone-in chardonnay trick, but it makes my above remarks all the more timely. Now, do I really want to mess with abalone inlays on that bass I'm building?

A bit more info, Elys, robbed from my deteriorating memory banks: It seems I also remember something about walnut oil.

So...oil away!

I did the Scratch-X Zymol on my new 4004 MB. WOW! It literally glows!

"WOW! It literally glows!"

Another satisfied customer! You should see what it does to a finished bubinga fretboard.

I will use a tiny bit of axe wax on this unfinished fretboard, as I have always like how it works with fretboards and strings.

Just so I make sure I got this all down, The properties of the petroleum based products are exactly what is called for on an unfinished fretboard? It cleans itself off with every application. Used sparingly, it seems like a good thing.

Please tell me if I am "out to lunch" on this one.

Well, grab a snack, Charlie.

Petroleum-based products are not what we're talking about here. Although Lem-Oil is a blend of aromatic citrus oils and naphtha, the naphtha does clean a bit, but it evaporates within seconds and leaves the aromatic oils to penetrate and nourish the wood. Literally, what they do is replace the moisture in the exposed cellulose fibers of the wood with oils that don't evaporate like water does, and resist dirt and other (body) oils.

It has little to do with cleaning itself off with every application, because it end up absorbed into the wood structure. But, while both the naphtha and the citrus oils do have a secondary cleaning function, they don't "strip" previous coats of the oil/conditioner, but instead clean off surface dirt. What's nice is that this stuff will settle a bit into the fretboards/fret joint and help to prevent "green" fret corrosion.

The "stripping" function that I describe is what happens on finished surfaces like conversion varnish, where the wax fills the pores in the varnish, but essentially remains on the surface, susceptible to stripping by subsequent coats.

Sheesh!

I think I finally understand. I keep forgetting there are ALWAYS two sides to the equation. What yer puttin on, and what yer puttin it on!