Polishing walnut guitars

[dr_bob]

My apologies if this has been asked and addressed elsewhere, but I'd like to know what to use to clean/polish the walnut body of Ricks such as a 380L or 360 RCA. If anyone can help I would appreciate it.

[blueflamerick]

Page 7 of the owner's manual.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/manual.pdf

[jdogric12]

A forumite told me to use Watco's Tung Oil, based on his good experience.

I bought some Formby's TO, will that work?

[paologregorio]

It's like owning a piece of furniture!

[beatlefreak]

I'll second the Watco's Danish Oil finish, originally recommended by Jingle-jangle. you want the Natural color.

[ajish4]

I'll second the Watco's Danish Oil finish, originally recommended by Jingle-jangle. you want the Natural color.

I'll 3rd...same here for use on my son's 650D.

[doctorwho]

... I bought some Formby's TO, will that work?

Check the label - if it is similar in composition to Watco's product, it should be OK.

I still have some plain, undiluted tung oil left over from when I owned the 650S and 380L PZ ... if anyone wants me to send him/her a small bottle (a little goes a long way!), PM me your address and I'll send you some. FREE!

[jdogric12]

Gary you rock. I think I just might take you up on that! Let me try the F's first. I'll post the results here.

[jingle_jangle]

Watco's is a blend of tung, linseed, and dryers, with some wax and solvent. It penetrates well and polishes up really nice. That's my reason for recommending it, though the tung oil on offer from the Good Doctor will certainly work OK.

[dr_bob]

Thanks everyone for pointing me to Watco's Danish Oil. As per Kris' recommendation I got the natural finish. They also have a blonde finish and a mahogany finish. Do you recommend using the ultra fine pad after applying the oil as the Rick care manual suggests?

[doctorwho]

If the guitar has some surface dirt on it, use a pad. The way to test for dirt is to use the pad in a small area (I suggest on the back) and use a white cloth to wipe the area after treatment ... if you see dark smudges on the white cloth, there is probably surface dirt present and pad use is indicated, but if it wipes clean, you won't have to use a pad.

Oh, the fretboard would most likely need treatment with the pad, as it would be the area most likely to be dirty. Remove or move the strings aside, of course!

[jingle_jangle]

They also have (oddly?) a walnut finish, in both light and dark, several oaks, a red mahogany, etc.

A secret revealed:

I used dark walnut Watco's on my 380L. It richened up the finish and brought out the grain a bit more. Why? Because these finishes are quite subtle, and on hardwood don't really "stain" the wood very much. On soft wood, like pine, results are spotty and can lead to the look of a crooked-bookshelf-magazine amateur staining that is very uneven.

No pine guitars here, though, so I guess I'll just move along...

[jdogric12]

I did one application (coat?) on half of the back and saw no difference. How many coats do I need?

[jps]

I did one application (coat?) on half of the back and saw no difference. How many coats do I need?

Enough to see a difference. Get back to work!

[jingle_jangle]

I did one application (coat?) on half of the back and saw no difference. How many coats do I need?

Then yer gittar didn't need it in the first place, Jdog.

If it wasn't looking kinda pale and dingy, it was already well-fed.