Lubricating my strings

Rllink

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Last night I changed out my strings. But I forgot to wipe mineral oil on the fretboard as I usually do. So this afternoon I tried to push the strings aside and get the mineral oil on the fretboard without getting any on the strings. I didn't work. I got mineral oil all over everything. So I wiped it all off and set to tuning up the uke. The strings actually felt kind of good with a little coating of mineral oil. I played it for a while and decided that I liked the mineral oil treatment to the strings. I might lube them up more often.
 
What does the oil on the fretboard do exactly? Was always curious about this.
 
What does the oil on the fretboard do exactly? Was always curious about this.
Good question Kyle. I guess it keeps the fretboard from drying out and cracking. I'm not sure why the fretboard would need special treatment, and I've been working with wood all my life. I guess it is like furniture polish, it replaces the woods natural oils.;) That's what the advertisements say anyway. It looks nice after you do it. But stand by, I'm guessing that we are about to get a bunch of lectures on the subject.
 
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I've found that a newly oiled fretboard is slicker, making it easier to slide my fingers around. I don't know if this is from oil penetrating the wood, or from the oiling process removing all the dirt and goo my fingers have left behind.
 
I've read (on the mandolin forums) of putting lemon oil on the fretboard for the reasons given above. Supposedly it's a light oil. I've never tried it. I've never had a fretboard split, either. I figured I probably wouldn't, as my ebony fingerboards on my bowed instruments have never had a problem in all these years, and most of my fretboards are ebony, too. However, I do keep mineral oil in the house, and I think that stuff is heavier than any oil I'd personally put on wood, were I to try it.

bratsche
 
Rolli that is a very good point about "why would the fretboard need oiling and no other wooden part of the uke". Assuming it was used to keep from the fretboard from drying out doesnt make sense to me anymore. Your fingers have plenty of oil. I would guess the the recommendation to use lemon oil is more to remove the dirt and gunk left from your fingers. I use lemon oil and the paper towel always comes away soiled.
 
FWIW I've seen reference from an apparently reliable source that "lemon oil" is just ordinary lightweight machine oil (3-in1, sewing machine oil, etc.) with lemon scent added to make it smell nice ... make of that what you will ;)

I have a couple of instruments that "improve" with the application of a wipe of oil. After a while the fretboards become faded, in places at least. An application of oil brings back the depth of colour. I use a cotton bud to apply the oil between and under the strings. The removal of accrued gunge is a bonus :)

YMMV

:music:
 
Rolli that is a very good point about "why would the fretboard need oiling and no other wooden part of the uke".

As I understand it, the fretboard is unfinished wood and thus more likely to dry out. And a dried-out fretboard is bad.

Lemon oil definitely helps clean all the nasty gunk off too :)

Edit: Also I think I've done well to resist the temptation to do a lube joke :rolleyes:
 
As I understand it, the fretboard is unfinished wood and thus more likely to dry out. And a dried-out fretboard is bad.

Lemon oil definitely helps clean all the nasty gunk off too :)

Edit: Also I think I've done well to resist the temptation to do a lube joke :rolleyes:
I do it because everyone says to do it. I use mineral oil because at one time early on someone on one of the threads with a gazillion posts on the subject had a link to the Taylor Guitar site where Bob Taylor said to periodically apply mineral oil to the fretboard, and mineral oil is cheap. While I have not researched all the other concoctions that people buy and apply, the few that I have researched were mineral oil with additives. Now I notice they have their own brew that they sell. But I have also seen pages and pages on the topic of putting something on fretboards before. Never on the benefits of lubing your strings with mineral oil.
 
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Simple reason to oil a fretboard - it's to stabilise the wood. By stabilising the wood, the wire frets don't stick out as much when the wood shrinks. And it's also nice to get rid of all the inevitable grime that comes from beer, chips and fruitcake.

But I don't think putting any sort of chemical on a nylon/fluorocarbon string can come to any good. We all battle sustain on a daily basis as it is.
 
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It's better to have the strings all off and then add the "lemon oil". I use the Dunlop brand on my Martin fretboards. It's great.

PeteyHoudini
 
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I really like LoPrinzi fretboard conditioner.
 
Simple reason to oil a fretboard - it's to stabilise the wood. By stabilising the wood, the wire frets don't stick out as much when the wood shrinks. And it's also nice to get rid of all the inevitable grime that comes from beer, chips and fruitcake.

But I don't think putting any sort of chemical on a nylon/fluorocarbon string can come to any good. We all battle sustain on a daily basis as it is.

Here is a link to the Stew Mac luthiers shop. If you read the text it is a good authority to confirm that the lemon oil product sold by Stew Mac is in fact mineral oil. Vaseline and baby oil are two cheaper alternatives for mineral oil.


Plastics do absorb oils, I am not sure how that works for the plastics used in strings, but there is a chance that the strings do take on a coat of oil when you rub it on. The downside can be that over time the oil causes a chemical reaction in the plastic which may not be good for the strings, and may produce some other chemicals which may not be good for your fingertips. Again I do not know if this is the case for the plastics used for strings. I think there will be people who have wiped their strings with vaseline or similar for years and they have not died and the strings did not explode.
Mineral oil is pretty benign, I can't imagine it would cause any damage to the strings. I guess we will find out, as I got it all over mine. I'll report if they fail because of it.

It's better to have the strings all off and then add the "lemon oil". I use the Gibson brand on my Martin fretboards. It's great.

PeteyHoudini
That probably would be ideal, but then there are those who warn of the potential damage that can occur if one completely remove the strings. I wonder how those people recommend dressing the fretboard without getting it on the strings? I don't subscribe to that myself, I just cut them all off and put on new ones, but there are those who will reprimand me for doing so.
 
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I recognize there are less costly alternatives on a $/oz basis, but I love the convenience of Boogie Juice, a citrus oil and vegetable oil solution dispensed via a marker-like pen. I discovered it NAMM and use it whenever I change strings. It works great, makes it particularly easy to clean next to the frets and doesn't make a mess.

http://www.boogiejuice.co.nz/

And it's on sale at Elderly right now:

https://www.elderly.com/boogie-juice-fingerboard-cleaner.htm
 
I use the Dunlop 65 lemon oil (which I'm pretty certain is just scented mineral oil - fine by me). It's more expensive than buying unbranded mineral oil but I don't think the difference is going to break the bank any time soon and I like the convenience of the smaller spray bottle.

I do apply it with strings on from time to time but I always use a very sparing amount and wipe away all the excess. The strings don't feel lubricated afterwards but they do feel nice and clean. I haven't noticed any adverse effects and I can't imagine that the oil would do any harm.
 
There are so many concoctions out there. In San Juan I was changing the strings on my old Makala and I didn't have any mineral oil. So I was looking around in the store room for something and there was some furniture restoration oil, "guaranteed to clean and restore the wood's natural oils". I thought, well, that's what I want to do, so I gave it a try and it seemed to work fine. I've applied that stuff to the fretboard of the Makala now probably a half dozen times or more, just because it is there. That uke really gets subjected to salt air, sea spray, and it gets rained on a little once in a while, and it is still going strong. I'm not recommending it, but I don't think that one needs a magic potent of some kind.
 
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I have been using 3-in-1 oil since it is what Martin has recommended on their fretboards for years. I can't say if it is needed or if it is just for cosmetic purposes. It does darken the wood and gives it a richer appearance. I generally "oil" the fretboard right before I change strings so the old strings get the oil and then I change them. For me string changes are easier one by one than pulling all the old ones off first.

John
 
I have played and owned acoustic instruments for 45 years now. I have never oiled a fretboard - and I have never seen any indication that my fretboards have suffered as a result.
 
That probably would be ideal, but then there are those who warn of the potential damage that can occur if one completely remove the strings. I wonder how those people recommend dressing the fretboard without getting it on the strings? I don't subscribe to that myself, I just cut them all off and put on new ones, but there are those who will reprimand me for doing so.

The ukulele is a risky business... your choice. I did it on most of my Martins.

Petey
 
I do strings one at a time because it is easier to tune the new strings. In all my years I have never heard of any damage to a ukulele or guitar if all the strings are removed. Lot of vintage instruments that pop up without strings or little/no string tension. I would think long term storage of an acoustic instrument without string tension would help prevent having to do a neck reset.

John
 
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