Varnish on Fretboard?

I'm in the process of building a cigar box uke from scratch and I'm using a piece of walnut for the fret board. What should I use on this type of wood to give me a smooth, non-sticky feel that will allow me to slide up and down the fretboard with ease?

What is normally used to finish a fret board?

And while I'm on here, what else is good for finishing the neck so it won't be too sticky?


Thanks guys!

I would *not* varnish the fretboard. You don't want something that will flake off with playing. A good semi-penetrating oil is all you need. I don't know specific brand names, but something like Tung Oil, Tru-Oil, or even lemon oil would suffice. Even then, don't saturate the wood with it. It'll eventually make the fret slots "mushy" and the frets won't hold.

I use Formby's tung oil. As Dave said any kind of lacquer or varnish will wear off during playing and refinishing that is a pain. Some electric guitars with maple fretboards have a lacquer finish, I've repaired some after the finish has worn thru. I would finish the neck with the same thing you use for the rest of the body. Deft makes a spray lacqer in satin or high gloss, that comes in a spray can. Or order a can of spray lacquer from Stew.-Mac, either works well for small projects.

Brad

The important thing on a fret board is to take it through all the descending grits of sandpaper, down to 600, then buff to a sheen with 0000 steel wool. You could also use the same steel wool to the back of the neck after applying whatever finish you're using.