Fretboard inlay finish question

Some materials must be protected with a finish. If you put an inlay in the fretboard do you seal it with a finish of some sort or what is your method. If you had something that would tarnish I assume you would want it sealed.

When I inlay metals I use Palladium based alloys or Germanium-doped alloys such as Argentium. This prevents any tarnish. But I find that fretboard metal inlays generally are rubbed on so much that they would not tarnish anyway. As for a finish, oil is the only realistic fretboard finish in my opinion, but would not prevent tarnish or wear to the inlay materials.

Renaissance wax (available through Stewmac) provides good protection over fretboard inlays and will keep any metal from tarnishing for a while. (Many jewelers use it to protect silver from oxidation.) I use it on all my fret boards and bridges. Buffs out real nice too.

Renaissance wax is good stuff. I like Liberon a little better, as it smells better, not as bothersome to work with for lengthy sessions. Both are excellent waxes. Either of these waxes are friendly, ( i.e. not excessive carnuba which makes the wax more difficult to buff)

For waxing Ebony, or any dark wood for that matter, I like to melt some wax in a double boiler, and add a bit of artist oil paint, like Black for Ebony, or a color darker than the wood to be waxed. Just enough to turn the melted wax black. Let the wax cool to solid again prior to using. Using the wax straight out of the can ( white) can leave a hazy look. I mix this in good size batches and store it in small friction cans for later use. The artist oil does not affect the 'handling' of the wax, use it exactly ase you would untinted.

actually for a fretboard, the tint probably isn't necessary, and it might mess with inlays, oiled necks, collecting black at the frets, or other things.. Still, tinted wax is cool in many situations.

I've been using just good old boiled linseed oil on fingerboards and bridges for years. Works great, but not sure if it does much for metal inlay protection once rubbed off.