another one for Muttley or Light

[MajorTom]

I'll have to say that I find the powder idea intriguing...messy, but intriguing. My hands sometimes sweat when I play, which does cause corrosion, fretboard funk, and dead strings. Many years ago I used a powder that I applied directly to my left hand, it seemed to help a little.

Using powder would not have to be an exclusive treatment - there is no reason why a fret board could still not be oiled periodically, like when strings are changed. I wonder though, would the powder tend to wick the lemon oil or whatever out of he fb...?

 

[Victory Pete]

Different climate?

Thanks for your reply. No one has suggested there could be a regional factor here. I have digital hygrometers all around my facility and I monitor the relative humidity often. I imagine if a guitar resided in Arizona it would have more problems than if it were in New England.
Victory Pete

 

[muttley600]

I have had the privilege of being around many old guitars. I have seen many cracked ebony boards. Rosewood is less prone to cracking but I have seen them cracked as well. I have run my hands along the edges of countless fingerboards with the fret ends sticking out as a result of shrinkage. I have personal experience with guitars who's frets were popping loose rendering them unplayable without tedious and expensive repair work.

I have never seen this happen to a guitar that was kept properly humidified and whose fingerboard recieved oil treatment regularly as Muttley and Light have described. I have maintained my guitars this way for many years.

You may do as you wish for maintaining your own guitars and if you have good results I am happy for you. But from considerable experience I will tell you that you do so at your own risk. The powder you are using does nothing to address the issues that prompt us to use oil on our boards.

Your wasting your time even responding to the guy. Just ignore him has to the the way forward.

 

[muttley600]

I'll have to say that I find the powder idea intriguing...messy, but intriguing. My hands sometimes sweat when I play, which does cause corrosion, fretboard funk, and dead strings. Many years ago I used a powder that I applied directly to my left hand, it seemed to help a little.

Using powder would not have to be an exclusive treatment - there is no reason why a fret board could still not be oiled periodically, like when strings are changed. I wonder though, would the powder tend to wick the lemon oil or whatever out of he fb...?

Seriously think about what you might be expecting a bit of powder (french chalk essentially) to do. The stuff at best is going to absorb some moisture and oil early on, it's also going to pull moisture out of the fingerboard. We used to use french chalk in ovens when we tested the moisture content of timbers and also in bag pressing to remove moisture from an enclosed clamping system when veneering.. All it is going to do is collect as a what you are calling "funk" in the strings especially under the strings and in the windings. All you will do is aid in trapping the oils and moisture where it shouldn't be.. It is seriously bad advice.

Do what everyone else does and wipe down the strings and fretboard when you have finished playing. The best thing for that is a dry clean cloth or better still a chamois leather. There simply is NO way to keep dirt and wear off of strings. It is the nature of the beast. Oil the f/b regularly and just enjoy the music it makes.Trust me.

 

[starbuck26]

powder=for your butt
lemon oil=for your guitar.

 

[muttley600]

powder=for your butt
lemon oil=for your guitar.

I thought the same until I browsed his post history. Then I realised he's just and idiot.

Don't feed the idiot.

 

[MajorTom]

Seriously think about what you might be expecting a bit of powder (french chalk essentially) to do. The stuff at best is going to absorb some moisture and oil early on, it's also going to pull moisture out of the fingerboard. We used to use french chalk in ovens when we tested the moisture content of timbers and also in bag pressing to remove moisture from an enclosed clamping system when veneering.. All it is going to do is collect as a what you are calling "funk" in the strings especially under the strings and in the windings. All you will do is aid in trapping the oils and moisture where it shouldn't be.. It is seriously bad advice.

Do what everyone else does and wipe down the strings and fretboard when you have finished playing. The best thing for that is a dry clean cloth or better still a chamois leather. There simply is NO way to keep dirt and wear off of strings. It is the nature of the beast. Oil the f/b regularly and just enjoy the music it makes.Trust me.

Thanks for the reply. I do clean my strings religiously - typically using formby's lemon oil and lighter fluid. I also wipe down my rosewood fretboards with Formbys when I change strings (often). I also wash my hands before playing. Over the years, I have found that employing all of the above help prevent the funk and rust. Honestly, the powder stuff seems like a messy solution anyway.

I am intrigued by the chamois wipe down - what is the benefit to that vs. cotton? Does it "grab" the dirt / oxidation off the strings and fb better?

 

[muttley600]

Thanks for the reply. I do clean my strings religiously - typically using formby's lemon oil and lighter fluid. I also wipe down my rosewood fretboards with Formbys when I change strings (often). I also wash my hands before playing. Over the years, I have found that employing all of the above help prevent the funk and rust. Honestly, the powder stuff seems like a messy solution anyway.

I am intrigued by the chamois wipe down - what is the benefit to that vs. cotton? Does it "grab" the dirt / oxidation off the strings an fb better?

Kind of, chamois is a very efficient way of wiping off the normal dirt, grime and waxes that life leaves on shiny surfaces. It's also as close to none abrasive as you'll find, that's why it's been used on cars for years, the finishes on guitars are pretty similar in many regards. The other option and I use them in the workshop when removing sanding dust and polishing cutting dust is babies nappies. I believe you call them dippers over where you are. Obviously you want a clean one. They are pretty much lint free and are designed to pull moisture, dirt dust and the like away. Not essential I just had a ready supply of them with kids at that age and they work perfectly. You'll be OK with a good quality cotton cloth but I include a decent chamois with every instrument I build that leaves my work shop but that's just me.

The bottom line is you want all the dirt and grime, oil and even excessive moisture away from the instrument. any sort of powder is going to trap it there. Conditioning the f/b with mineral oil is a separate thing. See other posts here for the reasons you might want to do that.

 

[Victory Pete]

Entertainment

This is really amusing! I can not believe this! All this because I like to use a little powder on my fretboard.
Victory Pete

 

[dodgeaspen]

Hey all, some good info on this thread. However, what's all the posts against Victory Pete. Just because he doesn't follow the norm (or what you might consider the norm) does that make him wrong? If he has been doing the same thing all thees years and has had no problems as of yet I think that's cool. If his guitars fall apart tomorrow we can laugh at him. This is only opinion! If he's wrong then NICELY explain to him why his advice or thought process is wrong. What is the need to call him an idiot? Don't know the guy but give him a chance.

 

[javabluemandy]

Hey all, some good info on this thread. However, what's all the posts against Victory Pete. Just because he doesn't follow the norm (or what you might consider the norm) does that make him wrong? If he has been doing the same thing all thees years and has had no problems as of yet I think that's cool. If his guitars fall apart tomorrow we can laugh at him. This is only opinion! If he's wrong then NICELY explain to him why his advice or thought process is wrong. What is the need to call him an idiot? Don't know the guy but give him a chance.

I agree with dodgeaspen! People have their own ways of doing things..why does everyone have to follow everyone else's methods? If everyone did everything the same way this world would just suck!

Define idiot: an utterly foolish or senseless person:

Seems to me VictoryPete knows what he is talking about! One should not judge others!

 

[muttley600]

Hey all, some good info on this thread. However, what's all the posts against Victory Pete. Just because he doesn't follow the norm (or what you might consider the norm) does that make him wrong? If he has been doing the same thing all thees years and has had no problems as of yet I think that's cool. If his guitars fall apart tomorrow we can laugh at him. This is only opinion! If he's wrong then NICELY explain to him why his advice or thought process is wrong. What is the need to call him an idiot? Don't know the guy but give him a chance.

OK, since you ask.

This thread was dead and buried until Victory Pete rolled away the stone and posted bad information.

He has now done this twice in this thread.

It was Victory Pete that started throwing the mud when he called light a pompous know it all.

He has been doing the same in another thread in which he has given very bad advice and made statements of fact that are totally insupportable.

He has refused every invitation to support them. Instead opting to insult those that do know their stuff. That's why I called hem out..

On the wider issue, yes these forums allow for people to state their opinions. If they then refuse to accept that they are open to be challenged by those of us that have extensive experience and factual knowledge on the subject and choose instead to rubbish those people he deserves everything he gets.

 

[muttley600]

I agree with dodgeaspen! People have their own ways of doing things..why does everyone have to follow everyone else's methods? If everyone did everything the same way this world would just suck!

Define idiot: an utterly foolish or senseless person:

Seems to me VictoryPete knows what he is talking about! One should not judge others!

Wow another newly registered poster that showed up to defend the guy.

To clarify, his advice is bad advice. People need to know.

 

[starbuck26]

If everyone did everything the same way this world would just suck!

There are certain things everybody does. Everyone ties their shoes so they don't fall on their face. Everyone wipes their ass after they take a crap so they don't get shit on theyselves. Everyone drinks water so they don't shrivel into a prune and die. Everyone (in america) drives on the right side of the road. Everyone shuts their bedroom window when a snowstorm arrives.

I appreciate the sentiment, but in this case the sentiment is getting in the way of logic. The reason you use powder on yer butt is that it soaks up the swampass and moisture. The reason you use oil is that your "fingerboard needs some method of minimising the amount of moisture that it absorbs and loses is to prevent unwanted movement of the otherwise bare timber."

It doesn't matter how original you are, or how much the world sucks. It has to do with the behavior of wood.

Imma make some pasta tonight and use baby powder to saute the garlic.

 

[Light]

Thanks for your reply. No one has suggested there could be a regional factor here. I have digital hygrometers all around my facility and I monitor the relative humidity often. I imagine if a guitar resided in Arizona it would have more problems than if it were in New England.
Victory Pete

I lived in Boston for 6 years. The swings in indoor humidity are much worse than a desert, as in the desert the humidity is always pretty much the same. But no matter what, your advice is shit, and anyone here who knows what they are talking about are going to point this out any every time you open your mouth to spew your shit.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[muttley600]

Thanks for your reply. No one has suggested there could be a regional factor here. I have digital hygrometers all around my facility and I monitor the relative humidity often. I imagine if a guitar resided in Arizona it would have more problems than if it were in New England.
Victory Pete

Just for the record and to prove that you can neither read nor understand, I quote myself from post #5

......For this reason make sure that the fingerboard is well acclimatised to the general environment of your area or region before applying it.....

from post #9

...If in doubt ask your local tech what he recommends for your area.. Here in the UK three or four time a year is ample...

If you are going to persist in promoting bad advice and rubbishing those that challenge it please do us the courtesy of reading what we have to say. That is all.

 

[Victory Pete]

I lived in Boston for 6 years. The swings in indoor humidity are much worse than a desert, as in the desert the humidity is always pretty much the same. But no matter what, your advice is shit, and anyone here who knows what they are talking about are going to point this out any every time you open your mouth to spew your shit.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

I imagine in Arizona a guitar has little chance of not have all sorts of drying and cracking problems because, yes the relative humidity is stable, but it is extremely low. I am just curious, do you oil the insides of acoustics also? I use humidifiers on all my acoustics.
VP

 

[Victory Pete]

Just for the record and to prove that you can neither read nor understand, I quote myself from post #5



from post #9



If you are going to persist in promoting bad advice and rubbishing those that challenge it please do us the courtesy of reading what we have to say. That is all.

Once again, I never told anyone not to oil their fretboards! I simply stated what I have been doing!
VP

 

[muttley600]

Once again, I never told anyone not to oil their fretboards! I simply stated what I have been doing!
VP

I was simply pointing out that you have once again made an incorrect statement. To wit, when you said "No one has suggested there could be a regional factor here." I pointed out two occasions in this thread where I had pointed out exactly that or did you not read them? Or did that not happen?

As to your method of treating fingerboards, are we not allowed to point out why it is deeply flawed so others can avoid do so as a result of your statement?

 

[Victory Pete]

I was simply pointing out that you have once again made an incorrect statement. To wit, when you said "No one has suggested there could be a regional factor here." I pointed out two occasions in this thread where I had pointed out exactly that or did you not read them? Or did that not happen?

As to your method of treating fingerboards, are we not allowed to point out why it is deeply flawed so others can avoid do so as a result of your statement?

This is such a long thread it is easy to miss some information. But I dont remember you pointing out that different regions may require different treatments. Of course you can point out your point of view, My method is not deeply flawed, I have had no problems with my fretbboard, ever. I currently have 11 guitars with great shiny fretboards. Everyone is entitled to post their view and then back off. You have started this battle of wits. Of course you must have a lot of credibility, as do I. You just cant let this go.
VP