Using Truoil To Darken Rosewood Fingerboard

[darkshadow54321]

I've just bought a new acoustic. Everything about it is great but the rosewood used for the fingerboard is a bit of an anaemic colour. It's that dull, pale looking shade you sometimes see on import guitars.

I'd like to darken it a bit and add some depth so my plan was to oil the fingerboard with lemon oil, wipe it off and then apply 1 or maybe 2 coats of TruOil to darken the colour and seal it in. This should ensure that the colour doesn't revert back to the normal shade (as it would if only lemon oil was used).

Some questions:

1. Would it be a good idea to follow up with some 0000 steel wool or micromesh?

2. Are there any other oils that might do the job a bit better? It was suggested on another forum that teak oil might be a better choice but I know nothing about it.

3. To what extent is this going to affect the feel of the board? I intend to keep the coats as light as possible and only use as many as needed to darken the colour. I'm going more for penetration of the wood rather than the building up of a finish. I realise that a finish is not normally used on a rosewood board.

4. Would the application of TruOil remove the need for periodic lemon oiling of the board?

Also, I know that Feibings leather dye could be used to blacken the board but I'm not looking for an ebony effect. I want the rosewood look but darker.

Thanks for the help!

Edited June 17, 2010 by darkshadow54321

[avengers63]

I'm positive that linseed oil would be easier than what you're suggesting. Unlike other oils, linseed oil cures, so it takes just forever to lose that "wet" look it sounds like you're looking for.

Also, Tru Oil will cure to a hard, glossy finish. It can be built up to a thick layer, which might not be what you want for your rosewood board. Linseed oil will allow you to still feel the board under your fingers.

[SwedishLuthier]

It was suggested on another forum that teak oil might be a better choice but I know nothing about it.

Teak oil = Linseed oil + solvents

[Drak]

A better idea (which I have done) is to use Fieblings leather dye and dye that sucker black, THEN add some sort of sealant to lock the dye in.

Now...the sealant...it's a good question and could probably be debated forever, but my take is this:

1. DYE the fretboard. Using lemon oil is a mistake, it won't buy you a thing, and will probably screw the job up.

2. LOCK the dye in with a good, easy to apply finish like Tru-Oil, and use multiple coats.

3. If you half-ass it with an inferior 'locking' finish product (like linseed oil), you'll wind up with rub-throughs sooner or later.

That will look like crap (my opinion).

If you understand that you're trying to lock the dye under a finish, then it will be obvious that you want some sort of durable finish, not a finish that will be paper thin and soft so it will rub thru easily.