Lacquering a Rosewood fretboard?

[Deathshead]

Hey guys, quick couple of questions, On the new LP std bass i just got in, I really want to clear the fretboard, I love the look and feel of the Rick fretboards,

I think on this lp bass it will really give the rosewood a nice deep look, and i really like the feel too.

If I Test a spot on the inlays, (just to make sure nothing funky is going to happen)

I have a can of reranch clear that im not using, so im thinking of taking it nice and slow, 1-2 coats a day to build up a nice finish that will fill in any small pores in the rosewood, etc,

Im also thinking that if the clear yellows a little bit it will improve the look of the inlays too.

What do you guys think? I want a nice glassy fretboard.

[Barklessdog]

I would think maybe oiling might be a better option- no chipping, which will happen with nitro wear.

I know you can achieve a gloss finish with tung oil.

[Deathshead]

alot of people have told me tung/tru oil, can build up a nice glassy coating, but does it cure nice and not oily?.

[Lightyear]

TruOil will build up on your inlays - I'm not sure how that will look and how long it will last.  I agree with the previous post and would just oil the board with a penetrating oil.  I've always use Bore oil which is made to treat woodwind instruments made of dense oily woods - oboes, clarinets, etc.  It comes in a 2 oz dropper bottle and will set you back maybe $2 at any full line music store.

[Dave W]

Lacquers build. Varnishes build. Oils do not build, do not dry hard, and do not get glossy.

Any "tung oil" that builds and gets glossy is not a tung oil, but a varnish that may or may not be tung oil-based. For example, Formby's Tung Oil Finish is actually a thinned wiping varnish. Tru-Oil is not an oil at all, despite the way it's marketed. It's a varnish. That's why it builds. The "modified oil" in the MSDS is a weasel-word way of saying it's an oil-modified alkyd varnish. It's not as hard or as durable as some others.

Whatever you use, you will need many extra coats if you expect the finish to fill the pores instead of using a pore filler.

A phenolic resin varnish like Waterlox yellows more than poly or alkyd varnishes, I just don't know how it would work over inlays.

[drbassman]

Never done it before and don't care for it anyway.