Howard's Feed-n-wax.. is it okay for my fretboard?

wbreslin951 · #1 02-13-2008, 12:30 AM

I really needed to get something on my fretboard after scalloping it, so i went to home depot, but tung oil was wayyyy to expensive.. i had used orange oil on my other guitars, but couldn't find that.. the closest thing i found was "Howard's feed-n-wax." It has orange oil, Carnuba Wax, and beeswax.. I've already treated my fretboard with it, and it looks gorgeous, but could it possibly be damaging? I was also considering using it as a final finish after i strip and sand my guitar (RG520QS, the finish hides the gorgeous quilted sapele =]).. any feedback?

TommyGuitar · #2 02-13-2008, 01:58 AM

Sounds good to me.

Lefty Robb · #3 02-13-2008, 02:47 AM

I wouldn't use it, use bore oil, and Rosewood should never be waxed, ever.

wbreslin951 · #4 02-13-2008, 02:57 AM

what happens if its waxed? and is it okay on the body?

Lefty Robb · #5 02-13-2008, 04:18 AM

Rosewood is an open grain wood that needs to breath and have a little moisture (oils help with that) Waxing it seals it and well, frankly I don't know, never saw anyone wax rosewood, but preventing it from breathing is not good... It also will leave a waxy residue. Perhaps on a Scalloped board it may not be as noticeable since there is no contact.

nuno · #6 02-13-2008, 05:40 AM

i hate wax and that carnauba stuff. i tried once, upon insisting friends, and that sh*t got all into the wood pores, sealing them out. it dried out in a few minutes and i had to use some brush to get it off there. also, it didn't give the wood that dark, deep nice color like oils do, and it still looked dry as a desert tree. don't use waxes, oil is great for that.

wbreslin951 · #7 02-13-2008, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuno

i hate wax and that carnauba stuff. i tried once, upon insisting friends, and that sh*t got all into the wood pores, sealing them out. it dried out in a few minutes and i had to use some brush to get it off there. also, it didn't give the wood that dark, deep nice color like oils do, and it still looked dry as a desert tree. don't use waxes, oil is great for that.

well it has stayed very moist.. it looks gorgeous.. as long as no damage will occur its okay right?

nuno · #8 02-14-2008, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wbreslin951

well it has stayed very moist.. it looks gorgeous.. as long as no damage will occur its okay right?

of course it is

wbreslin951 · #9 02-14-2008, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuno

of course it is

okay.. well as long as i can be confident that my fretboard is gonna stay in the pretty damn good condition it is, im good..

*i can't believe i can access jemsite from the school computers.. EVERYTHING else is locked! even gmail!*

nyazzip · #10 02-21-2009, 12:17 AM

wax is fine for bare wood, if you never plan on finishing it. if you don't like it, you can remove it with alcohol i suppose(at the risk of extracting all the oils out of your wood), or wait for it to wear off.
i just did a refret/re-radius on my 20 year old rosewood strat. even after sanding it with 2000 grit and then oiling it a few times it felt too rough and frictiony with string bends, so the other day i put ski wax on it.
alot.
i dripped in on with an iron, and melted it (VERY carefully)with a little butane torch so it soaked in... then i scraped most of it off with a wooden popsicle stick(a credit card would work too), then i brushed it with a plastic scrub brush and polished it with a cotton rag. WOW! awesome. now its nice and slick, and the grain is dark, deep and beautiful!
the ski wax (Demon brand)is harder and more brittle than your standard paraffin or candle wax, plus for some reason they put a nice smelling fragrance into it!
my only regret is that i didn't do it before i put the new frets in, then it would have been much easier. none the less, it worked out just great