Montys "ageing wax" snake oil? or good ?

Mike58

hotpickups said:

ChrisCox1994 said:

i had a top tip from a luthier that Briwax 400g Original Dark Oak does the same exact thing and one tin has lasted him 20 years!

Ha my trusted luthier uses and said the same thing to me lol 

Cheap here
https://www.dunelm.com/product/briwax-400g-original-dark-oak-1000188611

thermionic

Well, I bought a pot last week and it arrived on Friday. I have a few guitars that may benefit, but top of the list was my Squier Classic Vibe Jazz Bass - one of the earlier Chinese ones and the specs of these say the fretboard is rosewood. Mine has streaks of lighter and darker wood. I cleaned it with isopropanol (I didn’t have lighter fluid but IPA is a pretty good solvent) - pretty sure that the last time I applied any oil to it was about ten years ago anyway! I then applied a first coat and rubbed it off after five hours. There was a noticeable difference, so I applied another three coats, buffing most off before applying the next and letting it sit. All in all, the wax sat on the board for around six hours.

https://i.imgur.com/eVyA5Gn.jpg

I would definitely say that it’s worth doing, although I’m sure some pieces of wood will take it better than others. In the flesh it looks much better than the comparison photos.

https://i.imgur.com/u1khfrr.jpg

nero1701

So, how far did the tin get guys?

fretfinder

hotpickups said:

ChrisCox1994 said:

i had a top tip from a luthier that Briwax 400g Original Dark Oak does the same exact thing and one tin has lasted him 20 years!

Ha my trusted luthier uses and said the same thing to me lol 

Your luthier uses and yet you still trust him?!   

inewham

A word of caution on the dubbin, it often contains neatsfoot oil which can get smelly when the weather warms up.
( I used  neatsfoot on my bike leathers as a youth, it made them waterproof in winter but they smelled like rancid lard by the summer )

roberty

Oh I have a pot of this. I used it on my H-535 the other day, kept it on overnight. I don't have a photo but was a little pale and sad looking before. It looks much healthier now, moisturised

Reverend

nero1701 said:

So, how far did the tin get guys?

I have finished using it. Who is next?

munckee

Could I have a try @Reverend, although I'm not sure what the deal is?

nero1701

munckee said:

Could I have a try @Reverend, although I'm not sure what the deal is?

use it, do a neck or 2 and then send it to the next in line, or the next person to ask for it.

OilCityPickups

inewham said:

A word of caution on the dubbin, it often contains neatsfoot oil which can get smelly when the weather warms up.
( I used  neatsfoot on my bike leathers as a youth, it made them waterproof in winter but they smelled like rancid lard by the summer )

The brand I showed contains no neatsfoot

Philly_Q

I stumbled on this video the other day.  The guy uses an absolutely ridiculous amount of wax, which for some reason made me feel quite queasy.  It also made me distrust any other advice which may be given on his channel.

munckee

Received thanks @Reverend I will give it a go on my pau ferro jazzmaster fretboard and post the results!

hotpickups

fretfinder said:

hotpickups said:

ChrisCox1994 said:

i had a top tip from a luthier that Briwax 400g Original Dark Oak does the same exact thing and one tin has lasted him 20 years!

Ha my trusted luthier uses and said the same thing to me lol 

Your luthier uses and yet you still trust him?!   

Yep. He’s the most talented luthier I’ve ever met. A great player too so he knows what’s real and what is snake oil etc 

paulmapp8306

Philly_Q said:

I stumbled on this video the other day.  The guy uses an absolutely ridiculous amount of wax, which for some reason made me feel quite queasy.  It also made me distrust any other advice which may be given on his channel.

This still is actually really really good.  Its bees wax with a few other natural ingredients.   REsult is better than lemon oil for sure.

Mick (TPS) uses it - so I was perfectly happy to try it.  Wouldnt use the OP version though personally, but my boards dont need darkening. 

Tele37

I was under the impression that using wax on a fingerboard is a bad idea as it can repel glue, so if it gets under the frets and in to the fret slots you have problems later on with re-fretting / repairs.

I could be wrong, so can any luthiers chip in here with advice?

@felineguitars?

Thanks!

drwiddly

AFAIK frets aren’t normally glued in (unless you have a Parker Fly)?

elstoof

Wax doesn’t penetrate, it’s too solid for capillary action so so t get anywhere near your feet tangs

Tele37

drwiddly said:

AFAIK frets aren’t normally glued in (unless you have a Parker Fly)?

Yeah, loads of manufactures do it, it seems. I know PRS, Suhr, and most luthiers glue frets in.

elstoof said:

Wax doesn’t penetrate, it’s too solid for capillary action so so t get anywhere near your feet tangs

I think the instrument food is much thinner than regular beeswax, it can definitely get under the frets, especially if they aren’t perfectly seated. Also, what about fingerboard repairs?

paulmapp8306

Tele37 said:

drwiddly said:

AFAIK frets aren’t normally glued in (unless you have a Parker Fly)?

Yeah, loads of manufactures do it, it seems. I know PRS, Suhr, and most luthiers glue frets in.

elstoof said:

Wax doesn’t penetrate, it’s too solid for capillary action so so t get anywhere near your feet tangs

I think the instrument good is much thinner than regular beeswax, it can definitely get under the frets, especially if they aren’t perfectly seated. Also, what about fingerboard repairs?

Fwiw, I've used this on my PRS, and I'm collecting it tomorrow after a refret.   Didn't seem to be a problem for the Luther.

guitarjack66

inewham said:

A word of caution on the dubbin, it often contains neatsfoot oil which can get smelly when the weather warms up.
( I used  neatsfoot on my bike leathers as a youth, it made them waterproof in winter but they smelled like rancid lard by the summer )

I still use Dubbin on my football boots as I referee most weekends and those boots (adidas copa mundial) are almost 20 years old.