Finishing MD kit

[Dunetraveller]

Hi all. New to the site. I am expecting a cardboard kit from backyard music to arrive any day now. I plan to add a finish to the fretboard before assembly. Time is not a factor, so I don't need to have it done fast.
My plan so far is this: I am looking at sealing the piece of big leaf mahogany with shellac and pumice to seal the pores. I was reading about this in a tutorial on French polishing. I don't plan on doing a French polish though -- just doing the base spit coats on all 3 exposed sides since the bottom will be glued down. I don't think these few layers will leave too much shellac on the piece to cause a lot of concern and from what I have read is very common for mahogany.
At that point I will have to decide how to finish it. I know the shellac isn't enough to protect against moisture, and is itself not very durable unless you go the whole FP route. I was thinking of a hard finish for the sides since they won't face much wear. I have numerous options to get that done although nothing is in stone yet.

My main concern was for the fretboard top. Anything I put over the shellac up top will have to be able to take a beating, or be easily renewed without having to be stripped and reapplied each time. I suppose this means most drying oils and polymers are out since most will leave ugly wear marks or eventually crack from what I have read. I should add that I live in Las Vegas and it's quite arid. As a practical matter, it's almost as hard to keep humidity up here as it would be to keep humidity out in Seattle. I was thinking I may have to just go with paste wax, but I am open to suggestions.

Even though this is a cardboard kit, my ultimate plan is to one day transfer the fretboard to a wood sound box upgrade or to top off a TMB build when I feel up to the challenge, so I don't consider spending a long time doing the finish a problem as long as it's effective and gives a good look.

Thanks. I have learned a ton from just reading the forums here and at FOTMD. Hopefully I'll be in a position to be able to add my own knowledge to the community one day.

John T.

[KenH]

The vast majority of us don't 'finish' a fretboard per se. Anything you put on the top will be worn off and look bad after just a short time of playing. Most of us just oil the fretboard with orange or lemon or something similar. Fretboard sides are usually just finished, if at all, with a couple coats of urethane or something similar.

[Dunetraveller]

I have read that as well. Then again, most are using rosewood for fretboards and those don't need much more than oil. From what I understand, any mahogany is as porous as oak is and merely oiling it will reveal that. Most would shy away from going to the effort of sealing oak, but mahogany is said to be worth the effort. I could use a wood sealer, but I am a bit leery of using something like that. That might be good for furniture, but... you get what I mean. That brings me around to my original question. The least of evils seems to be shellac, but what to put over it that will protect it and cause the least problems for maintenance short and long term while providing moisture control. Just not sure if lemon oil would be enough, but perhaps some other oil?

Plus this is the land of 8% humidity and 110 degree summers, so going the unfinished route seems a crime to me as well.

John T.

[musicoutreach]

I use Fret Doctor on the top of walnut fretboards - it is silky smooth and beautiful. See the info on this website (Bore Doctor is the version for flutes):

http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

Good luck with your project - and send us a photo when you're done.

Susanne

[kwl]

I have helped build around 50 or so cardboard dulcimers from Backyard Music. All those kits have had Deft brush on satin lacquer applied to them. I have the first one of those instruments I built and although I don't play it every day it does get a workout now and then. I have had no problem with the finish on the fret board wearing through. Best wishes for your project.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

[Dunetraveller]

Thanks for the replies!
Susanne: I saw Fret Doctor wayyyy early on in my searching. I seem to have forgotten a lot about it. I will have to take another look.

Ken: I was wondering about the durability of lacquer. I have seen it mentioned as an overcoat to shellac, but not much about fretboard applications.

Things are looking up. My project arrives tomorrow afternoon.

I plan on before and after pictures. Unless I screw the whole thing up, in which case I'll burn them and pretend I was never here.

[kwl]

The nice thing about the Deft lacquer is that if it does wear off a new coat can be added easily. I usually put on at least three coats and rub them down between each application with a lighter rub on the final coat.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

[mrchips]

Over the years ANY finish on a fretboard will show wear. The best finish is one that's easy to apply and easy to fix the inevitable dings, scratches, and wear any dulcimer will get. 2 of the easiest finishes to fix are shellack and lacquer. Lacquer is harder than you think if you give it about a week to fully cure out. The thing about lacquers over most other finishes is each coat actually dissolves INTO previous coats instead of just sticking to the last coat, The result is multiple coats act more like a super thick coat instead of layers of finish. Spray lacquers will dry to handling and a second coat in about 30 min according to the can. Brush on lacquers have a retarder in them so it wont set up while you are brushing it on. It takes about 3 hours to dry to the same point as spray on. You should let a coat of lacquer of either type set up over night to really cure before sanding for the best results.

To fix a lacquer problem all you need to do is sand the ding out smooth and apply more in the sanded area. Granted, the usual feather the edges of the original finish and related is still needed. On a fretboard it can be a bit tough to fix because of the limited working space between frets. No big deal If you need to replace the frets too. Simply pull them out and then there isn't any of them in your way...

[joe sanguinette]

a good tung oil or tung oil with eurathane might be your best option for a first project. the finish will probably out last the cardboard body.

i would apply a coat and work it in with 400 grit emory paper. then after a few days repeat the process. the pores in the wood wil fill with the oil/fine sawdust from the emory paper.

[Frimp]

Or use wipe-on polyurethane. Regular polyurethane is brushed on, but dries too fast and gets sticky. Cut regular poly half-and-half with suitable thinner, wipe it on, then wipe the extra off, and allow to dry. Maybe do another coat or two. Should work OK.

[Dunetraveller]

Still some supplies to pick up. The shellac flakes ought to be here in time for a weekend start. Although it may be a little ambitious, with a bit of alcohol I can strip it down to bare wood and move in another direction. At this point I'm wishing I had ordered button lac, but shellac will do for now. I had been wondering about possible overcoats, with lacquer having the lead. But I may be able to use just shellac with more frequent touch ups. I'm interested to see how well it'll hold up alone. I will lay down a blonde layer or two before layering on the garnet. Will update again soon.

John T.

[Frimp]

Shellac is pretty friendly with other finishes, which makes it a good choice. Use it as a sealer/base coat before staining, use it under lacquer or poly, or just use several coats of it all by itself. Just remember to keep your shellacked item away from water -- it will be marred.