Effective way to dye a Rosewood fretboard black

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Rag Thumb
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:41 pm
Location: Durham, NC

Effective way to dye a Rosewood fretboard black

Post by Rag Thumb »

I recently delivered a guitar to a friend on which I had "dyed" the rosewood fretboard black using the India Ink that Stewmac sells. The gentleman has come back to me to say that a good bit of the black came off when he cleaned the fretboard, so I am interested in finding a fix to this dilemma.

I have done some research on other forums on the web and a few people mention black leather dye called "Fiebings" for this purpose. Does anyone have any experience with this on a fretboard? Do I need to be concerned about this material discoloring the white MOP inlays on the fretboard? Will it "wipe off" (and therefore not look as black) similar to how the india ink is doing? Will the leather dye work well since the fretboard has also been treated with lemon oil?

Thanks for any inputs. I would send pictures but I don't have the guitar at this time.
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Rex
tippie53
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Re: Effective way to dye a Rosewood fretboard black

Post by tippie53 »

John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Effective way to dye a Rosewood fretboard black

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

+1 on the Fiebings
Ed M
Rag Thumb
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:41 pm
Location: Durham, NC

Re: Effective way to dye a Rosewood fretboard black

Post by Rag Thumb »

Thanks John and Ed. I bought a bottle and will test it out on scrap. I'll be interested to see how it comes off of frets and also how it works on a fretboard that has been cleaned and treated with lemon oil.
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Rex
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