Staining a fretboard

notanon

I stumbled across an article about staining a fretboard. People recommended Fiebing's leather dye. Curious if anybody has done this. Some people said go careful with plastic inlays but true MOP is ok. Piccies would be excellent of course. 

Pros and cons such as when oiling the neck, would a stain be an issue?

WezV

It needs to be done when it’s as raw as possible and it needs to be rubbed back well with 0000 liberon wire wool.  If the wood is already oiled it pays to give it a good clean with naphtha first.  You will see some reports of it rubbing off in fingers... it won’t if you pay attention to the above.

the black fiebings is proper priest black... not just very dark blue.  Everything it touches will be very back.  It will clean off plastics, pearl and metal but will take a bit more elbow grease  on things like Gibson inlays and nitro finishes. 

You can oil over it, but best to do seperately to the rest of the neck until it has a coat or two on.

Fiebings black on ebony will stay very black when rubbed back and oiled. On a lighter wood it will act differently.  I did a pale grey bit of Purpleheart that could pass for a darker bit of Brazilian 

tge he dark brown is useful for tinting a board, but nowhere near as intense as the black.

notanon

@WezV ;
Awesome reply - wiz awarded. Don't you just love TFB!