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What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
I live in an apartment near a freeway, and there's a lot of dust. I leave my mandolin (and my guitar) on stands rather than in their cases, and they get dusty. I don't know how to dust underneath the mandolin strings on the fretboard. Does anyone have any cool tools or ribbons or something to dust the fretboard? I've tried Q-tips but they don't work very well.
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
I use a medium sized paint/artist brush, I’ve also used a woman’s makeup brush the kind they use for putting on their blush. Both are pretty soft bristled.
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Just take a rag and slide it between the frets and the strings.
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Not to be a smarta*s, but I'd keep 'em in their cases. For reasons including, but not limited to, dust protection.
You can find at a general music store, a variety of soft-bristled tools for use on woodwinds' bores. I would expect something like that would work.
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
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Originally Posted by
707erich
I use a medium sized paint/artist brush, I’ve also used a woman’s makeup brush the kind they use for putting on their blush. Both are pretty soft bristled.
Hi Erich!! I will buy one of those makeup brushes. I don't use blush, but this sounds so easy!
Thank you so much!
Stringalong
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
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Originally Posted by
Skip Kelley
Just take a rag and slide it between the frets and the strings.
Thank you, Skip. I've tried that and it's a big clumsy. I've thought about using a grosgrain ribbon, but I don't know where to buy a short piece of that kind of ribbon, or any other ribbons for that matter.
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Thank you, j4music. I like that idea, too.
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
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Originally Posted by
j4music
Paint brush.
I realized I have a natural bristle paint brush, and I just successfully dusted my mandolin all over! I will keep it handy in a drawer that doesn't get dusty, that's near where I sit to play and practice. It's a 2 inch brush.
Thanks to everyone for all your ideas! Wow! I'm so happy now!
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
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Originally Posted by
stringalong
Thank you, Skip. I've tried that and it's a big clumsy. I've thought about using a grosgrain ribbon, but I don't know where to buy a short piece of that kind of ribbon, or any other ribbons for that matter.
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Thank you, j4music. I like that idea, too.
To be better specific, I use an old handkerchief. It’s very thin.
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I’m sure people are over-thinking this. On the occasions where any of my numerous fingerboards have looked grubby/dusty/covered in extraneous bits of skin etc. (and I wasn’t about to replace the strings) I’ve simply used Skip’s solution; a piece of rag. Nowadays, I’d tend to use an e-cloth. The only thing to avoid is something likely to shed lint as this tends to gum up the strings
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Ray, I agree with Sue Rieter except I looked up e-cloth on Amazon.com and they have various kinds of them for various purposes. Where do you get your e-cloth, and what kind is it? After reading your message, I got to thinking that a brush might retain some of the dust I removed before.
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I just use those Air Cans, you use on electronics, works on the whole instrument especially in those hard to get places like the scroll...
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timothylanderson, that's a wonderful idea! I think I still have a can of that.
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I don't know about dusting my fretboard, but i do know about dusting my broom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEgGslcXXL0
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Is canned air just air, or is there some kind of propellant that we wouldn't want on our instruments? I'm a bit leery.
On e-cloths, I looked on amazon as well, after stringalong mentioned it, and I see they are basically the dish cloths that I tossed aside because they were less than absorbant. I will try one on my SOL, as there's quite a bit of dust accumulated under the fretboard extension. Maybe they will find a new life :)
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Thanks, Eric F. That's a great blues. But I still don't know how to dust my 2 inch paint brush.
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
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Originally Posted by
stringalong
Thanks, Eric F. That's a great blues. But I still don't know how to dust my 2 inch paint brush.
I have a couple of long-bristled soft paint brushes that I use to dust a variety of instruments, including a hammered dulcimer. I hold the brushes bristle side down in the kitchen trash can, and run my finger over the bristle ends in the same manner as one would spray someone with a wet toothbrush. I've also done the same kind of riffle on brooms, going outside and running the bristles over and past an edge. Good luck!
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
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Originally Posted by
Sue Rieter
What's an e-cloth?
5 grades ahead of a J-cloth!
I use Fast Fret and the thin cloth included with that package works fine.
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Explorer, So far, with all the great suggestions and methods, I still like my 2 inch paint brush the best. I will dust the duster (like Howlin' Wolf, ha ha ha) the way you suggest.
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Originally Posted by
Eric F.
I was waiting for that. Only I thought it would be the Robert Johnson version. ;)
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
OK, e-cloths; perhaps it’s a UK product (?) You can buy them on line but most UK supermarkets stock them. Some are expensive but we have a cupboard-full of 3 for a £ cloths.
They clean because they’re slightly abrasive and you can use them either wet or dry and they don’t leave lint behind. They’re made of a synthetic towel like material.
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Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?
Hi Sue Rieter, that's an excellent observation about a possible propellant in the canned air. Thanks for bringing that up!