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CelloDreamer02
Registered User
Posts: 10
(6/18/01 10:22:58 am)
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Shaving
Cream?
Has anyone ever heard of using shaving cream to clean the
fingerboard? I forgot where I heard this mentioned, but my
fingerboard is starting to seem pretty dirty (for the record, I do
wash my hands before I play) And if you have done this before, is
there a certain type of shaving cream to be used? Or are there any
other "safe" methods to clean it?
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drcello
Registered User
Posts: 438
(6/18/01 5:21:45 pm)
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shaving cream is
soap with a tiny bit of oil...
Just go easy, and it should do OK. What kind of razor will you be
using? 
Marshall C. St. John
drcello@vei.net
Wayside Presbyterian Church
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Ernie
Registered User
Posts: 64
(6/18/01 5:55:28 pm)
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Re: shaving
cream is soap with a tiny bit of oil...
I would imagine that a straight razor works best (it'd be sort of
like planing the fingerboard, which it needs every so often
anyhow.... Seriously, if one uses shaving cream while the strings
are in place one should be careful not to get the strings soaked. A
little moisture obviously can't hurt them.
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drcello
Registered User
Posts: 444
(6/19/01 6:44:29 am)
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water
damage
I suppose water won't hurt stainless steel strings. However if you
have gut, or gut wound with metal, you better not get your strings
wet. 
Marshall C. St. John
drcello@vei.net
Wayside Presbyterian Church
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Br
Martin
Registered
User
Posts: 31
(6/19/01 7:47:47
am)
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Cleaning
fingerboard and strings
Here's the way to clean your fingerboard and strings.
Get some
denatured alcohol from the drugstore. For some reason this is often
kept behind the counter, so you may have to ask for it. It's ethenol
with some wood alcohol added which is a poison, so that people won't
be tempted to drink it. Fold a paper towel in fourths and put A
LITTLE alcohol on the towel. Rub the fingerboard and strings with
this including the area between the fingerboard and bridge. This
will remove the dirt and rosin. You may need to repeat the process a
few times.
BE CAREFUL. Alcohol will attack many varnishes and you
don't want to get any alcohol on the instrument. If you're
reasonably careful you'll have clean strings and fingerboard and
you'll be happy with the result. If you spill any of the alcohol on
the instrument it may cause the varnish to come off!
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Todd
French 
Moderator
Posts: 206
(6/19/01 9:11:16 am)
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Re: Cleaning
fingerboard and strings
Br. Martin is right - and I can't stress enough to keep that
alcohol off the varnish! Some varnishes won't be affected that much
by it, but very, very, very few, and those that are will just strip
down right to the bare wood.
I use an old cotton towel
instead of a paper towel because some paper towels don't hold up
well and I tend to leave little bits of rolled up wet paper towel on
the fingerboard after using it, and also, you can use standard
rubbing alcohol although it is not as good as the denatured since it
is not as pure, however it is less concentrated so if you do get
some on the instrument, it won't be as terrible but still not a good
thing at all. Once you have cleaned it, wipe it down vigorously with
a dry towel as well, just to get all the residue that might be
there, otherwise it will just get on your fingers and you will have
black fingertips after your next practice session.
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 Steve
Drake
Registered
User
Posts: 363
(6/19/01 10:08:23
am)
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Community Supporter
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Re: Cleaning
fingerboard and strings
I agree with BR's post, except I use Clinique Clarifying solution
#2. Not much different than straight alcohol, but has some
fragrances and some slight lubricants so your strings don't have
that just-cleaned feeling. Also be careful of the joint of the nut
to the fingerboard - don't get alcohol near the joint, or it could
loosen your nut's glue.
My MP3's
My Cello
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ruthann
Registered User
Posts: 496
(6/19/01 11:04:06 am)
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Re: Cleaning
fingerboard and strings
I use the little alcohol soaked cotton squares that come
individually wrapped. They sell them a Wal-mart for some ridiculous
price like $.75 for a hundred. I do put something over the cello in
case of drips, but I haven't seen a drip yet.
cello_suttonr@hotmail.com |
Ryan
Selberg 
Registered
User
Posts: 235
(6/19/01 9:04:26
pm)
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Re: Shaving
Cream?
I have used alcohol also. One further step to take to avoid getting
it on the instrument is to wrap the body of the cello with a towel,
and as you apply the alcohol, tip the cello, fingerboard forward, so
any possible excess falls away from the instrument. Perhaps put
newspaper on whatever surface you are working on, although
preferably not your good dining room table! A formica countertop is
good, or like surfaces. Or a concrete garage floor, etc. And again,
use very small amounts of alcohol!
Ryan
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CelloDreamer02
Registered User
Posts: 12
(6/20/01 6:45:40 pm)
Reply
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Re: Shaving
Cream?
Thanks for all the replies everyone. I think I'm just going to use
rubbing alcohol (I can do that right Todd?) And all this is safe to
rub on the fingerboard right? (I'm pretty protective with my
cello:-) Thanks again!
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lblake
Registered
User
Posts: 389
(6/22/01 10:48:02
pm)
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Re: Shaving
Cream?
I use the ordinary individually-wrapped alcohol swabs, too ($1.39
for 150 at my local target, last I bought them. ) they are
a tougher cloth than paper towel, so they don't leave lint, and they
are just so darn convenient.
I tilt the cello forward,
strings down, also when I do it. I also wipe the fingerboard from
time to time. If I'm expecting to rub hard on the strings (bad
build-up), I press the alcohol swab against my pants for a second to
absorb some of the excess so it's sure not to drip.
ALSO -
if you use the swabs - be careful how you discard the package, and
be careful after you put down the swab (i put them in my pocket so i
know they're safely out of the way!) that you don't touch a
varnished part of your cello with still-wet fingertips!!!!
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Victor
Sazer
Registered
User
Posts: 97
(7/6/01 10:55:33
am)
Reply
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Clean
fingerboard
Try using 0000 (the finest size) steel wool.
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