Jonathan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1583
Registered: 7-27-2004
Location: Los Angeles
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Cleaning the soundboard
OK, I know that this question has probably been asked and answered, but is there any way to safely clean the face of the oud? I am not talking about
a small area, but just years and years of dirt. Is a slightly damp cloth completely out of the question? I am guessing that the answer to this
question is to simply live with it and do nothing, but I figured I would ask the experts.
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Al Billings
Oud Addict
Posts: 46
Registered: 1-31-2004
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Doctor Oud (Richard Hanky) will be descending upon you shortly to advise you of the dangers involved in cleaning the top of your oud, and he's right.
And only because I know he'll read this post, I recommend a belt sander with extra-coarse grit paper. In truth, I've had good luck using a method some
violin makers recommend. I barely (that's barely, barely) dampen a soft cotton cloth with a solution of 60 percent water and 40 percent rubbing
alcohol. I make small swabs that I can control, and then ever so lightly pass over the dirtiest spots, never rubbing the dirt and grease into the
wood, just stroking lightly, tossing the dirty swab and starting again with a clean one. I then allow the top to dry (although it should never
actually be wet, just a tiny bit damp,) and repeat, slowly, allowing for repeated drying, until a lot of the gunk is removed. This may take a lot of
patience and many passes with the swab. I wouldn't do this every week, more like every few years. If your oud has a varnished top, you can't do this
treatment--you
could melt the varnish. if the finish is synthetic polymer, you can clean it gently with mild soap and water, using the mehtod I described above. And
I'd do this on hot dry day, not during the rainy season!
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freya
Oud Junkie
Posts: 276
Registered: 2-8-2004
Location: Asheville NC
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Mood: Happy in the mountains of WNC
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If you are going to use alcohol (and I take no position on its merits or demerits) I would not recommend rubbing alcohol as it frequently contains
oils to prevent skin from drying out when it is used for its intended purpose. If you are really picky, you may be able to get pure anhydrous
isopropyl from a druggist or chemical supply house, though denatured alcohol from the hardware store will usually suffice.
Freya
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Al Billings
Oud Addict
Posts: 46
Registered: 1-31-2004
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You're correct about the differences between the two alcohols. I call it all rubbing alcohol, but I buy the right atuff at the drugstore.
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Dr. Oud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1370
Registered: 12-18-2002
Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
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Good advice from Al, ( the alcohol swab, not the belt sander!) Here's a link for how to test the finish from Frank Ford, the Guru of Guitar repair:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Finish/AcetoneFin...
I reccomend reading everything on Frank's Frets.com Repair Index. It's a treasure trove of luthier knowledge.
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Al Billings
Oud Addict
Posts: 46
Registered: 1-31-2004
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I think we can safely say that's it's best to keep our ouds in their cases. It seems as though every hydrocarbon molecule in Texas heads directly for
the belly of my Najarian oud, especially given the fact that we live indoors with the AC on nine months a year, so cooking grease and all manner of
particulate matter cause problems. That raw wood sucks up everything in sight. During the first few years I had that oud, I left it out in indirect
light so the belly would color nicely, and it did, but I also spent a lot of time cleaning the schmutz off of off it. Lesson learned.
If the top and the pegboard are just dusty, you can blow them off with a can of compressed air, but not so close to the belly that it chills the wood.
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Jonathan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1583
Registered: 7-27-2004
Location: Los Angeles
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Thanks for the tips. I ended up using a slightly, slightly damp cloth with just water and did good enough. I was a bit worried that the alcohol
might somehow affect the glue on the bracings. The cloth with water (just an unbelievably slight amount) did a good job. Thanks again guys
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Hank Levin
Oud Maniac
Posts: 90
Registered: 2-7-2004
Location: Medford, Oregon
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On unfinished oud and lute faces I use a kneadable soft rubber art eraser, the kind you can form like modeling clay when it softens from your body
temperature. They're sold in little grey blocks at art supply stores. They pick up grime and eventually get kind of dirty looking, and then you soften
it by kneading it in your hands until you can kind of stretch it and fold it over, exposing a clean surface and embedding the dirty part. It works
best when it's warm and soft. You can keep one of these going forever almost. They're designed to remove grime from delicate art work. Work
lightly--remember, the face of a good oud is about the thickness of a shirt cardboard!
If an oud face is especially grimy, I'll use PPG Acryliclean DX-330 from an autobody repair supplier. It's kind of expensive, but a quart will last
the rest of your life for this work. It does not attack finishes (or glue as far as I can tell), which is why it's used in expensive auto finish work.
You put it on wet, give it a second to float up the oil and grime, then wipe it off with a clean cloth while still wet. It will soak into the wood,
but will evaporate in a couple of minutes. I wouldn't use it more than once every couple of years. And try not to breath the fumes.
If you like to play your ud in short sleeves (or in the nude), cut the elastic top off an old athletic sock and slip it over your right forearm. It's
a little funky, but the price is right. --Hank
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