Just to be clear, I can and sometimes do use finishes on ebony naturals
depending on the kind and quality of ebony: Watco (wipe on/wipe off), Lee
Valley's "Danish Oil" (similar to Watco, sort of), even black boot polish
(mostly carnauba and bees wax), and conservator's wax. The main thing to
remember is that anything that sits on top will eventually wear off,
leaving a delightful bald spot where one's finger hits the key, leaving one
with the problem of either putting more finish on without stripping down to
wood, or sanding down to bar wood and re-applying the original finish.
Not all ebony is created equal.
Neither solution is particularly appetizing, as eventually one encounters
the issue of removing too much key top.
-d

On Sat, Jul 14, 2018 at 1:43 PM, David Pickett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Michael,
>
> Firstly, dont put ANYTHING on the bone tops.  I used a couple of coats of
> Minwax Antique Oil Finish (https://www.finewoodworking.c
> om/2014/12/04/antique-oil-finish) and put more on every five years or so,
> when it looks like it needs cheering up.
>
> David
>
> At 18:42 14-07-18, Michael Dunn wrote:
> >
> >Yay, my ZHI Hubert clavichord kit arrived a week ago (Hi Ed!), and
> >I’ve been busy collecting materials, studying the manual, etc.
> >
> >The manual specifies tung oil to finish the keyboard (ebony/bone), and
> >I am curious of others’ opinions on keyboard finishing in general.
>
> >And assuming I use tung, pure or polymerized?
> >
> >thanks
> >Michael
>
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Note:  opinions  expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the  individual con-
tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
versity of Iowa.  For a brief  summary of list  commands, send mail to
[log in to unmask]  saying  HELP .
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