I've read through the Sensei's pages on care, but I'm just wondering what I should do in the case of this board:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/330936117364

I'd like to wipe it with something to clean surface grime / stickiness, and provide this wood the care it deserves. On the other hand obviously I don't want to stain the wood. The top grid is very clear but the wood has darkened over the last 85 years or so, really don't want to make it darker or ruin the finish.

thanks

Hi Strief, congrats on your new set. In general, the guideline is the fewer chemicals, the better. Ideally, zero chemicals.

For your board, just wipe gently with a clean, soft 100% cotton cloth.
If there are dirty spots, you can try a few drops of water to dampen the cloth, and wipe.

For your stones, just soak in clean water. If they are very dirty,
you can add a small amount of soap. Nothing fancy. Just very basic cleaning.

No need to oil. Some people like to oil their slate stones. I don't like the oily feeling (in fact, I hate it. )

Just make sure you clean your hands (and your friends') before every game.
With regular cleaning, your set will last many lifetimes. Enjoy!

This will do you better than my previous post, so I'm editing it. Just read these:

http://www.furniturecaretips.com/antique-furniture.htm

http://www.msue.msu.edu/objects/content ... 0263.html/

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Sincerely, Chad R. Sobodash

Enjoy that board, I was watching that auction myself.

What you do with this board depends a lot on what kind of wood it really is and how it is finished. If it really is kaya the proper treatment is just to wipe it with a soft cotton cloth, no oil. Actually it doesn't look like kaya to me. The sides of the board seem to have been stained judging by the appearance of the edges on the bottom and the color of the sides. The top face seems to have a different finish from the sides or the bottom face, maybe someone put oil on it at some time in the past? That would explain the "stickiness on the top face. If, as I think, the board is not kaya, it doesn't have much value as an antique so I wouldn't be shy about cleaning it. To remove oil with minimal damage to the wood you might try a mild liquid dish detergent. If I recall correctly naturalists were using the Dawn brand to remove oil from birds after the Gulf of Mexixo oil spill a few years ago. As precaution, try anything you do on a small inconspicuous area befor treating the whole board. If you want to take the trouble you could locate a furniture finish specialist and ask that person's opinion as to the wood type and what to do with it.

I think it could possibly be kaya as kaya does turn brown with age. As some may know, I have a very old kaya go board which has indeed darkened with the years of it's history

The cut of wood of your goban if it is indeed kaya seems to be an itame cut which is made nearer the outside of the trunk because of dead heart wood.
If you reference the book "The Go Player's Almanac 2001" on page 147, you can see a picture of such a cut and more information about this cut.
[This section of the book talks about go equipment and what to look for when looking at go equipment.]

Perhaps I'm wrong but you should reference the book yourself as the photos on ebay are not that clear and I may be mistaken.

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http://tchan001.wordpress.com
A blog on Asian go books, go sightings, and interesting tidbits
Go is such a beautiful game.

Didn't manage stones yet - being patient .



That's what I am wondering ... it looks like it has been oiled in the past although it doesn't feel at all oily. The dark coloration looks more gradual than a dark wood stain. It is quite light in areas and depending on how it is lit. I went over it again and stickiness was overstating. There's just a couple places where my hands don't glide over it on the sides. I'll try just soft cloth for now and read CSObod's article.

At the SGC we have been using a mild mix of baking soda and water (a few teaspoons to a quart) to clean our boards. Wet a clean cloth with the mixture and scrub. It takes a lot of elbow grease, but it doesn't damage the wood or the lines.