Electric hardware corrosion

[Norberto]

Hi everyone,

I made the mistake of leaving my Fender Strat out too long and some of the pickguard screws, pick-up poles and bridge have developed a little corrosion. Nothing too crazy, thank goodness...but enough to panic me!

I've managed to remove most of the stuff built up on the jack plate by polishing it with a cotton shirt BUT what would be the best way of removing this stuff?

I've been tempted to use Simichrome Metal Polish but I want to get a little expert advice before I start messing around my "black beauty."

Thanks!

[Norberto]

Actually, I'm unable to find Simichrome where I'm at now...so if you can suggest an easier product to find, by all means!

[dagosto]

Now I'm not an expert on this but I think any cleaner that can handle rust should work fine. Be very careful not to let the cleaner get onto the finish of the guitar or the pickguard.

Also, if there is corrosion on the exposed poles there's a good chance that there is some corrosion that you can't see. The only way to get at this is to take the pickup out and give it a good going over. At some point you may just want to have a pro do that for you since it can be kind of hard to get the pickgaurd off.

[Norberto]

Hey Dan,

Yep, I read in a guitar maintenance book that naphtha is the product to use for chrome and just general guitar gunk (freboard, acoustics, etc).

I couldn't find a small container unfortunately and ended up spending $10 for a gallon of the stuff:-) O'well...

[smopo24]

On my cheap Squire (is that redundant?), I've had to take all the screws out and let them soak in CLR (Calcium, Lime, and Rust remover) overnight. Most of the rust will come off; but i still had some left over. I'm just going to purchase some better screws for the whole thing as soon as i get more money; the process just took entirely too long with mediocre results.

[Nubus]

I use DeOxit for inside the pots and switches. I think I have two, ones silver and goes on first, then theres gold to protect it after cleaning

[abarnett]

I second Nubus. Deoxit is great stuff. (although i bet there is a cheaper product with the same properties).

Sometimes for mild cleanings on electronics I use Rubbing alcohol. Its very clean and evaporates quickly so that I can power up sooner.

I've cleaned many a sealed pot with rubbing alcohol. This you are not supposed to do, but if you are careful about bending that metal, then you can get ideal results.