Rikki_Sixx Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 (edited) Hi guys, I treated myself to a new (to me) guitar just the other day and absolutely loving it. It needs restringing of course, so while i'm at it I wanted to do a bit of cleaning. There's a little bit of light corrosion or oxidisation around the bushings / washers around the tuning posts, on the front of the headstock. They're Grover Deluxe tuners, presumably nickel? What would be the best way to go about cleaning these, without damaging the finish? I was going to mask them with painters tape and give them a few wipes with WD-40 on an ear bud or something but thought I'd ask the collective first. I'm sure plenty of you guys have done this before! The closest I've come to this is chucking a Babicz bridge in some WD-40 for an hour to get rid of some similar oxidisation, but that was off the body at the time. Edit: Excuse the dust, these are the sellers pictures! Edited July 24, 2020 by Rikki_Sixx Clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Nice 339 (where's the rest of it? ), I really like the tuning keys on these and wish the Casino came with them. I can't see anything wrong with your plan and given Epis are poly coated, I'm wondering if you need to mask off (won't hurt of course). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 (edited) The time to clean these would be whilst the strings are removed, of course. I wouldn't use a cotton bud, but rather a toothbrush (no, an old one, you fool, not the one you use every day..! Do try to keep up..! ). Mask away if you want, but a brisk brushing should remove most of the dust and surface dulling. A tiny spot of chrome cleaner, Brasso or similar might help, or even... Toothpaste..! Yes, it's a light abrasive, and won't damage anything. The headstock may smell of mint afterwards, but is that a bad thing..? A rub over with a lint-free cloth at the end and you're done..! Hope this helps. Edited July 24, 2020 by Dad3353 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikki_Sixx Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 Thanks both! I'm planning on re-stringing today and I have an old toothbrush for just such emergencies, so the stars are aligning. I'll start with toothpaste, great suggestion @Dad3353 and I can't see it being harmful! Plus it'll be minty fresh, can't complain! I hadn't even thought about the finish being poly @ezbass, but you're probably right! Once she's had a clean and some new strings I'll get a picture or 20 up! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 2 hours ago, Dad3353 said: The time to clean these would be whilst the strings are removed, of course. I wouldn't use a cotton bud, but rather a toothbrush (no, an old one, you fool, not the one you use every day..! Do try to keep up..! ). Mask away if you want, but a brisk brushing should remove most of the dust and surface dulling. A tiny spot of chrome cleaner, Brasso or similar might help, or even... Toothpaste..! Yes, it's a light abrasive, and won't damage anything. The headstock may smell of mint afterwards, but is that a bad thing..? A rub over with a lint-free cloth at the end and you're done..! Hope this helps. Mmm, minty fresh headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
