Official Luthiers Forum!

Dan at StewMac just posted a video about using electrolysis to clean a filthy tune-o-matic bridge:

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Trade_Secrets/Cleaning_guitar_parts_with_electrolysis.html?lac_guid=b69629a3-e101-e811-80dc-ecb1d775572a&utm_campaign=ts0298&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=ts0298_B_20180125

Reminded me of Frank Fords post about it on Frets.com:

http://www.frets.com/HomeShopTech/QuickTricks/RustRemoval/rustremoval.html

I've used electrolysis to clean countless old planes, and other rusted steel - but its always been single pieces of metal, not assemblies, or mixed metal.

Have any of you used this on rusted/crusty/corroded tuning machines? I have some that are a little rough —not so bad as to throw away, but some rust/corrosion spots that would be good to clean. Obviously it would be critical to thoroughly rise and neutralize the salt water that gets into the machines.

Any thoughts about using this process for cleaning tuning machines as they did with the tune-o-matic?

Interesting. I would not have thought it would work on parts like that because of the plating they have on them. I have a vintage bicycle collection and often times you get old corroded parts. A soak in an acid solution using something like wood bleach (oxiolic acid) cleans them up real good.

I had the same concern about the effect of electrolysis on plating - I've only ever used this process on bare/rusted steel.

That bridge that was cleaned for the video was all metal, no bits of anything not metal. Tuner buttons may not be metal, and I've seen what look like non-metallic grommets/washers right below the tuner button. Problem?

_________________
Peter Havriluk