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Gibson Century of Progress Tarnished Hardware Cleaning


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They need to come off the headstock so - remove. If not you could try gently using an old toothbrush but....ain't going to work.

Once they are off (I myself would not try and clean them up while they are still in place) you would clean them using an abrasive metal cleaner or even try to source nice shiny new replacements.

And you can also then inspect the machine heads, holes and back of the headstock for any minor issues, grime etc.

Good luck with it!

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They're definitely coming off. I need to know what can be used on nickel plating that will not struck it. I will not try anything abrasive. The plating is usually so thin it rubs off very easily.

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They're definitely coming off. I need to know what can be used on nickel plating that will not struck it. I will not try anything abrasive. The plating is usually so thin it rubs off very easily.

 

 

I would try silver polish and a tooth brush. maybe prior some baking soda and warm water with a tooth brush and scrub to kill the corrosion.

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I tried a few different things.

 

What seemed to work was a 15 minute bath in Brasso. You could see the corrosion coming off.

 

Then a gentle brushing and then rinse. I wasn't trying to make them look shiny and pretty, just get rid of the green stuff.

 

 

 

 

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For the US version of Brasso, the primary ingredients are ammonia, alcohol, silica powder (15-20%) and oxalic acid. The silica powder is an abrasive, which is pretty much necessary to remove the heavy surface corrosion.

 

You've done a really good job of that, but now you need protection on the metal surface. You might look at Flitz, which is a German non-acid metal cleaner and protector. It works well in the situation you have now. It's expensive, but you can find it online, in marine stores, and maybe in big-box stores.

 

I've used it quite a bit in the restoration of old Kluson tuners, and on pressed nickel tuning post ferrules. Use cotton swabs (Q-tips) both to apply it and do the detail cleanup and polishing.

 

It leaves behind a fair amount of protection of the surface.

 

I would remove the ferrules before doing this, as Flitz can leave a black residue behind on adjacent surfaces, which could require delicate cleanup on your MOTS headstock.

 

It is pretty mild, and should not over-clean the metal if you aren't aggressive. The tuners I've restored came out looking like slightly dull nickel, which is exactly what I was after.

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I will get some and try it the next time I change strings.

 

I really don't expect to have any more problems.

 

I bought this a couple years ago as NOS. It had been cased away for years. The pick guard had shrunk about 1/4" so I'm guessing the gases did this to the ferrules. I had to use naphtha and elbow grease to remove the residue left behind from the shrinkage.

 

 

 

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