dhanners623 Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Ok, I just thought I'd ask. By the way did ya see the WD-40 reply & question? It's listed make-up is "60-80% heavy naphtha", so it should be good for the job, correct? 20 I would think WD-40 would be ok. You could test it on an inconspicuous part of the finish just to make sure, although I'm not really sure what part of a guitar is "inconspicuous." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 I would think WD-40 would be ok. You could test it on an inconspicuous part of the finish just to make sure, although I'm not really sure what part of a guitar is "inconspicuous." Ok cool. Strumbert mentioned(earlier in this thread) he uses it after removing 'guards & I have plenty of this stuff in my toolbox, so that's a plus. Yeah, I was wonderin' how I could test it. Good question. I guess the back of the body would be "inconspicuous". I don't have any places(on my guitar) where there is glue residue, so would this test just be to see how it affects the finsh? 1 more question about removal(I'm tryin' to think of all the possible damage that could happen, due to the heat of the dryer, in the process before I attempt this), basically tryin' to "cover all bases". This is regarding the same area(where the 'guard butts against the neck) I mentioned. Would the heat compromise the neck in that area, cause it to pull away/lift up from the body? Can ya tell I'm nervous? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Just be careful with WD-40... I know it eats away at rubber and I'm not sure what all else it eats away at. I assume is will be fine on poly though just be careful where all it gets. Poly is nearly impossible to remove even with chemical strippers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Just be careful with WD-40... I know it eats away at rubber and I'm not sure what all else it eats away at. I assume is will be fine on poly though just be careful where all it gets. Poly is nearly impossible to remove even with chemical strippers. Good to know, Rip. I'm got a li'l WD-40 "no-mess pen" I'm gonna use so I can make sure it goes ONLY where I need it. Now that I've determined what I'm gnnna use to prepare the surface for the new 'guard, I'm tryin' to iron out the removal(of the old 'guard) process. Would the dryer heat affect the neck, where it meets the 'guard) in any way, cause it to lift up/pull away? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riptide Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Good to know, Rip. I'm got a li'l WD-40 "no-mess pen" I'm gonna use so I can make sure it goes ONLY where I need it. Now that I've determined what I'm gnnna use to prepare the surface for the new 'guard, I'm tryin' to iron out the removal(of the old 'guard) process. Would the dryer heat affect the neck, where it meets the 'guard) in any way, cause it to lift up/pull away? 20 Only if it melted the glue on the neck joint or fretboard... I don't think that's enough heat though to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Only if it melted the glue on the neck joint or fretboard... I don't think that's enough heat though to do that. ok. I don't think that'll be a problem 'cause I'm gonna go slow by using the "low" setting & keeping the heat moving around the surface of the 'guard & tryin' not to let it stay in 1 spot too long. If I do that, I should be golden ya think? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strumbert Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Cool, thanks for the advice, strumbert! I got plenty of WD-40 lyin' around, that'll remove the leftover glue & get the surface ready for the new 'guard? Oily film? From the WD-40? Would this be the steps: 1. use hair dryer to remove old 'guard, 2. wipe the area with WD-40 to remove glue residue, 3. Wipe down with alcohol to remove film from WD-40, 4. apply new 'guard? 20 That is exactly what I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strumbert Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Cool, thanks for the advice, strumbert! I got plenty of WD-40 lyin' around, that'll remove the leftover glue & get the surface ready for the new 'guard? Oily film? From the WD-40? Would this be the steps: 1. use hair dryer to remove old 'guard, 2. wipe the area with WD-40 to remove glue residue, 3. Wipe down with alcohol to remove film from WD-40, 4. apply new 'guard? 20 That is exactly what I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 That is exactly what I do. 10-4 strumbert, thanks! This is the process I'll use when I change 'guards. I'm in a holding pattern right now, my guitar budget is gone, I'll pick this project back up next month. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strumbert Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Whatever you do...stay away from this site! http://www.lmii.com/products/mostly-not-wood/pickguard-material/tor-tis-pickguards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Whatever you do...stay away from this site! http://www.lmii.com/products/mostly-not-wood/pickguard-material/tor-tis-pickguards Not a problem, ain't never heard of that site anyway. Here's what I'm orderin": http://pickguards.us/pricegibacoustic.html (pattern 267: the Gibson J-200, group E $45) Group E's the most expensive but it's the only group where I can get the Brown Tortoise Shell color. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Late getting back to this. Repairmen (and repairwomen) use steam and heated irons to loosen the neck joint and fretboard, so your hair dryer set on "low" is going to have absolutely no affect on the joint. It is a huge joint and there is plenty of glue holding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Late getting back to this. Repairmen (and repairwomen) use steam and heated irons to loosen the neck joint and fretboard, so your hair dryer set on "low" is going to have absolutely no affect on the joint. It is a huge joint and there is plenty of glue holding it. Great to know, dh! That makes me feel very confident that I'll be able to tackle this project myself. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Just for reference: I just looked agan on the page that I saw wd-40 is made of "60-80% heavy naphtha", that's in the German version. This is WD-40's ingredient list according to the U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information: -51% Stoddard solvent -25% liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability) -15+% mineral oil (light lubricating oil) -10-% inert ingredients Don't know if that changes anything. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Ok, problem solved! I just ordered a 12oz can of Zippo Lighter fluid off amazon for $6.67. This is basically Naphtha, right dhanners? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 I thought about goin' with a smaller can but remembered I have a couple novelty lighters layin' around that need fillin'. Doin' that li'l of an area shouldn't take much fluid should it? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Ronsonol Lighter Fluid & Zippo Lighter Fluid is the same thing right, just different brand names? 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Whoa. You don't need to buy an industrial amount of naptha. Just head down to the local drug store and get a bottle of cigarette lighter fluid. THAT IS NAPTHA. The one I use is Ronsonol, and it comes in a 12-oz. bottle. I can't recall what I paid for it, but it wasn't much. Also, I wouldn't put steel wool -- even super-fine -- anywhere near your finish. It will cloud it and while the cloudiness can be buffed out, the buffing is a job for professionals. The poly finish on contemporary Epiphones is strong stuff (the better to resist dings in the guitar shop, and also it dries much faster than a nitro finish so you can get them out of the factory door quicker) and a hair dryer and naptha and even Goo-Gone is not going to have the slightest effect on it. I would recommend using the hair dryer on the "low" setting, mainly because you don't want to take the chance of weakening the glue on the braces on the other side of the guitar's top. The chance of this is remote, but the "low" setting will work just fine. Just don't stay over one spot on the pickguard for any length of time. Swirl the hair dryer around a small area until the adhesive softens and then start lifting up the pickguard. A fingernail will usually work. Then as the pickguard starts coming up, just work your way along until the thing is off. I ordered Zippo Lighter fluid, that'll work won't it? The Material Safety Data Sheet list VM & P NAPHTHA as it's 1st ingredient, lists it contains 19%. Here's the sheet: http://nafaa.org/ZIPPO_MSDS.pdf 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Should do the trick just fine. Some of that gummy stuff can take elbow grease to remove. Just be prepared for that. Then again, the pickguard may come up and not leave any residue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Should do the trick just fine. Some of that gummy stuff can take elbow grease to remove. Just be prepared for that. Then again, the pickguard may come up and not leave any residue. Ok gerat. I see another sheet that list Light Naphtha as a 30% ingredient & Light Hydrotreated Distillate as it's mani(70%) ingredient. Ain't Light Hydrotreated Distillate just another name for HEAVY Naphtha? I know I'm prob'ly way overthinkin' this, thanks for puttin' up with me. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 You are overthinking it. Just get some regular cigarette lighter fluid. Between that, your hair dryer, a soft cloth and some patience, you'll be able to remove the pickguard just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 You are overthinking it. Just get some regular cigarette lighter fluid. Between that, your hair dryer, a soft cloth and some patience, you'll be able to remove the pickguard just fine. Ok. Yeah I have a really bad habit of overthinking & making things seem more difficult than they are. Anyway, I found an older('07) thread about removing a pickguard from an "SJ"(I'm assumin' this refers to a Super Jumbo) & 1 poster's reply states that the pickguards on newer(I got mine a year ago, it qualifies) guitars "come off very easily with very little heat". He posted, "I removed them from my old 200 and my new 165 without any trouble at all". 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayban Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Ok. Yeah I have a really bad habit of overthinking & making things seem more difficult than they are. Yeah man, it's not like you're gonna drink the stuff.....are you??......just do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20_Gauge Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Yeah man, it's not like you're gonna drink the stuff.....are you??......just do it! [thumbup] Just checked the tracking info on my Lighter Fluid order, should be gettin' it Wed. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meanstreak Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I took the pickguard off two of my masterbilts with nothing but my fingernail and some gentle tugging. Left a bit of residue but not much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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