oOJustmeOo Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 I have just acquired this '76 explorer. Seems it has rarely seen the light of day, and due to being trapped in a case has a white powdery film that is heavy in certain areas. Just wondering before I get to actual disassembly, any ideas on what to start cleaning off this white mess? I'm thinking mild soap and water with q-tips, and frequent drying. Anyway, just looking for real advise. Thanks.
capmaster Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 Looks like having been too humid for a longer period. I guess an appropriate treatment of the case is more difficult than that of the guitar and should be done by an expert, in particular to avoid subsequent health issues and material damage. In my opinion repeated use of off-the-shelf nitro-safe guitar polishes will do the trick for the instrument. Perhaps I also would treat the fretboard conservatively with lemon oil or linseed stand oil.
retrorod Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 I think a dampened rag, followed with a naptha dampened rag and as said above a good nitro-friendly cleaner/ poslish for the guitar. Definitely, the case needs to be cleaned and air-freshened in the sun! I would think that also, a good electronics cleaner for the pots. switch and input jack would be in order also!
oOJustmeOo Posted April 14, 2014 Author Posted April 14, 2014 Thanks for the reply's and advice. I think I'm going to take your advice with the naphtha after a very gentle wipe down with soap and water. Fortunately there are no cracks in the finish that I can see, but I think I will just take my time and do it right. I have De-Oxit for the internals. I just hope the pups were potted well. I'm not sure what pick-up the 76's came with so that seems to be my only other worry, whether they are potted well enough to have avoided any internal oxidation.
cjsinla Posted April 14, 2014 Posted April 14, 2014 Thanks for the reply's and advice. I think I'm going to take your advice with the naphtha after a very gentle wipe down with soap and water. Fortunately there are no cracks in the finish that I can see, but I think I will just take my time and do it right. I have De-Oxit for the internals. I just hope the pups were potted well. I'm not sure what pick-up the 76's came with so that seems to be my only other worry, whether they are potted well enough to have avoided any internal oxidation. Probably has T-tops or mudbuckers in it. Had a similar mildew problem on my 79 Explorer. Opened the case one day and a few of the knobs had actually fallen apart as well. Be damned if one epoxy-filled pickup seems to have much less resistance now. But, a good polish fixed the mildew problem.
oOJustmeOo Posted April 17, 2014 Author Posted April 17, 2014 Well I've been going to town on it very carefully the past 2 days. As far as I can tell this guitar has lived in it's case for 99% of it's life. If you did know what to look for you would think it's a newer guitar. I think it cleaned of real good. Here's a photo link instead of bombing the thread. Before and After
capmaster Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Well I've been going to town on it very carefully the past 2 days. As far as I can tell this guitar has lived in it's case for 99% of it's life. If you did know what to look for you would think it's a newer guitar. I think it cleaned of real good. Here's a photo link instead of bombing the thread. Before and After That is one beautiful thing, looks really nice. You did a very good job! I hope it will work out well for the case, too.
retrorod Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Thanks for the reply's and advice. I think I'm going to take your advice with the naphtha after a very gentle wipe down with soap and water. Fortunately there are no cracks in the finish that I can see, but I think I will just take my time and do it right. I have De-Oxit for the internals. I just hope the pups were potted well. I'm not sure what pick-up the 76's came with so that seems to be my only other worry, whether they are potted well enough to have avoided any internal oxidation. Nice cleanup job. Great looking guitar Did the case 'freshen up' as well? It appears that it is equipped with "tarback" Bill Lawrence-designed super humbuckers. Unique to this era. Just google tarback humbuckers for lots of info.... http://www.mylespaul...r-question.html Rod
oOJustmeOo Posted April 17, 2014 Author Posted April 17, 2014 The case is near perfect, I used a mixture of warm water and colorsafe bleach. Spent a good 30 minutes wiping it out just to make sure all areas got cleaned. Did a good hand drying and set it up in my bathroom with a space heater and a dehumidifier to make sure it get's dry. I think the Mildew was a result of what ever treatment he wiped the guitar off with, seemed to only get on the guitar surface, and where it touched the case. It didn't affect the Norlin warranty tag, or the cable that came with it. I'm just glad he didn't refill the humidifier in the case again.
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