The Steel Guitar Forum

I know this wouldn't be a huge success story for some of you, but I decided that since I was going to sell my 76 Sidekick that I had better clean her up. The success is that I managed to get her back together and completely functioning!

I removed everything from the body. Tuning pegs from the peghead, changer from the end.. Roller nut.. everything.. It probably wouldn't surprise any of you that the neck and body of a sidekick are plywood.

At any rate, the fingers were so gummy I could hold the bar in a position that would make the fingers be parallel with the floor and they wouldn't even move. Matter of fact, I never knew I even had a roller nut since the rollers were seized. I honestly don't know how I managed to play it for the last 5 years in the condition it was in.

I took all the fingers off, cleaned all the rollers and everything.. You cannot believe the amount of nastiness was in there. I am surprised to say that this little MSA sparkles now. Probably about as good as she did when she left Reese's good company in September of 76.

She's tuned up and smoother than she's ever been. She will probably make someone a little bit pleased.. Perhaps she'll find a good home now that she looks and sounds as pretty as she can..

I appreciate this and similar posts as I'm about to undertake such a project. I just purchased a 74 MSA and plan to strip, clean, polish and buff to get it in top shape for the next 36 years. I hadn't thought about checking the roller nut. Though in remarkable condition for its age, a little TLC can't hurt if done properly.

Taking care and restoring our own instruments may be a quite complex job but I enjoyed very much repainting and cleaning my old MSA.
It may be not that easy sometimes but it's a great "challenge" and it's very helpful for learning how things work in the undercarriage and changer.
And when you're done finally, you can say "I did it!"
Compliments to you and good luck to anyone willing to undertake that taks.

I totally enjoy working on my pedal steels, and for anybody living far away from the pedal steel 'centers', the ability to do basic work on their steel is almost a practical necessity. I suggest anyone starting out doing this to be very organized - understand what every part is doing before you take it off, make very careful notes as you're disassembling things, and even take a picture if you think it might not be obvious how something ought to go back on. These things are machines - they need to be clean and properly set up and lightly lubricated to work correctly. This forum is a wealth of help - practically anything I needed to know is on a thread somewhere and people are very helpful if you have a question.

I also think it's a good idea to start out on a guitar that's relatively easy to work on. My first job, several years ago, was a BMI S-10 3+4. It's a very easy guitar to work on without a lot of intricate stuff going on underneath. I'm about to start into push-pulls - I picked up a student S-8 Emmons with 4 pedals mainly to learn on, although it might make a pretty cool minimalist travel rig. But mainly I don't want to wade into my D-10 till I know what I'm doing. It has a very fine Tommy Cass setup on it, but I want to move E=>Eb from LKR to RKL without fouling it up.

What's a good solvent to use for this kind of cleanup?

John

I use Blaster 50 PB, I generally get it at Lowe's. I know people who use Gunk carburetor cleaner and other similar things. I usually use Naptha (lighter fluid) on my 6-string guitar hardware, but I didn't find that tough enough for the crusted-on nicotine/dried-up-oil/dirt mixture on my steel undercarriages. I soak and then wipe off the changer and small parts, and just wipe the rods with the stuff. If you want parts to shine, use something like Mother's Mag and a high-speed buffer - Eagle One Original Never-Dull Wadding Polish (Wal-Mart) does a pretty good job also, doesn't require any equipment, and is pretty easy to do. I'm less worried about mirror shine but do want everything very clean, then properly (and lightly) lubricated.

BTW - these solvents like Blaster PB or Gunk are foul, dangerous to your health and safety, and extremely flammable. Use them either outside or, if you happen to have a chemistry lab set up, under a fume hood, and definitely away from any source of ignition - sparks, pilot lights, cigarettes, and so on. I also use latex gloves - try rubber gloves if you're allergic to latex.

I used a damp cloth with a little bit of Dawn- which is a great degreaser (which looks like it will be used again on the animals in the Gulf)...

I lubed it back with very high grade turbine oil. I have used this with fantastic success on other machines. No gumming.. Smooth as silk...

I have had good luck with WD40 as a cleaning agent. Buy a 1 gallon can of it and soak a rag and start wiping. Make sure you wipe it dry so there is hardly any WD residue when you're done. Then you lubricate of course with a light oil. I have found ATF to be ideal, in a very small amount.

I stay away from WD-40. It gums up after time. LPS #1 and Singer sewing machine oil are the only lubricants I use on guitars. Naptha (lighter fluid), denatured alcohol, and Gunk are the only cleaners/degreasers I use.

I'm in the process of cleaning up a '67 Fender 400. Not sure what I'm going to use to clean the cable assemblies. The old lubricant has turned to a gummy residue and even a white dust in places, like a dissimilar metal dust.

The guys at Mullen suggested lacquer thinner to soak the changers in...Ive had very good luck using this first...The sonic cleaner loosens a lot of the unreachable contaminants as well...and as for lubricant, synthetic Exxon 2380 Turbine/Jet engine oil is my preference, and I see Chris is liking it too!..JMHO

Mickey..

Exxon not authorized........Mobile Jet II only

Where can the average Joe purchase turbine/jet oil- perhaps a pilot shop at a smaller airport?

Greg Youngman wrote:I stay away from WD-40. It gums up after time. LPS #1 and Singer sewing machine oil are the only lubricants I use on guitars. Naptha (lighter fluid), denatured alcohol, and Gunk are the only cleaners/degreasers I use.

Greg, please note that I said I used wd40 for cleaning only and that I wipe it clean and dry so there is no chance of gumming. Also, that I used something else for lube. I know, WD gums up if you try and use it as a lube. The main ingredient is fish oil! NO wonder!

In my experience i've been using lacquer thinner like Mickey mentioned..., lacquer thinner will clean anything that is metal, i would'nt use it on wood finish or plastic...it's also a good hand cleaner just make sure you don't have cuts or it'll burn like hell but not dangerous.

Thanks for the recommendations. How do you dispose of things like naphtha, Gunk, and lacquer thinner after you use them? It would be nice to use something that would just evaporate away after a few days in the open. Where I live, there is one 4-hour period per year when the county will accept hazardous waste.

John

Pat Comeau wrote:In my experience i've been using lacquer thinner like Mickey mentioned..., lacquer thinner will clean anything that is metal, i would'nt use it on wood finish or plastic...it's also a good hand cleaner just make sure you don't have cuts or it'll burn like hell but not dangerous.

Sure Pat, lacquer thinner is a great cleaner but the trouble is the fumes are really nasty. The only place for using that stuff is outside, with a mask on, and how do you do that in January?
Heck, you could take a trip and never leave the farm

Try WD some time. It really works.

I've been using lacquer thinner tonight with excellent results. Got me thinking, though- my dad was a toolmaker who cleaned everything with acetone. Is acetone an option for metal guitar parts?

Bent said=

Sure Pat, lacquer thinner is a great cleaner but the trouble is the fumes are really nasty. The only place for using that stuff is outside, with a mask on, and how do you do that in January?
Heck, you could take a trip and never leave the farm

OK Bent you're maybe right i've edited

Very important thing about LACQUER THINNER...NEVER,NEVER put any old wet cloth rags used with thinner in a open or close container as it will sometimes caught in fire from the heat generating from thinner...i usely hang it and leave it outside until it dries and then i trow them in the carbage.

Pat, are you sure we are talking about the same stuff?
There is paint thinner, a petroleum based thinner, normally called Varsol around here. Then the other stuff is the nasty stuff: Lacquer thinner. It smells like nail polish and nail polish remover. Also found in airplane glue. You know the stuff that kids used to sniff for a cheap high and wrecking their lungs in the process.

Pat, if you are sure that we are talking about the same stuff, then you should not show the irresponsibility to go on an open forum and proclaim that you handle this crap without a mask. Young readers can read it and do themselves serious damage.
The warning on the can states clearly that you wear a class B (I think) filter mask at the same time as you have VERY adequate ventilation.

Thanks for editing Pat.