The Steel Guitar Forum

Im thinking about buying a D10 Msa that has been in the case for ten years.Somethin got into the case and pitted the endplates.A friend said it was mold,i didnt think mold could eat into billet aluminum.Any of you steelers ever heard of this?Any ideas on what to do?Buffing wont do it.

Thanks in advance for any help

Wayne Broyles

Oxydation(sp)probably caused by cleaner or polish used before putting in storage.
There are a few engineers,chemists on here that could tell you for sure.I'm mostly guessing..Probably will have to be sanded and rebuffed..

BF

------------------
Bill Ford

Slick: I just removed some scratches from an end plate. You might try this. I took a viborater sand and started with some 80 grit sandpaper until all the scratched were gone. Then I started back with finer grits to remove the sand marks. The last grit was 800 which I used until it started to shine. You will have to change the paper very often. Then a friend of mine, Bill Stroud of BJS bars put it on a buffing wheel and made it look like a mirror. One other thing. Keep the sander moving and don't stay in one place to prevent waving. Good luck----Eddie

Slick: It's me again Margrette. One other thing. I took the end plate off the guitar. If you do this, I would let the tension off the strings first. No need to remove them.

Thanks Bill and Eddie,
Eddie removing the endplate at one end of the MSA would be easy but the endplate at the changer has a lot of things attached to it that im afraid i would never get it back together.I would never attempt to sand it on the guitar,its wood with a lacquer finish.

Wayne Broyles

It may not be chemically-induced pitting. The old MSA cases had very little padding, and after awhile, the padding can get full of sand and dirt. Then, when the guitar is transported, this dirt actually grinds into the metal of the end plate, causing a "pitted" appearance. It's especially noticeable on the front and side surfaces of the endplates, where most of the "scuffing" would take place.

Donny,
I think you are probably right because most of the pitting is on the front of the endplates.For every pitted place on the endplates there is matching place in the case where the red felt is gone and in its place is a white powdery substance.

Wayne Broyles

Slick, If it had a white powder residue the first time you seen it, Bill is rite, it is oxidation. And if possible follow thru with what Eddie is saying. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Kenny Foy on 09 March 2003 at 10:18 AM.]</p></FONT>

The pitting as you describe it sounds like it is only cosmetic.

There are any number of polishing and buffing compunds that can be used on aluminum.

Some 1600 grit sandpaper on an orbital sander might do it.

If it was my steel I would simply clean it thoroughly, say "so what", and not worry about the pitting until I was thinking of selling it.



------------------
Regards
-- Eugene@FJ45.com

What Eugene says!

-Uffe