Fretboard

[12_strings]

That e is important Paul. Too early in the morning to see it was silicone-free on the label. I've had good luck with both of the Petros Guitar products on my Martins. They tell you to dilute with a little water and not to use much at all. Thanks again to everyone for jumping in. Got some good tips for my car too!

[jingle_jangle]

+1 on the Maas.

[paologregorio]

Brasso works on the metal parts as well. I recently used it, along with a buffing wheel, to restore the shine on my Kluson tuners to brand new condition(I removed the tuners first).

[jingle_jangle]

An important note: Do not use Brasso or any other polish on gold-plated parts, or your gold will disappear into your buffing cloth...use a dampened soft cloth, and a bit of Zymol. Corn starch and water works well sometimes on gold, too. It depends upon how badly tarnished the gold is. Gold "Flash" plating, as Gretsch uses nowadays (this applies to gold-plated Bigsbys, too) is so very thin that a bit of acid corrosion from a player's hands will actually penetrate all the way through the gold layer, making it impossible to remove.

Brasso is particularly abrasive, and it will also remove nickel plating if overused. It can scratch show-quality chrome, too. It's great for hotel entrance placques and railings at historical monuments, though.

I'm a fan of MAAS (if I'm going to use a paste), Simichrome for aluminum ONLY, and for most other plated surfaces, Nev-R-Dull metal wadding.

[12_strings]

The 360 arrived this afternoon. Didn't need much of any cleaning. The Ric cloth did the trick for now. I am waiting for some Ric strings before I change out the old ones. The fretboard looks very good and should be fine with a slightly damp cotton cloth and then the Ric polishing cloth. I will have to post a photo of my 370/12MG and her new little sister.

[jcreasy]

Paul,

Have you tried Malm's Carnuba?

JKC

[jingle_jangle]

Jim, to my knowledge, most carnauba waxes, whether paste or liquid, use petroleum distillates to help the wax slide on easily. This means (once again) that layers cannot be built up. The tipoff here is if the can or bottle actually says "petroleum distillates" on the label somewhere, or contains a warning about being "harmful or fatal if swallowed"--that's the distillate talking there, as carnauba is biologically inert, being a natural wax.

[kiramdear]

If petroleum solvent is OK for ricks and no thick buildup is required, I'd like to recommend Renaissance Wax. Pure microcrystaline wax that goes on absolutely clear. I've even used it on unglazed (bisque) porcelain and paper with no perceivable change in appearance whatsoever. It's the first choice of museum folks around the world. Magic stuff!

I've been using it as my favorite wax for most any surface for decades.

[jingle_jangle]

Sure, who wants to argue with museum preservation staff? I hear they can get downright nasty at times...

The "buildup" of Zymol is to fill micro-scratches which show up as halos and haze. It's not like "floor wax buildup", which used to drive Mary Hartman crazy, as it's only a few molecules deep.

[paologregorio]

Fascinating and informative thread.

[kiramdear]

Sure, who wants to argue with museum preservation staff? I hear they can get downright nasty at times...

You got that one right, Paul. Best to handle them with a pitchfork.

Sorry, I couldn't resist: