SAFELY removing lead paint from pickup cavities

[walker]

What would you recommend for the job I've described?

[jingle_jangle]

Without actually seeing it in person, it's tough, as there are all sorts of ways to deal with all sorts of issues.

If I were you, I'd go with the Perfect-It III Extra-Cut Rubbing Compound.. It comes in 16 ounce bottles.

[walker]

Cool. Thanks, Paul. I'll check that out.

[walker]

So the deed is done, and done.

I ended up using just the basic 'Rubbing Compound', which is a lighter version of the Perfect-It 3 Extra-Cut, also made by 3M. It worked great. Returned the shine to the areas dulled by the denatured alcohol, and added a nice glossy shine, even without wax. My local auto parts store didn't have Zymol, so I used a nice Brazilian Carnauba wax that did a nice job remoisturizing the parts of the cavity that hadn't been fully covered with the CV.

Here's the job after all the clean-up & waxing was done:







Once rubbed and waxed, you could even see the router marks reflected in the natural light:







As you can see in some of the photos, the grey paint had soaked into the wood where the cavity was missed by the CV. I rubbed it pretty extensively with the alcohol & compound, but to remove it completely would have required light sanding which I decided to forego so I didn't risk removing any of the writing in the process. It can be done, but I didn't feel like putting the additional work into making the inside of the cavity spotless. I set out to see what was written in the cavity, and I'm satisfied with where the project resolved. If I ever sold the bass, I would return to sand out the remaining hints of grey.

Last thing - removing the copper sheet from the back of the pickguard. I was pleasantly surprised that the original masking tape didn't come off:

[cjj]

Good job! Sure looks nice now!

[walker]

Thanks, CJ. I know it may seem like a waste of time to put that much effort into cleaning up & restoring a part of the guitar that no one will see, but I think of nice vintage guitars like I do nice vintage hot-rods - you want to have everything look good UNDER the hood, too!

[FretlessOnly]

Yes, you did a nice job on that cavity, Mark.

As for the masking tape; there's evidence of some on the back of my '73. I guess a previous owner removed at least some of it. What is the purpose of the tape, just to give a nice snug fit by the knobs/switch, or perhaps to dampen background noise from turning the knobs?

[walker]

I can only guess as you did, John. The thought crossed my mind that it was there to protect the plastic pickguard from the pot washers & screws. I also thought there was a possibility that the harnesses were constructed while the pots were attached to the PG. That way they're held in place nicely while soldering in the wires and capacitors, and the tape protects the PG from the hot solder drips should any occur. Just a theory.

[cjj]

I've always wondered about the tape too. Perhaps it's there to give the pot hardware something to "bite" into to keep them in place a bit better than just the plastic.

I'm guessing it's not there to protect against solder drops. I'd guess they assemble the electronics before hand using something a bit more durable than a plastic sheet. Something like a jig made of sheet aluminum would be better and you could set it up to hold several assemblies at once to speed up manufacture...

[jps]

This is from the Factory tour during the 75th Anniversary weekend.

[cjj]

Well, OK, I guess they'd do some soldering during assembly, as it would be impractical/impossible to get the pickups connected beforehand. But still, I don't think the tape is for protection from solder drops, there's just too little tape to cover all the possible areas where solder could fall...

Man, I sure hope they've upgraded from those ancient Weller solder stations. Especially for the new lead free solder. Hako & Metcal are far superior...

[walker]

I'm curious about that picture. The tech could be doing some assembly, or just attaching the pickup wires. Moot point in a way, since RIC discontinued using the masking tape a long time ago, probably in the 70's sometime. Someone correct me if I'm off on that - I just haven't seen masking tape on a PG unless it was made in the 60's or early 70's.

[jps]

Well, OK, I guess they'd do some soldering during assembly...

I figured you just like to see a big pile of harnesses.

Here is a sight to behold :

[jps]

Note the grommets already in place.

[walker]

Interesting photo. I see those pickups on the left that have what looks like a compressed magnet with 6 holes - like recessed alnicos or something.