How to clean pickup to avoid rust from eventually damaging the coil wire?

[IMENATOR]

So last year there was a leak I had not noticed in the room I use for storage here at home and the only pickup I had not put into a plastic bag was a Duncan Distortion that now has a noticeable amount of rust. Now want to check and remove as much rust as possible from different parts of the pickup in order to prevent it to further "growing" and eventually break the coil wire.

The pickup is uncovered so that is an easy start. Both slug and screw pole pieces have rust on top.For these screw poles it was as easy as simply unscrew them the to take them out, no rust in the threads, I just cleaned it with some dry cloth and looks much better now, one less to worry about. For the magnet I have seen videos of people just loosing a bit the plate and pushing it out without taking the whole pickup apart.

But how about slug coils? I mean, there are videos of people disassembling humbuckers but I have never seen them replacing the slug coils. Is this even doable considering my guitar is wax potted?

And no, rust is not mojo, it is only rust

 

[ICTGoober]

Rust will not break your wire. It's been coated in lacquer or plastic as protection and to prevent shorting out of the coil.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Scotchbrite pad to clean up the rust?

 

[beaubrummels]

Scotchbrite pad to clean up the rust?

Ooooh, not even funny.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Edgeumacate me please.

 

[Chistopher]

Copper doesn't rust, so unless the rust poses risk to the structural integrity of the pickups, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Dish soap and a potato can fix superficial rust, but if you end up using anything abrasive such as steel wool, remove the magnet from the pickup before you go at it, that way the metal flakes don't get stuck anywhere they don't belong.

 

[ICTGoober]

Polish with a rag, or in bad situations GENTLE brushing with a toothbrush and NOT on the coils.

 

[ErikH]

Polish with a rag, or in bad situations GENTLE brushing with a toothbrush and NOT on the coils.

Exactly.

Guys, this is a guitar pickup, not an automotive frame or body panel. Scotchbrite pads, steel wool or anything abrasive is bad here.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Depends how they're used, of course.

 

[IMENATOR]

Hello guys, I know how to clean the exterior of the slug pole pieces, just like I did with the screw pole pieces. The question was about how to remove them and put them back, check the interior and put them back, because of this...

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/s...ect-the-pickup

If I wanted people to confused me I would have just gone to the gear page or reddit . I guess the title does not help, I assumed people reads the first post.

 

[jeremy]

thats specifically about vintage fender style single coils where the wire is wrapped directly around the magnets, the coil on a bucker is isolated from contact with anything but the bobbin

 

[ErikH]

You should be able to simply push the slugs out of the bobbin with no harm done to the wire.

 

[Mincer]

You should be able to simply push the slugs out of the bobbin with no harm done to the wire.

I don't recommend this.

 

[ICTGoober]

You should be able to simply push the slugs out of the bobbin with no harm done to the wire.

Oh, HELL NO!

 

[ErikH]

I don't recommend this.

Oh, HELL NO!

Why not if the wire is isolated from the slug within the bobbin? Are you saying to simply clean the top of the slug and leave it be?

 

[ICTGoober]

Yes.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I concur - it's an aesthetic issue, not an operational one.
As long as the coils & lead wires are okay, rust should not affect pickup function.
No need to remove the slugs. Just clean off their ends.

 

[Mincer]

Why not if the wire is isolated from the slug within the bobbin? Are you saying to simply clean the top of the slug and leave it be?

You got it.

 

[nexion218]

Edgeumacate me please.

I think Beau means that creating "metal-dust" around your pickups is not the brightest idea and I think he is right. If you need more details, mention steelwool to Goob. It's gonna be worse than telling GuitarDoc about the input jack of a guitar....

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^ Scotchbrite pads aren't steel wool. Theyre nylon or something and come in a variety of grades.

You can put painters tape over the pickup covers, or remove the pickup entirely, to protect the covers.

Most pickups are potted, so the risk of "dust" getting inside the coils is minimal at best. Canned compressed air keyboard cleaner or a vacuum cleaner will blow (or suck) the small amount of dust that doesn't get caught up in the pad to begin with.

Just my thoughts. YMMV off course.