Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

[Fender_Punk]

I've had Wilkenson Compensated saddles on my Tele for about a decade now (where has the time gone?)
In all these years I never thought to clean them. The other day I was playing my Tele and thought, "These look nasty!" (and not in a good way.)


A quick search on the internet led me to the salt and vinegar solution.
I probably could have let them soak longer, but the result after ~ 10 minutes was good enough for me.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

wow big change. just soak em then wipe em to dry them off?

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

Basically. I soaked them, lightly scrubbed them with steel wool, rinsed with cold water and wiped dry.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

Looks much better.

Horn makers handle the issue with a clear coat after polishing.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

Be aware that soaking parts in vinegar is how many relic new parts - ie look like what yours did in the 'before' pic

 

[Mincer]

Re: Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

I honestly never heard of that. I wonder if it takes any thin plating off, like if it will rust faster now. I guess I have some reading to do!
They look great, though.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

BTW, toothpaste makes a great metal polish as well, and it's less toxic than most good polishes. If you were to take an old toothbrush and some toothpaste to those now, they'd shine even more.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Salt n Vinegar to Bring the Shine

I it used to use salt & vinegar to shine pennies when I was a kid. It quickly takes off oxidation. As long as you rinse in running water it shouldn't cause any corrosion problems.

The relic crowd let their stuff soak for hours or days. It only takes a couple minutes to get parts clean.

If you want shiny nothing beats Simichrome but once you go that shiny you may feel compelled to maintain it, which is why I prefer bright but not polished.