Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

[BloodRose]

Due to my back condition/pain, I sweat like a pig. Having said that, on the positive side, Ive been getting to jam alil more lately in the garage thru a real amp!! Anyhow, play in garage, Fla heat/humidity, sweating on guitars ...... Rust.... I wipe em down as thorough as possible when Im done.. And I dont have problem with the strings.. But where I have probs is places I cant wipe good, like inside and around the strap lock buttons, strap locks on the strap, washers under the knobs. And, even found rust on a screw and washer on top of one of my amps from dripping..

Now, Im sure Im not the first person... Ive been to concerts and seen guys soaked at the end.. How do you maintain the guits?? Ive been taking qtips and dipping in wd 40 and swabbing rusted areas. Any better ideas?? I try to keep my guits new as possible and this wigs me out.. But, I gotta play em!!
Thanks!!

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

I have to admit that my sweat is not as corrosive as some other guys I've known. One of my buddies years ago was an auto mechanic, and I finally forbade him from touching my guitars. He could completely kill a set of new strings in less than ten minutes.

Rule number one: wash your hands before you play. Wipe down your hands, arms and face between each song, if you can.

I do have a maintenance routine and have done this since the early 1970s. When I come home from a gig (and I mean THAT NIGHT!), I wipe down all my guitars with a damp rag (t-shirt material); damp enough to leave tiny beads of water on the surface and then I buff it dry with a terry towel or microfiber cloth. I also slightly loosen the strings and run the damp rag over the strings to remove any sweat, dirt and DNA. I buff it dry and follow that with a string preservative; for the past decade I've been using Dunlop 65 String Cleaner and it works well. Water is the universal solvent, and removes about 99.9% of all contaminants. The Dunlop 65 leaves a protective film on the strings, and it doesn't gunk up like Fast Fret. And I am totally anal about this routine--and proud of it!

On most of my guitars, I use some kind of carnauba wax on the finish and on chrome control plates. I also use it on the NCL-finished maple necks of my vintage guitars--and that helps keep the lacquer intact.

Not sure WD-40 is the best way to go, because it can gum things up, but there must be SOMETHING out there that can prevent rust without damaging the finish. There is a product that I've used from Sound Synergies called "StringTone". I have it, use it, not quite sure how I feel about it. I think the Dunlop 65 is possibly a better string cleaner. The StringTone will bring back some brightness to a dead set of strings. It is a spray and does leave a protective film, so it might be good to use on bridges, saddles and the like.

http://soundsynergies.net/string-tone/

I hope this helps.

Bill

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

I am equally anal about my babies but unfortunately I am in the same boat as you bro, haven't found anything that I can feel confident about using, thus I end up playing only when it is cool enough and on hotter days I simply stop and wipe down as soon as I detect the very first hint of moisture. I never wait until I will start dripping.

One trick I do use is one of those long basketball sweatbands on my playing wrist, seems to help quite a bit.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

Use the red tube that comes with the WD-40 to get into the tight spaces. And be stingy with it, a little goes a long way.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[LLL]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

String-wise.

http://www.optima-strings.com/24k_gold_electrics.php

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

thanks all!! yeah, I have wristbands I wear to try to keep the sweat from reaching the guits, but I still have face/forehead drippage. And YES, I wipe religiously after I play them and do all I can for preventative, etc.. I used to just not play my nicer guits in situations like that, but I figure I bought them to play... For years Ive used Dunlop n65 cleaner, and I recently bought a kit that has the cleaner, fretboard conditioner and string cleaner. (id actually forgotten about having the string cleaner as Ive never used it before.) So, will break that out.

Demanic, yes, VERY stingy with the WD40. Have a can with the built in flip up tube. Never spray directly on the guitar so overspray wont get on the guitar. Spray into a small bathroom cup and dab onto rusted spots with Qtip.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

oh, and YES, BoogieBill, clean hands before playing, almost everytime! Never play with sticky or dirty hands.

 

[Hank-]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

Keep a wet towel nearby, wipe yourself when you feel your sweating too much. Also drink more water to lower the acidic levels.

An old trick to keeping cold/cool in a hot room without fan/AC was to place your feet in a bucket of water, not ideal but could work for ya

 

[HiFiRebel]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

You could try some polish like Blue Magic on the metal parts. It can help with that a little.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

You aren't puting the guitar in a case, are you? That will kill a damp guitar.
I had to replace all the screws on a '62 SG years ago because everything was corroding so bad from my sweat. Did a number on the finish, too. I don't love lacquer for that reason.
So my advice: replace anything that corrodes with high-quality stainless hardware, clean often, and keep them on a wall hanger not in a case. Or buy a guitar you care less about. (Seriously. That's what I ended up doing.)

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

Hmm... Feet in a bucket of water, playing an electric guitar, stepping on pedals and making adjustments to an amp.. Sounds like sweating would then be the least of my worries.. Would be cooler in the ER tho...

Yes, I DO need to start taking in more water..
Dave, I do case them, but wipe em down really good first and if time permits, leave cases open alittle while. Ive been to club gigs and seen guys take of guits and have to shove em in cases immediately cuz they have to break down so the next band can set up. So, I know Im already do alot more than many do.

On my main Charvel, Ive modded bunches of stuff, including stainless bolts on the trem, locking nut, etc..

Hifi, Blue magic to remove corrosion?

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

I am not kidding about the cases. I damn near destroyed that SG doing exactly that. At the very least, take off the strap. Otherwise you are turning your case into a humidity chamber.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Sweat like a pig... corrosion control??

i do take off the strap... but, put the strap in the case. didnt even think about the strap.. guess I should leave em out of the case till they dry..