Anyone have any idea how to clean surface rust from saddles? I'd prefer not to replace them, it's for my 62 re-issue MIJ and I really wanna try to keep it all original. But the saddles have a lot of surface rust on them. I'm sure one of you tech savvy folk will have some trick of the trade? I better include a pic, I know what you lot are like.

_________________
"I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so f*ckin' heroic!"

Do a good soak in a mix of naphtha and 3-in-One Oil and use a toothbrush

Naptha??

_________________
"I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so f*ckin' heroic!"

[quote="Schritzer"]Anyone have any idea how to clean surface rust from saddles? I'd prefer not to replace them, it's for my 62 re-issue MIJ and I really wanna try to keep it all original. But the saddles have a lot of surface rust on them. I'm sure one of you tech savvy folk will have some trick of the trade? I better include a pic, I know what you lot are like.

Try some OOOO steel wool from a hardware store. Get a M&M sized ball of it and some tweezers and have at it for the tight bends in the saddles. (You do need to remove all the saddles off the bridge plate to do this right.) A little 3 in 1 would help while you're knocking the rust off.

The steel wool works really well for all of Fender's gold plated hardware also, knocks the tarnish off and makes 'em look new.

That surface rust is known as "mojo" and people pay stoopid money for it (that's why the CS relic guitars cost so much).



Your saddles are nickel-plated. Steel wool will score the surface of this plating right down to the steel substrate. The rust will eventually return and likely turn the saddle to pulp. If you find that surface patina of oxidation objectionable, try some Naval Jelly applied with a Q-tip. Allow to permeate overnight then remove with a nylon-bristled brush and lacquer reducer or mineral spirits. The Naval Jelly should remove the lion's share of the surface rust without disturbing the nickel plating.

HTH

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I would just clean it up with an old toothbrush and rub a light coat of oil on them....the rust will eventually return, and even sooner if the guitar is played regularly. Trust me, this surface rust does not affect the value of your instrument....as long as the adjustment screws aren't rusted up and frozen

Thanks for all the help and suggestions lads, I should say that it isn't for aesthetic purposes or resale that I wanna clean it up, I was just a little worried that the now slightly rough oxidized surface may affect string life and/or tone.

The guitar plays beautifully and it feels right in my hands, and I know that's the important thing.

Just wanna look after it and make sure it stays at it's best for many years to come.

_________________
"I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so f*ckin' heroic!"

Here is a useful video from Fender that should help you with the cleaning and lubing. It's very informative. Enjoy....
http://youtu.be/eDU8nqQdXfw

If the "hump" portion of the saddle becomes severely pitted or abraded due to rust, you can polish them with crokus cloth, an industrial product used by machinists, gunsmiths, auto mechanics, and the like. Use the finest grit available to gently restore the surface then apply a faint coating of light oil or WD40 to prevent any recurrence of corrosion.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-crocus-cloth.htm

HTH

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Hi Schritzer: little to add to what others have said, but just for the sake of information - naphtha is a solvent that can be had under that name from some hardware stores. Or many people just buy lighter fluid. Although Forum user Twelvebar advised me that these days not all lighter fluid contains naphtha, so it is worth studying the side of the tin first.

One last thought. If keeping the instrument original is your aim you could always use replacement saddles as stand-ins and keep these ones pristine, once you've cleaned them up. Then you can return the guitar to stock anytime you like, and replacements are so close you'll never notice the difference, day to day.

Good luck - C

_________________

Take them off and soak them for a couple of days in WD40. Use a toothbrush after. I've had good results doing this to motorcycle parts.

Thanks guys for all the help and suggestions. This forum is so helpful. Playing guitar for 15 years and i've learnt more on this forum in the last few months than I have in that time!!




This!! I really should have thought of that. Knowing me I'll buy the wrong ones. Anyone any idea if the Fender Japan vintage saddles are standard spacing or are they different?

_________________
"I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so f*ckin' heroic!"

Hi again Schritzer: my MIJ '57 RI has a string pitch of 56 mm / 2 3/16". The saddles themselves are 10.5 mm / 0.413" wide. Assuming that's the same as your '62 RI then as far as I can see regular Fender saddles or aftermarket versions of the same size should fit.

But measure your saddles' width and double check when buying saddles. Any online seller should be happy to check that dimension for you.

Here are some useful pages to check out:

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/sadd ... rstrat.htm

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/sadd ... tstrat.htm

http://www.wdmusic.com/saddle_sets_electric_guitar.html

Good luck - C

_________________

You're thinking OOO steel wool, perhaps. The gold plating Fender uses on it's Deluxe models is likely softer than nickle and it polishes up like new using OOOO with no abrasion at all.

Ceri,
What do you know about the mid 90's Tex-Mex Strats? Thinking swapping hardware for gold, I was told the hardware was MIA vintage parts. Any thoughts?

_________________
"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC