Tarnished chrome - Any way to avoid?

[kimonostereo]

Hi all,

I take care of all of my guitars, but I've noticed something interesting with my EBMM's: There are a few parts that get tarnished just sitting in the case. I've especially noticed it on the strap knobs and the bridge saddles. Most other parts have no tarnishing going on.

I make sure to wipe all metal parts clean after each use and the guitars usually go straight back into the cases. When I wax the guitar finish, I usually apply a small amount to the metal parts as well for a thin coat of protection.

Is there anything I can do to keep the parts from tarnish? What do you think causes it?

BTW, I live in Hawaii, but the temperatures are pretty constant and the room that my guitars are in rarely gets very hot.

 

[dannymusic]

wash

wash your hands before you play; with soap.

wax the chrome; polymer

 

[kimonostereo]

I do all of those things already. I still get tarnished parts after leaving the instruments in their case for a few months though.

 

[kimonostereo]

Also, does anyone know what the bridge saddles and strap knobs are coated with? Is it nickel?

 

[yellowv03]

Your cases have too much humidity in them. I would get some stands or hang them.

 

[fbecir]

What is the level of humidity ?
Do you have in your guitar case the small bag of (I don't know the word in English) against humidity ?

 

[kimonostereo]

Hmmm. The temperature doesn't change much in the room that they are in, nor is there a lot of humidity there either. All cases have the small packet of Desiccant / silica gel in them. Maybe I should stick it closer to the body of the guitar?

 

[straycat113]

Try a violin sponge! I have never had any issues with chrome plating on any guitar, though it is almost a given no matter the brand -gold will tarnish with time and playing.

 

[LawDaddy]

You live near lots of water (lucky you!), and I'm guessing that the ever present moisture is getting trapped in the case. Even though you don't feel the humidity, it's there. Us mainlanders can feel it when we get off the plane there.

It's possible that the parts that are in contact with the case fabric are reacting with moisture resident in the fabric. If this is the case (no pun intended) it might be better to leave it out of the case and see if the corrosion slows or stops. The other option is a humidity-controlled environment.

 

[Slav123]

I believe that they are polished nickel and there's not much you can do to stop them from getting tarnished. Salty air from the ocean and humidity (even though it might be very light) is the problem, but they all tarnish in time (especially those parts and the input jack plate).

 

[kimonostereo]

Thanks all!

I guess I'll try sticking another packet of desiccant in one of the cases.

I know it's not from me touching the parts as the bridge saddles have oxidation in places I've never touched. The actual trem body is fine though!

Any good tips on cleaning the oxidation off? Unfortunately, I think once it oxidizes, it also damages the finish of the plating.

 

[kimonostereo]

Try a violin sponge! I have never had any issues with chrome plating on any guitar, though it is almost a given no matter the brand -gold will tarnish with time and playing.

I remember back in the 80's my friends would put clear nail polish on their gold tuning pegs to preserve them. Another friend put a sock over the entire headstock and only too it off to change strings.

Ah the crazy things we do to keep things nice.

 

[AgustinJP50]

My hands happen to sweat a lot when I play, which is why I get a lot of corrosion in the saddle screws and the bridge pickup poles. When I noticed the chrome in those spots was tarnishing, I removed it and put clear nail polish in the poles of the bridge pickup... I didn't use it in the saddle screws as it would have prevented me from changing the saddle height in the future. Hope it helps.

 

[Spudmurphy]

a tiny bit of WD 40 is good too.

 

[dhalif]

just continuing what augustin said, i have a friend who has like super toxic sweat from his hands, it corroded scews on a silo on the pickguiard within weeks, its crazy.. we bought our guitars at the same time, and mine is still super shiny now. he already changed screws on the pickguard 3 times lol.. we tried something for his hands, gels/ creams nothing works... he is now just living with it.. lol

 

[AgustinJP50]

Hahahahahaha, sh*t man, poor him! Fortunately my sweat is not as corrosive as his, I started noticing the tarnishing after more or less a year of use. However, I found the nail polish to be a great solution, the only negative side is you can't use it on parts you know you may have to move or adjust (i.e. saddle screws, pickguard screws, trem posts, etc.).