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Post new topic Aluminum Neck Polish/Cleaner
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Author Topic:  Aluminum Neck Polish/Cleaner
Dennis Manuel


From:
Quesnel, B.C., Canada
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 9:02 am    
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How do I go about cleaning / polishing the pearling on an aluminum neck?
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 9:44 am    
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Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish.
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Nicholas Scott


From:
Norfolk, VA USA
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 9:50 am    
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^^^^^^What Erv said.
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Dennis Manuel


From:
Quesnel, B.C., Canada
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 10:02 am    
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I used another polish and it kind of destroyed the pearling on an Emmons. Does Mothers do that?
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 10:37 am    
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Any polish such as Mothers, Happich etc., anything abrasive will lessen the jeweling effect. Don't use anything on it except acetone to clean it and just on the aluminum, nowhere else.
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Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 12:26 pm    
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Mothers is non-abrasive.
Simichrome and Harley Davidson polish (appears to be the same just repackaged as Harley Davidson) is slightly abrasive. MAAS polish advertised on TV and some magazines appears to be the same thing as Simichrome. I had some MAAS and Simicrhrome and they both did the identical thing.

One guitar builder told me on touch ups of a used steel he first uses Simichrome then finalizes it with Mothers.
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John Palumbo


From:
Lansdale, PA.
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 12:35 pm    
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Jerry Overstreet wrote:
Any polish such as Mothers, Happich etc., anything abrasive will lessen the jeweling effect. Don't use anything on it except acetone to clean it and just on the aluminum, nowhere else.


I tried cleaning up the top of the aluminum neck on my Williams, I believe using Mothers Polish using very minimal pressure and it took off the texture of the jeweling down to a smooth finish. Sorry I attempted it. I also do not think though that Williams guitars have what I would call a deep engraving as compared to a Mullen that I previously owned. Williams seem to have a very,very fine jeweling, almost like comparing a fine sandpaper to a coarse. But your so right Jerry, that happened to me!
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Brian Hollands


From:
Geneva, FL USA
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 12:54 pm    
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Be careful with Acetone if you have a lacquer finish - acetone is the solvent for lacquer. I might try Naptha first. VM&P Naptha is what you use to clean a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. I use Simichrome on aluminum but I haven't ever tried it on a "jeweled" finish.
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Paddy Long


From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 6:26 pm    
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Try using glass cleaner on the jewelling on the top of the necks - this brings it up pretty good without any gunk getting embedded in it ! A tip from Bruce Zumsteg
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Tom Wolverton


From:
Carpinteria, CA
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 9:30 pm    
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Mothers
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Per Berner


From:
Skövde, Sweden
Post  Posted 29 Aug 2018 9:58 pm    
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Beware of any glass cleaners with ammonia (such as most window cleaning fluids), it will ruin the aluminium.
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Jim Sliff


From:
Lawndale California, USA
Post  Posted 30 Aug 2018 1:01 pm    
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What Per said. Ammoniated materials will create pits and white rust on aluminum long after it's wiped off!
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George Redmon


From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
Post  Posted 31 Aug 2018 3:44 pm    
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Anyone tried "Autosol Aluminum Polish"?
Suppose to be non abrasive, and made in Germany.
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Jim Bob Sedgwick

 

From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
Post  Posted 31 Aug 2018 5:45 pm    
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Mothers is an abrasive. Try rubbing some between your thumb and finger. You'll feel it.
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Bob Hoffnar


From:
Austin, Tx
Post  Posted 31 Aug 2018 7:39 pm    
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I use toothpaste and an old toothbrush to clean the jeweling and mother's (cleaner and polish) for the rest.
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Bobby D. Jones

 

From:
West Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 31 Aug 2018 7:41 pm     Alumnium Neck Cleaner/Polish
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Aluminum is affected by many chemicals, Ammonia and caustics are very destructive to Aluminum.
Any abrasive will be very destructive to Jewelling, The jeweling is only a about 1 or 2 thousands deep. just enough depth to change the texture, So light reflects and shows the pattern.
Most jewelling tools are a very fine abrasive in a rubber compound similar to a pencil eraser.

If in doubt try it somewhere it will not be seen.
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 1 Sep 2018 7:28 am    
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All polishes remove metal. Mother's uses lye instead of abrasives.
You could try Meguiar's Cleaner Wax and a soft cloth.
Outside of fresh re-milling, there's no way to refresh either jewelling or rotomilling.
A vigorous afternoon with Mother's did interesting things to the "squiggle" finish on the necks of my Zum.
The squiggles are still there, but fainter and shinier.
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