Cleaning crap off my guitar

Omnipharious · #1 01-04-2011, 01:10 AM

I took the pickguard off my acoustic guitar recently, and it left a very thin adhesive paper on it. I read that acetone can remove it, so I tried that; it took the paper off, but just moved the sticky crap around. I found some stuff called "Goof Off", "The Ultimate Remover!" that says it can clean gum, candle wax, oil, pen, grease, crayon, glue, lipstick, and adhesives. I poured a few drops on the face of the guitar, and started to wipe, and it cleaned everything sticky off. It left some odd gunk. I wouldn't describe it as "tacky" but it's definitely not smooth; it feels like dried snot.

I rubbed it well with a wet paper towel, but it didn't do anything. I heard normal cleaners can really destroy guitars, so I'm staying away from those. What can I do to get this snotty feeling gunk off?

sbass traveller · #2 01-04-2011, 04:47 AM

Try some olive oil on some paper towel. I've used it to take the sticker gunk off of guitars before. No idea if it does any serious damage to the finish, but everything I've used it on has suffered no ill effects. Works great but you need to put just a bit of the proverbial elbow grease into it.

Floyd Eye · #3 01-04-2011, 05:23 AM

Naptha. Never use Acetone on a finished guitar. The stuff you're moving around may be the finish.

R. Laevinus · #4 01-04-2011, 07:06 AM

Definitely naptha. Also known as Zippo fuel. Can be had for a couple of bucks at any convenience store or smoke shop. Ronson fuel will work too, same stuff.

Note: Once you're done with it, be sure to clean it off of anything it might have gotten onto, ESPECIALLY your hands.

Omnipharious · #5 01-04-2011, 01:06 PM

Yeah, I was hoping that we had some lighter fluid, but we didn't, and in looking, I found this Goof Off stuff. It says it removes gunk, so I figured it'd work. If I can't find a home remedy, I'll just buy some lighter fluid.

I really only used a little acetone, are you sure it could actually start to take up the finish with a few dabs on a sock?

Omnipharious · #6 01-04-2011, 01:15 PM

So I took some more of that gunk off stuff, put a few drops on the snotty feeling parts, and rubbed it till it was all wet, then let it air dry off, and it seems to be smooth again.

This stuff doesn't say to, but I probably should have been doing this outside. I'm feeling a bit light headed.

R. Laevinus · #7 01-04-2011, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omnipharious

So I took some more of that gunk off stuff, put a few drops on the snotty feeling parts, and rubbed it till it was all wet, then let it air dry off, and it seems to be smooth again.

This stuff doesn't say to, but I probably should have been doing this outside. I'm feeling a bit light headed.

Glad you managed to get the stuff off... and yeah, it's generally a good idea to use solvents of any kind in a well-ventilated area. Some cats enjoy that stuff, but I personally prefer different methods of intoxication.

In other news though, you're probably fine - the lightheadedness is probably just from exertion. No sweat. :P

Omnipharious · #8 01-04-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R. Laevinus

Glad you managed to get the stuff off... and yeah, it's generally a good idea to use solvents of any kind in a well-ventilated area. Some cats enjoy that stuff, but I personally prefer different methods of intoxication.

In other news though, you're probably fine - the lightheadedness is probably just from exertion. No sweat. :P

I'll make sure I do that next time. Now I have a serious undertaking with this old guitar: I'm converting it to an electric. I have old p-bass pickups that I'm going to put on it. I have the pots, and know how to wire it, but how I'm going to mount them, and where the electronics'll go is going to be a problem.

On a lighter note, it sure makes me think I'm playing better, staying in this room.