Naptha Question

davismanLV

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Pledge is loaded with silicones, which is why it's so easy to use, but if you're not concerned, I'm okay. It's your guitar, after all!
 

jcwu

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Best thing is plain undied (as opposed to undead) 100% cotton like old t-shirts.

Undied, as in undyed, not to be confused with undies (which I may have used to wipe down a guitar or two back in the day...)
 

Quantum Strummer

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Many years ago a photographer friend recommended using old cotton diapers (washed, of course!) for cleaning lenses. I remembered my dad had kept lotsa stuff from my infancy…and sure enough there was a stash of diapers among the stuff. :) So that's what I use for wiping down fretboards as well as camera gear. I apply naptha sparingly with a cotton swab, though…mostly to metal and rarely to wood or lacquer.

-Dave-
 

adorshki

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I apply naptha sparingly with a cotton swab, though…mostly to metal and rarely to wood or lacquer.
-Dave-

Yeah, it's just one of those solvents that won't re-dissolve NC lacquer, not a lot of options there.
I know crank mentioned using Windex himself and while I don't see ammonia listed as a solvent for NCL, I suspect if left to dry on a finish or maybe with repeated heavy use it'd leave some signs of etching, it is after all alkaline like lye.
 

gjmalcyon

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Many years ago a photographer friend recommended using old cotton diapers (washed, of course!) for cleaning lenses. I remembered my dad had kept lotsa stuff from my infancy…and sure enough there was a stash of diapers among the stuff. :) So that's what I use for wiping down fretboards as well as camera gear. I apply naptha sparingly with a cotton swab, though…mostly to metal and rarely to wood or lacquer.

-Dave-

And if you're REALLY OCD, you remove the thread used for hemming the diapers - in most cases that thread is nylon, and the folks using old diapers to detail bazillion-dollar collectible cars remove them so they don't scratch finishes.
 

mike1100

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Undied, as in undyed, not to be confused with undies (which I may have used to wipe down a guitar or two back in the day...)

Undied, undyed, and undead....uh, okay, got it.

7n08HxH.jpg
 

davismanLV

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Microfiber BAD for NCL!!

Made from from poly type plastic which is harder than NC lacquer, so you are micro-scuffing the lacquer when you use one.
Best thing is plain undied (as opposed to undead) 100% cotton like old t-shirts.
Cotton is after all almost pure cellulose, the source of the original formula for NC ("gun cotton") so won't scuff the lacquer.
:tranquillity:
Al, I get it but those guitars of mine are not very dirty, they've already been wiped down and this is just a light polish. I don't bear down and I don't wrap the microfiber around a brick and seriously go after them!!! I've seen no damage over the years. What about when you play with a cotton and poly shirt? Aren't you SCARED??? :devilish:
 

adorshki

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Al, I get it but those guitars of mine are not very dirty, they've already been wiped down and this is just a light polish. I don't bear down and I don't wrap the microfiber around a brick and seriously go after them!!! I've seen no damage over the years.
Yeah I suspected you're not bearing down as if trying to clean off built-up "stuff", but the principle holds, no matter what.
It's harder than NCL< but they're your guitars, after all.... :devilish:
The abrasion may be somewhat mitigated if you're using the cloth to apply the polish which would act like a lubricant (especially the silicone-containing stuff), but with a powerful enough magnifying glass I bet you'd get what I'm saying.
Home Depot's got home scanning electron microscopes on sale this month, btw.
:glee:
What about when you play with a cotton and poly shirt? Aren't you SCARED??? :devilish:
Actually I rebelled against poly in most forms all the way back in the late '70's and all my casual shirts are either pure cotton or silk, seriously.

Only poly I wear is to work: poly/cotton blend shirts and some ties...socks..(which is actually how I scuffed up the headstock of my D25, before I was aware of the issue and the fine points of preserving NCL!)
Even started boycotting poly blend slacks about 25 years ago, they just don't last, turn shiny in a year, don't breathe well, not worth the money....there's tons of discussion over on the Let's Talk Poly forum.
Don't buy into their ongoing debate about whether poly makes good bicycle riding shorts, though.
(My one other concession to poly, but they're baggies)
:eek-new:
Also I'm a firm believer in virgin diapers.
None of that used stuff for me, nosirree.....
 
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bobouz

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Just to sure it would be safe for nitro finishes, I ordered my naphtha from Stew-Mac.

It's sold under their Color-Tone label.
 
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