Cleaning your Anderson.....

[jeepster]

Been hooked on Kleen N' Shine since my first TA in '88.

Back then I bought about 6 cans - thought I had a lifetime supply. Well, I was wrong.

Ran out....problem is - they don't seem to make the stuff anymore....or at least I can't find any.

Any substitutes? .....Or, can anyone hook me up with a black market supply? ;)

[Suriel Zayas]

meguiars detailing spray with micro-fiber rag.

[tom]

we bought some from johnson and johnson direct a few years ago. we had to call an 800 number we got from their website.
there is a product called brilliantize we get from a plastics store that works good as well. it's a cleaner so it does not leave any wax or oily stuff behind. microfiber clothes are pretty amazing.

[tom]

you can buy kleen and shine online at www.scjbrands.com under the hard to find items tab.
$4.10 a can, 46.80 for a case of 12.

[ckofahl]

Tom, have you ever heard of Freeman's famous furniture cream? It doesn't have any wax or silicones, and they use it to polish or clean pianos. Would this be safe to use on my andersons?

[tom]

sounds safe. the reason i don't usually like creamy products is that is is hard to get the residue out from crevases and hardware edges.

[ckofahl]

Tom, thanks, I find it better with this product to apply to the cloth first and then wipe the guitar.

[Stys]

3M makes a really nice cloth. Check the Larrivee site - they sell this polishing cloth on their site.

[jeepster]

you can buy kleen and shine online at www.scjbrands.com under the hard to find items tab.
$4.10 a can, 46.80 for a case of 12.

Wow!

Thanks Tom - You're a lifesaver.

I get strange looks from other musicians - but I've never found anything that works as well.

What I like is the slick feel it leaves on the neck. Probably silicone? I do alot of position changes - any stickyness makes me wacky.

For a rag - I use a proper Scottish tartan. Robertson. Goes well with single malt. ;)

[tom]

yes there is silicon in the kleen and shine, i still like it best myself. micro fiber clothes are all made in korea, and sold under many names. costco used to sell a bundle of them pretty cheap. they are used in the eyeglass industry too.

[enr1co]

Where does one get "micro fiber" cloths? Is there a brand? Is it something really common in the U.S.? I'm not sure where I'd go here in Japan, that's why I'm asking all the questions.

Here's what Ive found works well:
For cleaning- Ive just started using a Fender "Mist & Wipe". Its actually a Meguires product but packaged by Fender.

"Fender Mist & Wipe Finish enhancer is designed to safely lift off dut and remove fingerprints from fine wood finishes without scratching the surface. It is perfect for dusting, light cleaning and removing fresh contaminates befor they potentially damage the finish ofyour guitar. This high lubricity formula contains no wax or silcone and is safe to use anytime you want your guitar to have a high gloss shine."

For polishing- Petros Instrument Polish. Ive been using this on my acoustics and it really makes em' pretty. Available from www.fqms.com
"A highly concentrated silicone-free polish with refined carnuba wax. Forms an acoustically transparent hard protective coat. Fills in fine scratches. Protects finish from moisture, salt and corrosion."

For wiping- Purchased a pack of 12 microfiber cloths(size 16"x16") from Costco for about $10.00 /pack. They are in the automotive section and packaged as "Detailers Preference Microfiber Car Towels"

The website on the package is http://www.microfiber.org/ and it looks like you can order direct from them if Costco is not convenient.

Happy Cleaning/Polishing!

[Casper]

+1 to Suriel..
The Mcguairs in between string changes is awesome. Spray the cloth, not the guitar. Old T-shirts work well. I use my old Anderson t-shirts. I use GHS Guitar polish when "breaking down" on string changes. The fender stuff is basically Mcguiars. Nice deal for them. I swear by Mcguiars products for my sled too. Dunlop has a decent cleaner as well.
Don't use water based cleaners..they contribute to rust.
Most auto parts stores sell microfiber cloths as well as janitorial supply houses.
I still use dental floss to clean the nut ;)

Shaun

[dpeterson]

http://www.jimdunlop.com/products/maintenance/no65/images/intro.jpg

FORMULA No. 65 GUITAR POLISH & CLEANER
Cleans totally and quickly. Restores any finish to its original luster. Leaves a micro-thin, resistant protective layer and won’t build up. Perfect for daily use.
4 oz. pump spray.

654 Formula No. 65 Polish & Cleaner
Packaged 12 4-oz. bottles per display box

U.S. Suggested List Price $6.24/each

here's what i use... works great, real easy to wipe off, spray.. couple wipes done. says it leaves a micro thin layer? dunno about that.. but it doesnt build up whatever it is. a friend had a chromeboy, and you could imagine cleaning that thing, this was the only thing that worked.

dave

[andersonguy]

I just use some comet and a brillo pad, seems to really get the grime out. :D

[enr1co]

FORMULA No. 65 GUITAR POLISH & CLEANER
Cleans totally and quickly. Restores any finish to its original luster. Leaves a micro-thin, resistant protective layer and won’t build up. Perfect for daily use.
4 oz. pump spray.

654 Formula No. 65 Polish & Cleaner
Packaged 12 4-oz. bottles per display box

U.S. Suggested List Price $6.24/each

here's what i use... works great, real easy to wipe off, spray.. couple wipes done. says it leaves a micro thin layer? dunno about that.. but it doesnt build up whatever it is. a friend had a chromeboy, and you could imagine cleaning that thing, this was the only thing that worked.

dave

I was using the Dunlop cleaner but was advised by the folks at Gelb Music
that this contains silicones and they stopped carrying it? They sold me on
the McGuires/Fender cleaner that states no silicones.

When attempting to validate the silicone issue I came across this cleaner
at www.stewmac that might be worth a try:

At last, silicone-free guitar polish!Preservation Polish (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Accessories/Cleaners,_polishes,_lubricants/Preservation_Polish.html)-

Common guitar polishes shine by leaving a long-lasting silicone residue that's very hard to remove. If your guitar ever needs repair, the silicone residue makes it difficult for glue or finish to adhere properly. This is a primary cause of "fisheyes" and cratering in lacquer finishes. <p>It's even worse if silicone reaches bare wood or gets into the cracks of older finishes. Even the simplest finish repairs can become more difficult, time-consuming and costly.<p>
Preservation Polish has a century-old silicone-free formula that gently cleans, polishes and protects fine lacquer and varnish finishes.

[jeepster]

Silicone is common in the auto industry too...there are many solvents that will remove any residue....just a matter of proper surface prep.

I've thought about it quite a bit - silicone doesn't bother me at all.

Refinish? I'd be more likely to simply get another guitar.

[tom]

silicone is the dreaded word around finish people, but we work around it every day. we refinish stuff and do reairs all the time and it's not an issue for us. we have kleen and shine on all the assembly benches.

[Dave K]

Regarding Dunlop Formula 65 from the Dunlop site:

"Is there any silicone in Formula 65 polish/cleaner?

Yes. There is a small amount of silicone in our Formula 65 guitar polish/cleaner. However, the amount is so small (less than 2% of the overall content) that it will not harm your guitar or bass finish.

All Formula 65 Guitar care products were tested on several new and vintage instruments. Different finishes such as polyurethane, polyester and nitrocellulose experienced no adverse reactions."

http://www.jimdunlop.com/support/faqs/formula65_faq.html

[dannopelli]

Regarding Micro Fiber Cloths,

I find the Fender Cloths to be the best of all the ones out there. Perfect formulation of nap and softness to keep all the finishes just gleaming. But pricey! $9 or so per is crazy. I have 22 geetars and want to keep a cloth in each case! I also like keep a few lying around the music area in my home office.

So I went on a search to find cloths that were similar. The ones at Costco come close, and I found some on ebay. Nice, but not like the Fender ones

Today I found cloths that are the same as the Fender version! At Target, in the aisle with the car wax and stuff! And they are a COOL lime green. $3.49 for two, less than 1/4 the price of the fender cloths!

I NEVER have an issue with the finish on my Anderson or PRS geetars. A little Mist and Wipe after playing, and some Fender or Gibson polish during string changes. The Fender and Gibson geetars seem to need some GHS cleaning before every polish job. Don't know why.

[Suriel Zayas]

dan, that sounds like the micro-fiber cloth or maybe i'm wrong.

[dannopelli]

dan, that sounds like the micro-fiber cloth or maybe i'm wrong.
Hey Suriel,

Yes they are EXACTLY like th Fender micro-fiber. Just lime green in color, and 1/4 the cost.

I also like the Fender/Mcguires stuff too. The GHS polish is nice for cleaning the cloudiness off Gibson and Fender Custom Shop nitro finishes, Followed up with a spritz of the Fender/Mcguires stuff is nice. :D

[BFC]

Found the bright green micro fiber cloth at Target and bought a couple packs. Also ordered a case of Kleen & Shine by phone. Been looking for that stuff for years and never could find it anywhere.

This place is great! :D

So, just curious, do you guys at TAG spray the Kleen & Shine on the guitar or on the cloth? Does it work well for pickguards too?

[tom]

i give the guitar a couple squirts then wipe it down.

[Guitarded]

I found that the microfiber cloths I got from www.googalies.com are exactly what I was looking for. I just stopped looking after my local guitar shop owner and luthier pointed me at them.
And I used to work with fine wood furniture, and I will never put a silicone product on wood again. It may take time, but I have seen silicone break down and ruin beautiful finishes on wood.

[BrianH]

Novus. We use it for everything in the shop. It is flat out amazing.

[nickdahl]

I've got the lime-green microfiber cloths too. Might have got them at Target, but maybe at WalMart. Two in a pack and very reasonably priced. I used to use my ol' white T-shirts, but this microfiber stuff is too cool to resist.

Nick

[BFC]

Well, my case of Kleen & Shine showed up today. This stuff works great! I put a can under the kitchen sink for general household cleaning too. ;)

[RGB]

Is this the Novus that you speak of?

Novus (http://www.noscratch.com/novus/number1.shtml)