Carter Tear-Down and Clean-Up

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

I'm planning to tear down my 1997 Carter D-10 for scheduled 60k mile maintenance and cleaning. I acquired it three years ago, but I am quite sure it had been in the case for the preceding ten years. It plays and sounds perfectly fine; I just need a project. Translation/Confession: it's the end of the semester and I have a s#!t-ton of grading I don't want to do. Having a summer project to contemplate is purely an avoidance technique. I yam what I yam.

I was contemplating what to do with the cross-shafts, most of which have some pitting. I am guessing that won't polish out without a buffing wheel or some such machinery I don't have (and don't want). A Forum search pulled up this thread by Dan Robinson from four years ago. A couple of questions for Dan (or anyone else who has experience with this).

Paul Mozen · From: Fl, USA

I seem to you recall that you can remove the fingers with a dowel or something akin. You just have to be gentle while doing it. I don't think the screws would affect that. Of course you have to remove all the rods (and strings)

Let me know how it goes.. I have a 95 and contemplated doing it.

Very Happy

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Paul, on mine, a double neck, there would be no way to get a dowel in the middle to push the axle out, and nowhere for the axle to go if you inserted the dowel from the outside. Also, it looks to me like the axle would be blocked by the neck wraparound that goes around the changer. In any case, I stripped the whole thing down, and as it turns out, I had forgotten there were not four but six screws holding the changer in . The nice thing the about doing it this way is that the changer comes out with its housing, so it’s easy to keep everything together.

I have a bunch of other work to do before I can really get to cleaning up the parts of the Carter, but it should be a fun project for June.

Adam Tracksler · From: Maine, USA

On motorcycles and bicycles, I’ve polished the chrome with aluminum foil. Sounds crazy, but it works. Works on pitted chromed metal.

Maybe worth trying on a small piece. Just takes elbow grease, which is a great diversion from grading finals. Just give them all b+’s and you’ll be fine in no time. 😂

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Aluminum foil? Gotta try that. I did follow up on a Youtube video that touted WD-40 and a scotchbright pad. It actually worked well, once I past rid of my deeply ingrained aversion to letting WD-40 near a pedal steel.

Grading's all done, but now I have to get to all the work I was procrastinating on before the grading deluge.

Dan Robinson · From: Colorado, USA

Hi Dan. I'll be following your progress!

I used the California Purple Polish on the changer fingers (and maybe the changer axle). For everything else I just cleaned 'em good. Started cleaning with naptha, but was working on my kitchen table and didn't like the vapors (neither did my wife). I tried GooGone, and was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. That became my go-to for metal parts.

I did not remove the cross shafts. With bell cranks removed the cross shafts spin freely and are easy to clean. Protect the wood with a rag between the shafts and the body.

The "drive axle out with a dowel" method worked fine. Watch for the bushings that separate the parts on the axle, and keep track of the order of the parts.

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Yeah, I was planning on trying that on some low stakes piece in the parts box.

I did remove the cross-shafts, so I'll et them as polished as possible. They all have some pitting; is there any way to address that on aluminum? Everything else is pretty straightforward.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

If your are using a polish and come to a part with a little corrosion, Or small scratches. Take a piece of a brown paper shopping bag, Put polish on bag and rub the affected area.

Works great on plastic headlights too. For removing the haze with headlight cleaner/polish.

An old U.S. Army Engineer trick to remove scratches from polished brass belt buckles.

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Wow, Bobby! Thanks! I'm gonna pull out one of those shafts and try that right now.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Are you having fun giving the Carter its 60K bath?
I gave a 1973 MSA S10 its 50 year bath in 2023, Made it like a new guitar.

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Yes indeed, Bobby! I've polished up the bellcranks (why? why not?) and cleaned the E9th changer.The previous owner was a Carter-trained steel tech. I don't know what he used on the changer, but it honestly didn't even need cleaning. Yes the lubricant had blackened, but it was still very fluid. I did find the axle needed a lot more force than I expected to drive out. On my Sho-Bud they offer little resistance. I had already ordered new axles from Michael Yahl. Hopefully they go in more easily. I hope to have this axe back together by the week after next.

In the meantime I picked up a Super Pro that desperately needs a major cleaning. That one's gonna take a while!

Dan

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

All cleaned and ready t re-assemble. As I prepared to reinstall the changers, I discovered a quirk that I hadn't noticed during the tear down. Each changer is mounted with six bolts: four longer ones on the pick-up side, and two shorter ones on the endplate side. But when I lined up the screws for the two changers, expecting to have eight long ones and four short ones, I actually have six long ones and six short ones. Anyone have any insight on this? Presumably one of the bolts on the pick-up side takes a short screw. I'll do some experimenting, but I thought someone who has pulled Carter changers might have a ready answer.

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Never mind. I should have looked closer: the C6 deck is thinner than the E9 deck. Long screws for E9, short screws for C6. I’ll show myself out.

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