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Topic: National New Yorker questions.... |
Scott Kilpatrick
From:
California, USA
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Posted 25 Jan 2009 1:33 pm |
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I just bought a national new yorker and have a few questions:
1. what do I use to polish the wood and bakelite (if thats what it is)?
2. When i took off the decade old strings, the nut (either bone or some type of fragile material) came out...it was broke just at the very bottom and still stays in probably under the pressure of the stirngs...are these loose like archtop bridges that are held in on the pressure of the strings (my gibson ES-175 is like that)- or do you think I should use a bit of glue to secure it back...are they normally supposed to fall out like that?
3. What to use to polish the chrome/nickel of the tuning key covers and pickup cover?
4. Should I not mess with the screws on the pickup? I dont know what Im doing there but a few are kinda loose.
5. Not sure what material the fretboard is made of (its the 1947 model with the colored roman numerals) but I would like to polish it if it is safe to do so. Any care or maintenance info I can gather would be great.
thanks. |
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Fred Kinbom
From:
Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.
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Posted 25 Jan 2009 1:41 pm
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Hi,
I'm sure others will have good advice regarding polishing etc., but regarding what little answers I can provide, the nut should not be loose so I'd recommend fixing it with glue, and the fretboard is most likely brass. My 1947 New Yorker has a quite rare unpainted fretboard (only the Roman numbers are painted) and mine is definitely brass.
Enjoy the New Yorker! 
Fred
_________________
www.fredrikkinbom.com - New lap steel album out now - listen here: fredrikkinbom.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-lap-steel-and-harmonium |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 26 Jan 2009 4:49 pm
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National called the finish "ebonoid", what ever that is  Plastic I would think. Maybe some silver polish that's used for silver utensils would work, or maybe a polish just for plastics..? |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 26 Jan 2009 5:49 pm
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I'm pretty conservative about polishing plated parts, figuring that removing the oxidized layer is really just prepping the surface to oxidize again, and eventually you run out of plating.
When I really do want to polish metal parts I start with Flitz, which has no abrasives. When I want something stronger I go with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish, which does have abrasives.
On my dobros I use Beard Resolution Guitar Polish on everything--wood and metal. Great stuff although it can make 'em so slick they want to slide right off your lap. |
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John Allison
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 26 Jan 2009 6:12 pm
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I do a lot of high quality lacquer finishing and for the highest gloss and least amount of abrasion, I use a polish called Novus (number 2 fine scratch remover). Plastics suppliers sell it, but I've also found it at specialty hardware stores.
Works nicely with hand polishing or even light machine buffing on plastics and lacquers and it'll put a final shine on brass and plated parts after using something like Tarnex.
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John Allison
Allison Stringed Instruments
Austin, Texas
www.allisonguitars.com |
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Scott Kilpatrick
From:
California, USA
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Posted 27 Jan 2009 8:38 pm
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| thanks for the replys all. |
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