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FDP Forum / Amp Mods, Repairs, and Projects / How to deal with chassis corrosion?

Roger Ball Contributing Member ********** ******** Canada New guitars and old amps, baby!	May 12th, 2019 02:43 PM   Edit   Profile   I bought a 1965 Showman head that should arrive in the next week or two. I have a good idea of what it needs parts-wise (power supply caps etc) but the pics from the seller show some surface rust that I'd like to clean up. Any advice on effective ways to deal with this? Also, any suggestions how to deal with my addiction to buying old Fender amps, or is this not the right audience for that question? ;-)
Peegoo Contributing Member ********** ********** ********** **** Planet Peegoo Rhythm & Lewd Guitarist	May 12th, 2019 02:59 PM   Edit   Profile   Corrosion on the chassis pan itself? I'd leave it alone unless it's really bad. Anything you do will reduce the value of it as a collectible. If the PT or OT have surface rust on the plates, do not wire-brush or scrape it. These plates are individually varnished prior to being laminated into a single block to keep them electrically separated. If you wire brush/sand/scrape/etc., you can cause an electrical connection between two or more plates and that will reduce the efficiency of the transformer. Best thing to do here is to apply a coat of clear Rustoleum to prevent further corrosion.
Roger Ball Contributing Member ********** ******** Canada New guitars and old amps, baby!	May 13th, 2019 10:55 AM   Edit   Profile   Good advice, thanks. I don't plan to do anything to the transformers and I'll make a decision on the chassis when I actually see it.
Peegoo Contributing Member ********** ********** ********** **** Planet Peegoo Rhythm & Lewd Guitarist	May 13th, 2019 01:55 PM   Edit   Profile   If it's an aluminum faceplate that's corroded, there's really nothing you can do to improve its appearance. They're screen-printed, so anything you apply or any mechanical or chemical means you use to remove or smooth out the corroded areas will remove the printing. The good news is there are several places you can get new repro faceplates that are a dead-on match for the original plate. Cheers!
Doc Sarvis Contributing Member ********** ********** ********** ********** USA/Salt Lake City Tuned Strings and Tight Lines	May 14th, 2019 04:53 PM   Edit   Profile   "Also, any suggestions how to deal with my addiction to buying old Fender amps, or is this not the right audience for that question?" Not a chance Roger as we are all seriously deflicted like you. Live with and embrace the corrosion and rust. I've got a 57 Princeton that has a chassis that looks like it was pulled from a used car bone yard. If you want I can send you a photo to make you feel better about yours. (This message was last edited by Doc Sarvis at 08:34 PM, May 14th, 2019)
Roger Ball Contributing Member ********** ******** Canada New guitars and old amps, baby!	May 14th, 2019 09:24 PM   Edit   Profile   Yeah Doc, I'll live with it. The rust isn't as bad as I suspected from the ad photos. The face plate and tolex are decent so that's most of the cosmetic issues taken care of. Thanks.
Roger Ball Contributing Member ********** ******** Canada New guitars and old amps, baby!	Jun 2nd, 2019 09:31 PM   Edit   Profile   Restoration update: I replaced the power supply caps and bias supply cap with new F&T components. Everything works and my Showman head sounds pretty good. Not being able to leave stuff alone, I cleaned a small area of the chassis. Surprise! Most of what I thought was corrosion turned out to be general brown crud that was deposited over the years. I guess the tip off should have been that the buildup was worse around the power tubes where heat convection would have channeled cigarette smoke etc right up there. So I've spent a few hours with metal polish, cotton rags and about a hundred Q-tips to get the chassis back to near original appearance. Sorry I don't have before and after pics to show the improvement but it's pretty good.
Peegoo Contributing Member ********** ********** ********** **** Planet Peegoo Rhythm & Lewd Guitarist	Jun 2nd, 2019 11:47 PM   Edit   Profile   Very cool! After-pics then?
Roger Ball Contributing Member ********** ******** Canada New guitars and old amps, baby!	Jun 3rd, 2019 11:15 AM   Edit   Profile   Yes, I'll get some pics taken after taking care of a few more issues.
Peegoo Contributing Member ********** ********** ********** **** Planet Peegoo Rhythm & Lewd Guitarist	Jun 3rd, 2019 01:05 PM   Edit   Profile   Cool. We're not checking your work...we're just hard-core gear junkies :o)

FDP Forum / Amp Mods, Repairs, and Projects / How to deal with chassis corrosion?

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