Well, the "Rainy Season" is just a few weeks away here - where I live is officially "sub-tropical" and humidity is a major problem - (we are talking new strings rusting overnight, mould growing on the walls and the outside of one's Stick case, expanding wood...) - so I thought I'd ask what everyone else who lives in damp, hot and humid places does about rust.
I get it worst on the poles of my Stickup, the heads of screws just about everywhere including on the machine heads, flaps, Stickup housing, bridge... but it seems to appear almost anywhere that there's a metal part.
My usual solution is only a temporary fix, but works for a while - lemon oil and a toothbrush - but, then, after a few weeks, days, or even hours in the Rainy Season, it comes right back.
Is there some substance which will remove it altogether ? Anyone have any other suggestions ? (Apart from living in a more sensible place, that is... )
Love to hear any ideas anyone has about this - thanks !

WD40 wiped in with a Q-tip. The rust comes off effortlessly. I was forced to do this on my bridge screws because the Texas humidity had its way with many of the screws and bolts on my Stick. Now they're nice and black again.

Thanks ! Will see what anyone else comes up with, but will give that a try for sure - guess they must have WD40 here somewhere...

I live in Va the humidity gets pretty Bad here.I use a good Gun Oil applied with a Qtip or Tooth pic.The Stickup with the Iron pole screws can rust overnite.Also sometimes the chrome parts will blister.

Ynot Nivel

Hmm, thanks for the tip, Ynot... but actually I hung up my guns more than a couple of decades ago (probably best for everybody) and I wonder if I could get good gun oil here anyway - maybe not... I've tried light machine oil before but it just doesn't seem to get rid of the rust.
I'll second what you say about the Stickup poles, they're the most vulnerable in this kind of extreme humidity, seemingly. Guess I'll be a-saddlin' up and headin' out to Autobacs or Handsman for some WD40...
Dun Shootin

WD40 is the easiest tool for this! I used to get all kinds of rust on my old Stick. My latest one only has an issue where the strap connects to the body.

As anybody tried to use small dessicant pouches inside their case to absorb the humidity (like silica gel or similar stuff)? I don't know however if their would be any adverse effect on the wood of the instrument (I guess Emmett could answer that!!!). The one thing I'm not sure of is how effective it would be in a really humid environment. I know silica gel will absorb approximately 30% of it's weight at 60% relative humidity. How much to use would also be a good question. Might be worth a try though.... What's your feeling on this guys???

Cheers,

Yves.

Hi Yves, yes, I've tried (and continue to use) quite a wide variety of those pouches in my Stick cases, there are quite a lot of different kinds available here in Japan. The ones which I found worked the best are filled with a substance which starts off kind of crystalline and then gradually turns to a kind of paste as it absorbs the moisture - when the whole contents have turned to paste it's time to throw it away and replace it with a fresh one. Actually I've found it best to use at least 2 in the case, the more I use the more moisture they seem to absorb.(Important to check them regularly so you don't end up with bags of soggy wet stuff in the bottom of your case...)
The silica gel versions are less efficient, I've found.