Gibson Instrument Polish - The Secret Formula Revealed

[Joe Spann]

This appeared in the March 1919 issue of Gibson's Sounding Board Salesman magazine. I don't recommend using this formulation on your pre-war Gibson instruments, but evidently they did!

[Timbofood]

I saw that recipe years ago and just thought "Really!?" Not recommended for smokers!

[George R. Lane]

They don't say if you should use regular or premium

[Steve Ostrander]

They don't say if you should use regular or premium

I guess we can assume leaded since unleaded didn't exist....

[Mandophyte]

Gosh! How many mandolins would that recipe polish?

[pops1]

I guess we can assume leaded since unleaded didn't exist....

I could be wrong, but I remember lead was added to slow the combustion so the valves wouldn't burn out as quickly. I think the gas in 1919 would be unleaded, but since leaded gas was not made yet, it was just gas.

[Timbofood]

So wasn't "white gas" the original unleaded?
I would guess this would last someone a year or two if kept safely.

[Dave LaBoone]

Was the publish date April 1st, 1919??

[multidon]

The good news: It's great at removing fingerprints!
The bad news: It has the potential to remove fingers too!

[Jim Garber]

How many miles per gallon can you get from your Loar?

[MikeEdgerton]

You might have trouble shipping that polish to your customers...

[Masterbilt]

That's what Epiphone recommended in their 1934 catalog: DuPont Duco No.7 !

Felix

[Dave Hanson]

I've got some modern Gibson polish, I'm fairly certain it doesn't contain gasoline.

Dave H

[Mandophyte]

I note the comment at the bottom of photo 1 of post number 12 "Change without notice"!

[Masterbilt]

I note the comment at the bottom of photo 1 of post number 12 "Change without notice"!

John - the rest of the catalog page is cut off. It reads: "Prices subject to change without notice".
Felix

[Jeff Mando]

I read a similar formula in an old car publication, where they revealed a "trade secret" that funeral homes used to keep their fleet looking new at all times!

[Steve Ostrander]

I read a similar formula in an old car publication, where they revealed a "trade secret" that funeral homes used to keep their fleet looking new at all times!

Did it contain formaldehyde?

[MikeEdgerton]

Did it contain formaldehyde?

No, that's what they used to keep the funeral directors looking new.

[Jim Hilburn]

Is there a connection between the old Dupont polish numbers and Maguiar's numbers?

[Loudloar]

Dupont Number 7 was a pretty aggressive polish and great for cleaning old faded auto paint. Apparently no longer made but plenty of "Number 7" copies available. Don't think I would use it on a guitar. Don't have any idea if there is a relationship to Maguiar's numbers.

Steve

[Jeff Mando]

Dupont Number 7 (I think all their products were called "number 7") made a fantastic chrome cleaner back in the day, (back when cars, etc., had tons of chrome trim!) it was this thick reddish-brown liquid which dried to a hard chalk and then if you had enough strength and rubbed your guts out, it would bring the most amazing shine to chromed objects -- truly a miracle, as I recall! I found a 50 year old partially full can in the basement about 15 years ago and tried some on my motorcycle, yep, still worked great! I checked around at some of the car parts places and they still make something called chrome cleaner, but they changed the formula -- not nearly as good -- who knows what was in that stuff?!!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Looking at the quantity made me remember an old Household Management book that my grandmother used to have. It was published in the early 1900's. There was a section of ''home brewing' & one recipe was for ''40 gallons of cider wine'',a real bathtub job !!,
Ivan

[barney 59]

I doubt that they gave much thought to whether the was lead in the gas or not. Lead was everywhere,house paint,pencils, sealers in canned goods,window glazing and where lead didn't matter maybe asbestos would do the trick! This was pretty much the case up until the early !970's. Naphtha is white gas and we still use it to clean instruments today--works real well and I have yet to come across a finish that it's not compatible with! There is an old Popeye cartoon where Olive Oil burns the house down---"I was only trying to clean the floor with a gallon of gasoline!"

[Dave Hanson]

pedant alert ! no lead in pencils, graphite and clay mix.

Dave H

[Timbofood]

Then,there's always...
"The leads all gone, my pencil won't write no more..."
Thanks Carl Martin et al.