Chassis Corrosion

[Gibsonman63]

I recently acquired a 1965 Twin Reverb, not a re-issue. I will be restoring this amp after I complete my current amp project and the chassis is very heavily corroded. Do you guys have any magic tricks for cleaning it up?

[mac1amps]

I run into this situation constantly, since I'm a vintage amp specialist. Over my 35+ year career of servicing amps, WD-40 has been one of my most valuable "tools" for this (I buy it by the gallon). After spraying down the chassis, I'll use acid brushes to circulate the solution throughout the chassis (including "seams" of the chassis where rust will often have started) & transformers (in many cases the speaker frame and/or the reverb spring tray can also use a "once over"). I'll then wipe it all up using paper towels. I've also found that leaving a THIN residue of the WD-40, will help prevent oxidation in the future. In more extreme cases, it also works well for cleaning oxidation in tube socket contacts, and on the tube pins themselves (even the pins on brand new tubes can often benefit from this). Another place where oxidation OFTEN collects is on the input/output jacks of the reverb spring tray and the male RCA plugs on the cables. This has worked well for me (for decades), and I "swear" by it. I'm sure that there are some out there that may not cater to this approach, but it has proven itself as worthwhile time and time again.