Couple of daft questions - polish & guitar storage....

RustySpanner

Hiya.

Am just about to run out of Dunlop Carnuba polish. 
Does anyone use Autoglym Super Resin Polish on their guitars? I have loads of the stuff and can't  see any reason why it should damage a thick poly finish. 

And should I keep a packet of silica gel in our guitar cases? My wife received a free humidifier with her Faith acoustic, but it also arrived with a packet of gel.
Seems a bit counter productive really. 

We live in beautiful downtown Burnley. It rains. A lot. 
The guitars are kept in their cases away from direct sunlight, but I do worry about humidity and temperature changes. 
How do I ensure our guitars are kept in a safe, balanced environment?

Thanks in advance,
Pete. 

Bellycaster

Don't know about the Polish question, but regarding storing of your Guitars:

All I do is keep them in their (hard) case when they are not in use, away from radiators (obvs) and out of direct sunlight, as you say. Some of my cases have a sachet of Silica Gel in them, some don't.

I live in Sheffield, climate varies and even through last year's hot weather and this years cooler to very warm weather, they all seem fine, they're rarely out of tune when I take them out, maybe a smidge if the temp has changed dramatically from one week to the other.

Don't worry too much about it.

RustySpanner

Cheers fella. Perhaps I am worrying a bit too much.

Just off to kiss the Paisley Tele goodnight and make sure the LAG is tucked in. Might even read the Vintage a bedtime story. It worries I'll trade it in for a Gibson, no matter how much I tell it I love it.

skunkwerx

I'm a fan of SRP for car use. 

Not sure I'd use it on my guitars though. 

Its great because its hardly got any cut to it so it can be used fairly often safely, in fact I class it as more of a glaze than an actual polish, as its loaded with fillers, thats its trick. It fills any swirl marks and scratches and reflects the light back to give the illusion they've gone. 

Its advised in the safety sheet to not get it on your skin, as in some cases it can cause allergic reactions. 
Its also recommended not to eat, smoke or whatnot while using it.. because its not good to ingest.. I worry that a guitar being a very hands on item, might not be the best place to use SRP. 

But it also does contain silicone. In fact it used to be called Silicone Resin Polish.. until the silicone word became a curse word. 

Which, generally seems to be accepted as a bad thing to get near a guitar. 

This is the part I don't fully get though. Some guys say silicone won't harm the existing finish, it will just make future repairs, respraying or gluing potentially impossible, as once silicones in the wood, it aint coming out. 

Other guys say it can seep into cracks, get into the wood and undo existing glue and finishes.. 

The annoying thing is, I've been using dunlop 65 cleaner for a year or so, and guess what that contains, silicone. 
Though depending on where you read, its anything from trace amounts to 5%.

 

TINMAN82

My guitars are all out either on a Hercules multi guitar stand or Hercules wall hanger. Only exception is my Martin acoustic but that’s mainly as I don’t want it touched by a toddler.

Im not convinced a guitar case maintains some sort of perfect microclimate. Maybe an expensive acoustic with a case humidifier is worthwhile if the air is very dry. The main benefit is protection from bumps but that’s offset by ease of pick up and play.

Blaendulais

Extreme cold spells like last years snow are the thing to worry about.   Sucks all moisture out and the necks go wonky.   Never had a problem with Uk heat

p90fool

Cases may not create the perfect microclimate, but the really important thing they do is slow down temperature changes. 

Guitars can take an incredible range of temperatures, as long as they don't happen quickly.