Lyon and Healy style B

[revgbrennan]

I just purchased a Lyon and Healy style B. It's in pretty good shape overall. Could use a proper cleaning though. Wondering what people would suggest for doing so. The case is also desperately in need of a cleaning. Any thoughts on how I can clean the inside of the case without ruining the leather?

[OldGus]

Haha, I remember my Lyon and Healy, playing it was very relaxing, like a trip to the spa. Especially after the cleaning I had to give myself afterwards...

[Bill Snyder]

Most grime on a mandolin can be cleaned up using a microfiber cloth. If the dry cloth does not work then get the cloth LIGHTLY damp and try it again a time or three. You might use deionized water or perhaps distilled water but I think most places tap water will be ok for general cleaning.

[Jim Garber]

The case is also desperately in need of a cleaning. Any thoughts on how I can clean the inside of the case without ruining the leather?

Is it one of those old leather end-opening cases? I thought most of the L&H mandolins came in hardshell cases. In that case (Hah!) I don't think the outside of the case is leather. The catalog I have (from the 1920's) says that the case that were for the A, B, and C mandolins would have been "3-ply wood body, seal grain keratol". Keratol is defined on another page as leatherette. I would try cleaning the outside of the case the same way as Bill describes cleaning the mandolin itself.

[revgbrennan]

Thank you for your info. It is hard shell case. My biggest concern with it is that the inside of it smells very bad. I was concerned with not damaging anything on the outside from the inside.(If that makes sense)

[revgbrennan]

[mrmando]

Yeah, that looks like an original case from what i can see. No real leather anywhere on that puppy. Appears to be a mold problem, judging from the appearance of your pickguard. I've had some success with a borax solution for mold and mildew on a carpet and a storage shelf ... there might be a way to address the case odor with it, provided you can dry out the case interior well afterward. I'm not sure what to do about getting the mold off your vulcanized fiber pickguard.

[Marty Jacobson]

I'd try to buff it off the pickguard with cloth and a little Maguiar's swirl remover.

[Jim Garber]

The mandolin doesn't look too bad. Try Marty's suggestion or even damp rag on pickguard and fretboard. I would keep the mandolin out of the case for now, maybe even get a new case for it until you can really address the problem.

There is a thread about the problem here with various suggestions about mold. Not such an easy problem. I had a vintage Gibson case and it made me literally sick to play my Gibson when it stayed in the case. I still have the case but use a new TKL and the mandolin smells much better.

[Fretted]

revgbrennan, Does your style B have the little pull out thigh stand? Is the tiny bakelite tip still on it? I had a style B and traded it years ago for a Gibson tenor guitar . . . and now I regret it very much.

[brunello97]

Enough cleaning "Hints from Heloise" let's see more pictures of the mandolin.... I love these style Bs.

Mick

[revgbrennan]

I does have the pull out thigh stand. The tip of it is chipped up. Overall the instrument is in really good shape though.

[DavidKOS]

Lovely instrument!

Sorry but here's another hint:

I used to work at a music import company and we had to deal with mold more often than I care to recall.

We got great results with a diluted vinegar spray.

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/t...rom-fretboard/

"My friendly local guitar shop also gave me some advice. They recommended 4 parts white vinegar + 1 part hot water to clean off the fungus and kill any spores.
This seems to have worked (so far) and it has not discoloured the wood. And it doesn't smell either :-)

Also, on a bright dry day I left the case open in the sun for a few hours to make sure it was thoroughly clean and dry."

http://www.maids.com/blog/3-non-toxi...to-clean-mold/

http://blacktoxicmolds.com/vinegar-kill-mold.php

[Jim Garber]

I wonder if those are replacement tuners on this mandolin -- or, at least, replacement buttons. The shape and color does not look quite right. Here are a few examples I have in my files to compare:

[Nevin]

OK I used to do mold testing for a living. Mold is everywhere. To get rid of it on the pickguard, the microfibre cloth should work just fine. For the case, leave it open in a dry place for a while. Vacuum it a few times. A trick that has worked for me for bad oders from smoking is to put a quartered apple in a plastic bage and pierce the bag several times. Put it in the dry cleaned case for a week or two checking every few days to make sure the apple is not rotting and adding its own problems.