The effects of salt air

[CeeCee_C]

Hi all-

I will be going on a cruise and wonder if salt air has a negative effect on acoustic instruments. The period of exposure will be ~10 days.

For the most part, my Northfield will live inside the air-conditioning spaces onboard, but there might be a jam or three on deck.

Should I have any concerns?

Thanks,

[fatt-dad]

I wouldn't worry about that. Salt air is very stable in humidity. Strings may tarnish. Not sure about other exposed metal, but I take my Flatiron to the sandy beach whenever I can and it has remained fully functional.

f-d

[Jim Adwell]

Scratched metal might corrode, strings might tarnish. The unfinished wood inside the instrument might, over a very long time (many decades) with constant moist salty air exposure, fuzz up and eventually degrade enough to cause a problem. I can't imagine any commonly used finish will have a problem with a few days of salty air. You should be good to go.

[Marty Jacobson]

I have some redwood from Bruce Harvie which I plan to use for mandolin tops at some point. It was part of a pickle vat for many years, in constant contact with brine. It's nice and solid. Smells a little different though. :-)

[Bertram Henze]

When you see an iceberg, take your instruments to the quarter deck assembly point and play one last jam. Salt air won't be a problem. Proved by tests.

[darrylicshon]

Salt air can do terrible things, i have worked 35 rock cruises as a guitartech , a backline tech and a stagehand and seen some metal just look nasty , but that is from srayiny on the outside top for many weeks but even a week out in the air can tarnish metal.

I have taken many guitars and once took my violin, never any problems, but i would clean it after especially the metal if you're outside much

[Ivan Kelsall]

On the whole,salt & metal,especially aluminium,don't go well together. Short exposures shouldn't be a problem,but i'd give the strings a good wipe over if you play on deck,
Ivan

[G7MOF]

I've never been on a cruise that has had such a small amount to do that a mandolin was needed to fill in time!
Sounds more like you need a better tour operator.

[CeeCee_C]

It's a cruise run by musicians for musicians and musically inclined non-players. Besides, I always take a mando with me.

[MikeEdgerton]

They actually run Bluegrass Cruises all the time with named stars as part of the package. I have yet to go on one but I have several friends that go two or three times a year and have for years. Their instruments look fine to me.

[darrylicshon]

On the Cayamo cruise by sixthman atleast half the passengers bring a guitar, when I've worked that one i always brought an instrument so when i wasn't working i could walk around find a jam ( they are all over the place ) and join in.

[Tobin]

As long as you're not getting sprayed by salt water, the air itself shouldn't be a problem for that short of an exposure time. I would, though, plan on keeping strings clean and oiled just so they don't start to feel rusty while you're on the cruise.

I think your biggest mandolin challenge will be keeping it in tune with the higher humidity at sea. Especially if you're taking it from an air-conditioned cabin to the deck and back.

[CeeCee_C]

I think your biggest mandolin challenge will be keeping it in tune with the higher humidity at sea. Especially if you're taking it from an air-conditioned cabin to the deck and back.

Virtually all the jams are inside the air conditioned portion of the ship.

[CeeCee_C]

Thanks for all the input.

I've officially filed this issue in the "don't need to worry about it" basket.

[Paul Busman]

If you're mainly indoors and air conditioned, it shouldn't really be any different than summer in Connecticut. Go for it!

[Verne Andru]

I live a block away from the Pacific Ocean and have never had a problem. Might be different on a boat, but it rains here more often than not giving the air a fairly moist feel and nada. Actual contact with salt water is a different story but airborne I don't think is a concern.

[Tobin]

Virtually all the jams are inside the air conditioned portion of the ship.

Oh, I could swear you said there would be jams up on the deck.

I've never been on a cruise, nor do I plan to. Is the inside of the ship humidity controlled? Or does it stay pretty humid even with the air conditioning?

[CeeCee_C]

There might be occasion to play on deck, but it rarely happens.We've been on this cruise 5 years now and there's been 2 jams on deck in all that time.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Here's a bit of simple reading which spells out the effect that salt can have :- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_spray,
Ivan
Road salt corrosion.

[MikeEdgerton]

That's a picture of road salt corrosion. That has nothing to do with sea air. If you want a real example of road salt corrosion I'll post a picture of the back bumper of my '98 Dodge pickup. I'll have to wait until the blizzard we are in is over though. I can't get to it right now. It's buried.

[Verne Andru]

Road salt doesn't count.

It's a particular type of salt mixed with gravel with the sole purpose of being caustic so it can melt ice. It also gets stuck in places, like the under-chassis, that doesn't get cleaned, so it usually has years to work it's nastiness.

[Bertram Henze]

Road salt doesn't count.

It's a particular type of salt mixed with gravel with the sole purpose of being caustic so it can melt ice. It also gets stuck in places, like the under-chassis, that doesn't get cleaned, so it usually has years to work it's nastiness.

I usually spend a few extra at the car wash for the underbody program at the end of winter.

[Austin Koerner]

I wouldn't worry about it. I've been on three cruises and performed and jammed inside the ship and outside on various decks. I've also have played on several piers over the water, with no apparent harm to hardware nor the wood. I do think salt air jammed a button on a Baggs DI once or twice.

[EdHanrahan]

As one who played his '60s Kay guitar on the beach for many years (ya know, blowing sand & salt spray, and all that?), your shipboard environment s/b relatively sterile, even outdoors - assuming 50' above water level and less-than-stormy weather.

I did occasionally dismount and clean the cheapo 3-on-a-plate tuners (yep, blowing sand, etc!), which I would worry about far more than the strings, and did eventually replace them with enclosed Pings (still cheapo but much better). But I still have 'em around and suspect that they'd return to close-to-original form & function after some clean-up and rehab, less the minor rust on the mounting plates.

On afterthought, I'd be more leery about taking enclosed tuners to the beach - much harder to clear out any blown-in sand. But that's not really an issue on a ship.

[EdHanrahan]

... road salt corrosion. ... nothing to do with sea air. If you want a real example of road salt corrosion ...

Not sure of the definition as either "road salt" or "sea air", but you got me thinking of a certain mid-60s yellow Jag XK-E that was parked on the beach in Daytona, along w/ lots of other vehicles. I suspect that the owner got appropriately lucky, and appropriately unlucky, because as the tide came in, only the Jag remained. Rear tires buried in the sand, gas tank resting ON the sand, waves washing halfway up the open convertible's doors...