Alien fret gunge

[Keith Somerville]

Pulling frets on an old Harmony. Heated the fret and this green liquid started to ooze out. Any idea what it is? Didn't seem to do any harm. Not sticky or viscous.

[LARRY KLOSE]

This is probably corrosion from finger sweat.  Some players have very acidic sweat.   If the frets are brass or nickel silver, the green is probably the corroded copper content.  I've seen a couple of instruments with frets like this and the same on really old strings with bronze, phosphor bronze or silver plated wound strings.  The silver plate is usually applied over copper or bronze winding wire. 

Similar body chemistry can make the surface of nitro lacquer sticky, particularly on necks and where a bare arm reaches over the body.

Larry

[Mark Fogleman]

That's the Mojo!

https://youtu.be/THnNsLXJlzo

[steven gallagher]

What's it taste like?   :-)

[onewent]

Ha, ha...if you'd have some Robert Johnson DNA is that ooze, you'd really have something!  Tom