Red rot or acid bleed?

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bassbone1993
Posts: 435
Joined: Feb 10, 2023

by bassbone1993 »

Hey all,

Just curious if this is red rot or acid bleed.
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Burgerbob
Posts: 6327
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by Burgerbob »

Normal oxidation. No way that part is going to red rot right there.
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Blabberbucket
Posts: 305
Joined: Oct 09, 2022

by Blabberbucket »

That is acid bleed,.from soldering flux or pickling acid trapped inside the solder joint prior to the part being polished and finished. This is extremely common with lacquered instruments as the flux or acid makes it way out of the solder joint over time and oxidizes the metal underneath the lacquer. It is especially common on bell beads.