Acid...

Boy... finding out a lot today. Apparently, Muriatic acid is what a lot of builders use to artificially age guitar parts (the metal parts). It is also known as Hydrogen Chloride, and is used (as I said) to etch concrete, and also put into swimming pools to reduce ph. It is a highly reactive liquid acid, and is one of the MOST DANGEROUS CHEMICALS you can use in the home. Its vapors are very harmful... the problem seems to be, that once the metal guitar parts are aged, if the acid is not neutralized, it keeps eating away at wires and stuff in the guitar for some time (I would think after a few years it's definitely no longer doing any eating)... this would explain the serious rust on not only my 3-way tele switch, but also the jack plug, and some wires (which I had rectified, while keeping the guitar totally restorable to original again... I just wanted someone to be able to also play the heck out of it until then). Anyway....my luthier ended up telling me that whatever damage was done...er...was done... and that she was ready to gig again for a long time!