<HTML>Jim, I apologise for the confusion about "flanges"and "bushings".  This is what happens when a thread proceeds with little bits of quotes from the original posting. What I have to contribute to the discussion is this: The old pins must be removed and discarded.  They are corroded and useless.  Before installing new pins, all surfaces which will contact the new pin must be dry cleaned.  This means the bushings must be dry cleaned and the wooden birds eyes of the flanges must be dry cleaned.  All contamination in the region of the new pin must be eliminated.  The beauty of the ether treatment is that it pulls all of the contamination out of all of the wood surrounding the bushings and the birdseyes.  There is nothing remaining to migrate, creep, or seep into the bushings--which are now clean and dry and unlikely to attract moisture or other contaminants. Someone on this list should give this a try.  After reading the vertigris thread for four or five years now, nothing I have read has been of any use in the field, except this. I read a posting years ago by someone claiming to have successfully treated vertigris with ether.  I tried it.  It has worked for me.  I would be surprised if it doesn't work for you.  This is why we post these things.  Here is a working hypothesis for others to test and report their findings.  Don't speculate about why it will or will not work--just try it and report your findings.  If others have success, we can tackle the problem of how best to purchase and apply the ether treatment.  Remember, I found that a final bath in acetone was necessary to get rid of the residual wax dissolved in the ether. Good luck with it.  Be careful, ether is explosive and can be deadly when inhaled.  Use it only outdoors when there is some breeze. Dave Ireland, RPT</HTML>