@Fiddlerman -

Thanx, I didn't want to scratch it with an abrasive. 

I was thinking along the lines of using a little Rennaissance Wax, it's a protective metal polish.  I've used it on brass & silver, but it's good for any metal - learned about it when I was making jewelry. 

I would NOT use anything on the wound strings, but don't see any harm trying a thin coat on the E string. 

Guess it's time to experiment! 

- Emily 

Renaissance Wax® is a micro-crystalline wax developed by the British Museum in the 1950s to replace wax polishes based on beeswax or carnauba that contained acids or became acidic over time.  Because of the way it is refined, microcrystalline wax is acid-neutral and does not change color with age. 

Micro-crystalline wax is a petroleum based wax, characterized by the fineness of its crystalline structure as compared to other wax structure such as paraffin, carnauba, and beeswax.  This smaller crystalline structure causes micro-crystalline wax to be harder, more elastic, have a higher melting point, and have better adhesive characteristics than other waxes.

@JohnG -

Thanks, yes - I was only going to apply it in the 1st position area - where my fingers touch the string most. 

Guess I better do it right now, while the string is new!