# Aging / Relicing Hardware



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Hey guys... kinda the "in" thing now, making new hardware look old... anyone got some relics they've done and want to show off? Maybe mention which method was used?

Looking online now and so many methods, be nice to see how some of them turned out. Was thinking the muriatic acid vapour method on gold myself...


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## buyusfear (Nov 18, 2009)

My biggest tip is less is more with aged hardware. 
Rarely if ever do you see vintage hardware with scratchesand scuffs and yet I see so many use scouring pads and steel wool as if that’s how people treated their vintage guitars. 

My other tip is on plastics, again, people scratching the piss out of their plastics. It’s quite the opposite; worn and quite shiny and polished. If you think about it, something that is worn and touched repeatedly takes on a shine. Corners may soften but always remain shiny, unless the pet was removed and lived in a parts bin for 50 years. 

Nooks and crannys will often take on darker grime and another thing I do as a final touch is let the aged parts like machine heads and brides collect dust sitting in my shop and then allow general handling to naturally wear that away during assembly.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Muriatic acid, but man that stuff is nasty. I used it at work once and got a whiff. I thought I was going to cough up a lung. But you only need a really small amount. Lot's of video's on youtube. I have plans to try this as I want to upgrade some hardware on my Greco Ultra Thin. The replacements look too new. You need a huge tupperware and a small one. You put like an ounce or two in the small tupperware and put that and all the metal parts you want aged in the large tupperware and close the lid. Check every 20 minutes until desired look is achieved. The acid fumes will do all the work. Wash the parts with windex or baking soda and water to neutralize the acid. Dispose of the acid


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

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http://instagr.am/p/BmEmzXbAZXe/


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http://instagr.am/p/BmCLkYUglsg/

I use synthetic steel wool, scotch brite pads/etc to simulate where the natural wear would be.
I find the key is to physically age it first then muriatic acid.
Then use polishing compound to bring some shine back.

Don’t overdo it, you can always add more aging later.

Be really careful with the muriatic acid that is nasty stuff.
Gloves, eye protection, respirator, a well ventilated work space.
Seriously miserable stuff.

Nathan


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

I used the acid trick, works really well. I used a small Tupperware cup inside a big clear Tupperware bin. Put all the parts you want aged in the big clear bin, a few teaspoons of acid in the small cup and put it in the big bin. Seal the top of the big bin and wait 20 min or so and keep checking. 

The metal will start to look like it’s sweating. Once the parts look sweaty enough you can take the parts out and let them sit overnight. 

Check in the morning and they should look aged, slightly. If you want more “aged” put the parts in again 20-30 min. Then remove and leave overnight again. 

It takes forever but if you rush it or leave the parts in to long, then take them out, the next day it may look like crap. 

The biggest thing is cheap metal versus quality metal. I’ve always used fender American vintage parts so it takes forever. The cheaper stuff takes no time at all and will age quickly, so look for the metal sweating. If it looks soaked after a short time take it out. 

Another thing is don’t wash the parts off with water. Just remove them and let them sit and air dry overnight. I didn’t sand or ruff any parts up prior. 

The first pic is about 40 min and then overnight to air dry. Then I just take a old toothbrush with a bit of oil and rub it all over then rub that off. The second pic is avri gold hardware left in to long, still not bad but a heavy aged look.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

Just for reference, the gold hardware I left in to long and it turned out ok but really over done. Then the Jaguar I washed off with water and let dry overnight, turns hazy like. 

The 3rd time was the orange strat hardware, 20 or 40 min then overnight. That one turned out the best.


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

JonnyD said:


> Just for reference, the gold hardware I left in to long and it turned out ok but really over done. Then the Jaguar I washed off with water and let dry overnight, turns hazy like.
> 
> The 3rd time was the orange strat hardware, 20 or 40 min then overnight. That one turned out the best.
> View attachment 237118
> ...


Love the strat with the gold guard and laquer checking!!

You bring up a good point. I tried to age a made in china control plate the same way I age made in usa ones - completely ate through the chrome showing the copper underneath.

It looked kinda cool....but not like an aged guitar part.

Nathan


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

Yes the cheaper parts are more like a chrome spray paint other than actual nickel plating on the more expensive parts. 

I think that’s why the gold turned out really aged, the plating came off quickly. So do a test piece of metal first if your going the acid route. 

Thanks on the strat comment, my best partscaster yet, I don’t even look at custom shop Strats anymore, well if it’s a good deal!


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

JonnyD said:


> Just for reference, the gold hardware I left in to long and it turned out ok but really over done. Then the Jaguar I washed off with water and let dry overnight, turns hazy like.
> 
> The 3rd time was the orange strat hardware, 20 or 40 min then overnight. That one turned out the best.


The Jag looks cool, the green to tri-burst. I've seen that a few times... any ideas what started that?

Like... did Fender use to do tri-bursts, and if didn't turn out right just painted over with a solid colour, then with natural wear and tear the colour came through? or was it just something someone did once and the look kinda caught on?


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

I don’t think fender would have done it on purpose. People would take their sunburst guitars and paint over them just to change the colour. The custom shop does it also to replicate some of the vintage gear. 

David Gilmours black strat was originally sunburst that he paint over with black. It wore through over time and you can see the sunburst coming through.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Find a friend with acidic sweat and let them play a set!


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## CHTele_1970 (Oct 11, 2012)

knight_yyz said:


> Muriatic acid, but man that stuff is nasty. I used it at work once and got a whiff. I thought I was going to cough up a lung. But you only need a really small amount. Lot's of video's on youtube. I have plans to try this as I want to upgrade some hardware on my Greco Ultra Thin. The replacements look too new. You need a huge tupperware and a small one. You put like an ounce or two in the small tupperware and put that and all the metal parts you want aged in the large tupperware and close the lid. Check every 20 minutes until desired look is achieved. The acid fumes will do all the work. Wash the parts with windex or baking soda and water to neutralize the acid. Dispose of the acid


I did this once on a boho(oil can guitar) works good. It takes some patience as it is a slow process. I left the hardware overnight and the effect was quite noticeable. 

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

THRobinson said:


> The Jag looks cool, the green to tri-burst. I've seen that a few times... any ideas what started that?
> 
> Like... did Fender use to do tri-bursts, and if didn't turn out right just painted over with a solid colour, then with natural wear and tear the colour came through? or was it just something someone did once and the look kinda caught on?


They used to have bursts in stock.
So if someone wanted a custom colour they would just spray overtop.
Over time it would wear through.

Or maybe it was ones that the painter [email protected]@ked up.

Nathan


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

My hands seem to make brand new hardware look like its from a 52 Telecaster in a year or so.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> My hands seem to make brand new hardware look like its from a 52 Telecaster in a year or so.


Amen.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

nnieman said:


> They used to have bursts in stock.
> So if someone wanted a custom colour they would just spray overtop.
> Over time it would wear through.
> 
> ...



That’s what I read on the trusted internet. In the early 60’s fender had a ton of sunburst guitars, most of them being jaguars and jazzmasters. Later on the jags and jazzmaster(they were not hot sellers)so a lot of them got resprayed.

Mine is obviously not vintage but that’s sort of what I was going for. A resprayed jaguar


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

@JonnyD that's what I was saying... Not that Fender did it on purpose, rather they painted over a triburst and people wore through.

Though I figured it was tribursts with stain defects, not overstock.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

Well to be correct the ones they did in sunburst that didn’t have a nice grain got the “target burst”. It’s more yellow so you can’t see the grain, that was done in the 60’s. 

But yeah shitty grain got the target burst or just a solid colour and then later on some were even painted over rather than just sit there.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

@JonnyD did you paint that green one?

Nice combo the green to tri-burst. I've been trying to track down the colour Fender uses for Antique Olive but haven't gotten anywhere. Few people posted replies, but don't seem to understand that just because it has the same name, doesn't make it the same colour. Few Fender colours are a bit elusive. I know many are based on car paints, but Antique Olive and Midnight Wine I've not yet found... though Midnight Wine seems close to Dark Toreador Red Metallic... close enough that my P Bass Squier is getting painted that colour. Possibly my black Squier SE as well.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

No I didn’t paint it. It’s a Johnny Marr signature Jaguar in KO orange. It was in ruff shape when I bought it. I wanted to strip it but ended up at the 7” thick polyurethane sealer, “all nitro” fender says. 

Anyway it would not come off without a blow torch so I sent it to MJT to have stripped and refinished. I figured it’s already going to be expensive might as well go all out and get a colour over sunburst. 

The olive fender colour your after, it’s not the Antigua colour is it?


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Nope, antique olive

https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-8wy6...6_US17112097_3_of_9__84984.1523574897.jpg?c=2


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

Oh yes, I was playing a p-bass pro in that colour last week. It looks so good.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

@JonnyD Hmm... more I look at that guitar, the more I am wanting to switch from an SRV copy, to doing that instead. Get the car shop to mix me up some paint that doesn't need a clear coat, paint it green and relic away. Those covers, are they parchment? or aged white?


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

The pickups are the stock bare knuckle Johnny Marr pickups, the cover are more a cream colour, so sort of aged looking. Not sure if their parchment or just plastic. 

It’s a Sherwood green metallic that I went with. If your going to paint over your SRV just make sure you get the same paint. Pretty sure it’s a nitro lacquer on your strat now. It may be really thick and you’ll run into what happened to me. 

Johnny Marr Jaguar, nitro, oh but a thick plastic coating under the original thin nitro top coat. Looked horrible. It was already naturally relic’d when I got it but not to bare wood. You could not get to bare would without a grinder. 

The polyurethane was seriously as thick as a credit card and had a orange tint to it. So say you do what I did. You’ll have bare wood, orange then your sunburst then the green. I’ll try and find a picture to show you the polyurethane sealer. I’m pretty sure your SRV will have it under your nitro op coat.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

That's the thing with the pickups, so many 'whites' and every company has a variation. Plus, no idea how accurate a photo is. Been debating between parchment/aged/cream and not much further ahead. 










I have a Squier SE...not an SRV. I was debating making it into an SRV like clone. I'm assuming some sorta poly finish rather than a nitro on that thing. 

Poly is awful to sand. I have a Cort, got it cheap because just a neck and body... great neck though. Sanded the paint down and I swear the poly layer was almost 1/8" thick. I was going to stop but wood beneath looked reddish and thought maybe mahogany since was used on some of their bodies. Hours of 80grit on a power sander to get down, and ended up being a red tinted layer paper thin of I guess some sorta sealer. sanded the front only, now not sure how to build it up again that thick because it doesn't look right rounded out to the sides and knobs/switches sit out a bit far. I heard someone say once that its basically like getting a fibreglass kit and just not using the fibreglass, just the resin/hardener. 

Sherwood Green Metallic, very nice. May go that route vs the Antique Olive, because as much as I like it, it has a bit too much of a white tint to it. Though, I think today I figured out roughly what colour Fender uses for it... one of those colours where no 2 photos look quite the same, but, made a side-by-side... I think it's what they used, given similarity and age.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

Yeah anything with poly and sanding shouldn’t be in the same sentence. Poly is a wicked durable finish but you want to strip it to change a colour, your better off just dulling it and painting over it. 

It took me awhile to decide on a colour. Same with pickup covers. Depending on what pickguard you use will determine the pickup covers. Like if you went black for the pickguard, parchment or even aged white, if your going white pickguard I’d go with the aged white.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Ya the aged white seems to be the best one because well, it's in the middle. 

I went to school for art, then years later again for design. I should be able to just pick colours in a second, but no, I analyze the colour, and evaluate it and debate about shade etc... I spend literally more time on colour options than making/modding. Literally. 

Of course, thing is once you bought the parts and painted the guitar... you could technically change your mind and redo it, but, would you want to? Better to debate the colour now and get it done right the first time. 

I'll definitely post some images once I start getting hardware in to relic.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

That’s what I do. I’ve had 3 different MJT strat bodies now and so many pickguard, covers, hardware. I always switch shit around until it’s what I want. 

I always try to build a vintage reissue. I’ll research what an actual 50’s or 60’s fender would have come new. So the colour has to be right along with all the hardware, try to make it as period correct as possible in my budget. Then I’ll always get the Allparts fat neck with the 9.5 radius and narrow/tall frets, just because that’s what I like. 

I wanted this Jaguar to have the yellow center just like the “target” burst jags in the 60’s had. Then pretend what colour someone in the 60’s would have wanted instead of the dime a dozen burst. The DuPont car colours were popular then so a mustang in Sherwood green is what I went with.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

I just did a quick mockup... cheaper and faster than trial and error. Might not look shabby in the Antique Olive/VW Green... will have to do another the same with dark brown tortoise pickguard as well.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

Shit yeah that looks good!! That would look good with the black, brownish tort or even mint green pickguard.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Ya, good ol eBay china, may order black and tortoise.... aged white covers. Then swap the hardware with good ol' Nickel and add some age with the Muriatic Acid method. 

Gonna do some ordering tonight. MIM Fender Bridge, some 50's Vinatge tuners, the rest basically just eBay China... it's plastic anyways.

I have a Fender Squier SE now, black with white pearl, I'm swapping the guts from. It has CTS pots and an Oak Gigsby 5way, plus GFS '63 Vintage Texas Wound pickups.


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## JonnyD (Sep 20, 2016)

Oh yeah I had something in the mail every other day for a few months straight. 

I always still with the way more expensive usa made vintage reissue parts, just because I knew that they always fit the USA bodies perfect. Some China made parts do fit but mixing and matching always leads to a poor fit, at least in my experiences.


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