Ageing Metal Guitar Parts

In part 2 of the Strat partscaster build, we cover how to age the guitar hardware (bridge, tuners, neck plate and screws etc...). Be advised, this is by no means official - this is how we do it after many failed experiments and having read countless methods on how to age guitar parts...this is what works best for us.
The guitar parts in question are all nickel plated which is essential for these 2 methods. If your parts are chrome plated, this video isn't for you.
The nickel parts were all brand new and the idea was to age them slightly.
This videos covers two different techniques for ageing guitar parts, both of which are well known.
The first method to age guitar parts uses ferric chloride (commercially known as PCB etchant fluid) and the second method uses white vinegar.
Relic/aged guitars are like marmite - you either love 'em or hate 'em!
The aim in this case is to keep the ageing as light as possible - far too many aged guitars look manipulated and fake, and therefore ridiculous as a result.
What is your experience of ageing guitar parts? Had any success or a technique that works well for you? Let us know in the comments...
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[@robarora]

And 5 YEARS later… this is still teaching. Thanks for posting this! I just tried the PCB Echtant Solution on a Les Trem II for a Novo Serus, and it turned out FANTASTIC. It looks like it came from the factory. 100% match to their relic’d nickel parts. Thank you!!!

[@rivulus]

A quick way to get aged pickguard screws is to order the black ones and polish off the black from the top using scotchbright pads or steel wool.

[@stevenorsinelli4029]

This is soooooooo great! Thanks for taking the time to do this for us! I am very impressed...Bought some of the cdb on amazon after i saw your video....thanks pal u rock!

[@74dartman13]

I think everything turned out good. The tuners really look like naturally aged ones. The lines on the jack plate add charater. Looks like some moonshine spilled on there during a gig!👍😎🎸🎶

[@JimBagby74]

If you attack Chrome with 400 grit sand-paper or above, you can cloud it up nicely. Keep going and you'll get a brassy color. Natural aging does the rest.

[@SergioGonzalez-gi9kr]

awesome. Thanks! Just got an itch to try this stuff while I'm doing some mods/repairs to an old guitar of mine. I was thinking about vinegar... I'll try the fumes! I didn't want to get too crazy with it, either. I've done a little sanding first to break the plating and I think it'll help the acid work more in areas I've broken through first.

[@fabienbonnefoi8163]

Thank you so much for sharing your trick :) I tried it on my bass parts and it looks amazing now !

[@SixStringSupplies]

Great to hear!

[@nunoandradebluesdrive]

Hi, you could screw the screws on a bottle cork or something like that to protect the rest of the screw and do the vinegar treatment at the same time as the neck plate. - just an idea.

[@randyyount6293]

Nice job. Definitely going to try the vinegar method. Thanks for posting.

[@MrLeviathan34]

You should really be wearing some gloves (and eye protection and maybe a N-100 mask) when working with such a strong acid. Ferric chloride is no joke.

[@MrLeviathan34]

@Joe Thanks indeed I am. Was it the “ferric chloride” that gave it away?

[@shannonthomas8894]

@Joe Thanks Thanks for pointing that out! Not all us Americans have turned into politically correct Candy Asses.. a bulk of us old timers that have been around before modern pussification agree that the "new" generation "safty philosophies" are completely sissy idiotic. Good call sir!

[@brown22sugar25]

@@shannonthomas8894 there is nothing pc about wanting to keep my eyes and lungs intact

[@shannonthomas8894]

@@brown22sugar25 I never said don't wear ppe if you want to for safety. By all means, wear it if you want to, but don't push your views on others especially in others own relm of work or in this case a "how to" video. Have a nice day, wear your masks, eye protection and gloves if you choose to and stay safe!

[@reneebear3641]

@@shannonthomas8894 Fellas is it gay to want to avoid harmful chemicals

[@infoboyzero]

Really good looking results! Did you put the complete tuner into the rinse bath or take of just the treated parts of it?

[@DavidGarcia-pi9wn]

Hey and this doesn’t damage the gears on the tuners or anything like that? I wanna try this with some klusom waffle backs but they’re 90

[@kaskas55]

Great work!

[@ThomasDeLello]

How would it be if you took those chrome or nickle parts into an enclosed sand blaster with glass beads...?

[@andreybrodianski5596]

Nice, Thanks! May be you should add more water to make FeCl3 less concentrated to avoid instant overcooking?

[@anthonyroach7974]

Fabulous I’m going to try this .

[@raceface_m2579]

Best method I’ve seen in aging the hardware!

[@SixStringSupplies]

thanks I'm quite suprised at the general positive reacion to this video as "ageing" can be a touchy subject.

[@74dartman13]

The pcb etching fluid works fast. I used hydrochloric acid on a recent relicing. A lot slower and I had to scuff the chrome parts. Have you tried gold hardware. I'm in the middle of a build and considering a mild relic. Using gold hardware. Not sure how it would look. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!👍😎🎸🎶

[@SixStringSupplies]

Hey - I'm afraid my experience is pretty limited (this is only my second proper attempt) and I have only used nickel plated parts. With gold, not so sure how best to hand that. What does the HCL acid do to it? Maybe try the white vinegar fumes with gold?

[@74dartman13]

@@SixStringSupplies thanks for getting back so quickly. The vinegar may be the way to go on the gold. I've seen replicas of the SRV Strat, and the gold has a tarnished look, like your vinegar parts. You've got more experience than me...only did one so far, with the HCL. It's wicked stuff. The fumes are really bad. Will take your breath...quickly, if you're not careful. It did a good job. Some parts I left in the fumes and others, I dabbed it on like you did with the tuners. I set up a board with holes in it, to hold the screws and other parts. Left it on a while then washed off. A respirator is a good idea! The chrome was tough. So I used a green scratch pad on some parts to knock the chrome plating down a bit. I'm pretty happy with the results. I built a kit guitar (Strat style), painted close to a daphne blue, so it wasn't a huge investment at risk. It turned out to be one of my favorite guitars! Thanks for the video and info...looking forward to the next!👍😎🎸🎶

[@moose6676]

Really like your methods, I’ve used household domestics bleach, same method 👍🏻 works just fine. Thanks great video

[@scott1515]

Great video! Really appreciate a good "aging" technique, as opposed to the oddly popular "relic" making it look like you are playing a guitar that was recovered from a Spanish Armada ship wreck, which is obviously disingenuous.

[@SixStringSupplies]

This is the only video we have done which is not electronics related. Glad you think it works well but I still see "relicing" as a mystery. Natural is best.

[@therifflair724]

How does the same process affect black hardware?

[@spargett]

@10:44 It's insane how quickly the FC reacts to the chrome. I've used the Topkech: Ferric Chloride PCB Etchant and it takes 20+ mins to start reacting. Has anyone else experienced different effects?

[@nevinmarknarciso]

how about gold plated hardware parts? same process?

[@JamesVytas]

4:48 what vinegar do you put on your chips other than white vinegar?

[@feno8983]

Probably the last place where i would expect Polish vinegar to pop up. Are you Polish or where did that Ocet spirytusowy come from?

[@SixStringSupplies]

Wife is Polish. She uses it to unblock sink drains too 😆

[@christineblack4654]

your missing the part I want to know about. its the bridge? is it nickel or chrome??? on a prs tremonti se. I need to clean what looks like streak or wear from my hand or something. its weird because I hardly used it. thanks. I cant find a video that tells me. I will go see on there web site I guess.

[@Guitarjosii]

Where did you find these nickel parts? All I can find are chrome parts

[@TiredLessGary]

A little place known as “China”

[@PedroSanchez-iv5np]

What kind of fluid to you use

[@Wilfridparkette]

Hi Do you mind telling me what the Brown liquid is....i couldn't understand what you were saying

[@SixStringSupplies]

PCB etching fluid 👍

[@jasontaylor5061]

You can actually buy relic hardware now. It's very well done and cost about the same as new parts

[@cloneroom]

Nice thanks

[@JazzCatzs]

Neither white vinegar nor chlorine had any aging affect in my nickel pup covers, regardless of how long I tried- however the stop tail piece aged nicely- I can’t figure out why nothing happened with the pup covers

[@JazzCatzs]

@Shapeinful thanks, but I gave up on the project and ordered some relic’d covers a couple of months ago.

[@tonekilltech]

Are you certain the covers were polished nickel and not chrome plated?

[@davidmadj]

Muy interesante, pero Te recomiendo que uses ese ácido a ser posible en exteriores o en zonas muy ventiladas, Es muy tóxico y corrosivo, si lo usas habitualmente puede causarte daños Graves. Un saludo

[@franciscomartindelcampo9986]

Una duda, es el mismo que usan para imprimir placvas de metal para electrónica?

[@tolgaayrim]

What is the brown liquid?

[@escarcegacoronaluis562]

Here in México we usually use ferric clorure

[@snake_eagle]

I got a bunch of old guitars I am putting on bigsbys on all of my guitars... All of them are classic wear and tear .. used and abused. Patina.

[@davidlombardo3030]

Trying the vinegar right now!

[@SixStringSupplies]

must be white vinegar.

[@craggy1969]

@@SixStringSupplies not true. Sarsons malt vinegar works just as well, I know as I've used it.

[@Pauler23]

Are you actually washing those tuners in the water? That's not a good idea surely?

[@andtothewestamerica]

Was wondering the same thing. Does look nice but...

[@makedigitalmoney68]

Rubber gloves, mask, and, q-tips, not bulky cotton swabs.

[@spoonsmith9506]

I really wish you wore gloves. That stuff does seep into your blood stream from your skin. Do you want kids someday? LoL. That said. Continue what you do. I love this channel.

[@bonsummers2657]

This should only take two minutes of vid time. Edit.

[@SunsetPunk]

GLOVES

[@gabemanson8918]

I cannot understand a word! Accent and bad audio 🤦🏻

[@EdFreddy]

After that you can piss over your guitar.... thats the final step.... Spend time in playing, and not aging

[@koffieverslaafde627]

Or make your guitar look cool?

[@brown22sugar25]

Nothing wrong with wanting it to look cool

[@Kommander_Rahnn]

Too much yapping