Hardware to match aged nickel pickups?

[RadioElectric]

Is there anywhere in the uk that sells tailpieces that would match the aged nickel pickups? I'm going to try ageing the one that I have over the weekend but if that doesn't work I'll need to try to find one somewhere.

[WezV]

check out  www.fatboyguitars.co.uk

when i wanted to do wartorn and aged hardware to match my miracle man set i asked tim how he achieved the look first

[Antag]

Eat a bag of heavily salted fish'n'chips with your fingers, then without washing your hands play in a hot stuffy room for a few hours, don't wipe the guitar down afterwards & leave it for a few weeks in the corner of your bathroom.... :)

[Philly Q]

Apparently you can use something called etchant fluid, a solution of ferric chloride(?) used for etching PCBs.  You can get it at Maplin, I think.

Never tried it though!

Is your current tailpiece definitely nickel plated?  Nickel tarnishes nicely but chrome doesn't.

[WezV]

well thats what i used in the end - a 30 second dip is more than enough

ferric chloride is the chemical name

doesnt touch chrome.. i think for that you need it suspended above hydrochloric acid.. not really to be done at home

[Fourth Feline]

There is another U.K. site called "Fake58". I do not know if they measure up to 'fatboy guitars' - but maybe worth a look ?

[RadioElectric]

well thats what i used in the end - a 30 second dip is more than enough

ferric chloride is the chemical name

doesnt touch chrome.. i think for that you need it suspended above hydrochloric acid.. not really to be done at home

I think the current hardware is chrome, so I'll have to get hold of it in nickle once I know whether it's imperial or metric threaded. I already have some ferric chloride for circuit boards so that shouldn't be a problem. Do you have any pictures of what it did to your hardware?

[noodleplugerine]

well thats what i used in the end - a 30 second dip is more than enough

ferric chloride is the chemical name

doesnt touch chrome.. i think for that you need it suspended above hydrochloric acid.. not really to be done at home

I wonder if it would work if done in a vaccum - I presume its the Chromium oxide layer on the surface of the material that stops this from working - No oxygen, and you're fine.

[WezV]

sure - but bare in mind i wasnt aiming for authentic




before dipping mine they were attacked with files, rasps and sandpaper   - then dipped

For a more authentic look i would just ip them for 10-20 seconds.. that should give you an old but not too worn look