Ageing Chrome Hardware

[tomjackson]

The control plate and knobs on my tele look a little shiny and cheap looking, what it the best way to take the edge off them?  I think they are chrome anyway, If they are nickle I would be happy to just let them age but I suspect they are chrome as they do have that shiny cheap look.

[Philly Q]

They're almost certainly chrome, it's pretty hard to get nickel Tele knobs, control plates or neckplates (Allparts have them, though).

As far as I know, there's no easy way to "relic" chrome - it doesn't naturally tarnish like nickel, and I don't think it reacts to acids like nickel does.  All you can do is scratch/dull the surface with wire wool or something.

But I could be completely wrong!  Someone should come along with better advice.

[FernandoDuarte]

To give a nickel look on chrome I got suggest to brush it with 0000 steel wool...
Perhaps you can use soap or another kind of creamy thing to smooth the abrasiveness :D

If anybody has a better suggestion, I'm interested too (also in how to make chrome/nickel parts looks like aged BKP)

[tomjackson]

They're almost certainly chrome, it's pretty hard to get nickel Tele knobs, control plates or neckplates (Allparts have them, though).

As far as I know, there's no easy way to "relic" chrome - it doesn't naturally tarnish like nickel, and I don't think it reacts to acids like nickel does.  All you can do is scratch/dull the surface with wire wool or something.

But I could be completely wrong!  Someone should come along with better advice.

Well they were actually from allparts but Tim put me a prewired plate together, so I presume it is allparts chrome plate, it just looks a little brighter than the nickle stuff.  I don't really want to spend £14 on another and although the knobs are fine I do have my eye on the Callaham ones.

But could I bring myself to spend £35 on knobs???? :?

[Philly Q]

But could I bring myself to spend £35 on knobs???? :?

I couldn't, but I'm sure we've all spent crazy money on guitars and parts! :lol:

I suppose part of the problem is that the Callaham bridge has that dull nickel finish which looks so different from chrome. 

I'm really fussy about having all-chrome or all-nickel hardware, so I'm always changing tuners or bridges just to get matching parts.   I've even bought gold parts and polished off the gold plate to get to the nickel underneath, which is pretty mental  :roll: .  But older Strats and Teles have that mix of chrome and nickel parts, so I can just about live with it on vintage-style guitars.

[WezV]

nickel will age with a quick dip in circuit board etchant (ferric chloride)  much more than a munite and no nickel will be left!!

chrome can be aged but the etchant is not enough... iirc it works best with the chrome parts suspended a small distance above some hydrochloric acid... keep it all in a larger sealed container and wash them when they are as aged as you want

i would consider adding some artificial pitting first, either with a punch or a whack or two with a rasp.

Nicekl is piss easy to age - chrome stuff is harder to get looking right

[dmraco]

nickel will age with a quick dip in circuit board etchant (ferric chloride)  much more than a munite and no nickel will be left!!

chrome can be aged but the etchant is not enough... iirc it works best with the chrome parts suspended a small distance above some hydrochloric acid... keep it all in a larger sealed container and wash them when they are as aged as you want

i would consider adding some artificial pitting first, either with a punch or a whack or two with a rasp.

Nicekl is piss easy to age - chrome stuff is harder to get looking right

what % HCL would you use...I assume Muratic Acid would work...this is 50/50.
Any photos of what this looks like??

[WezV]

muratic acid is hydrochloric acid - just a slight language difference

you will find more info with a google search on 'ageing chrome parts' or something like that

[nilsampmaker]

I saw a tv-show here in Sweden about a man that was an expert in old stuff, like old weapons with a lot of engravings, he said that sometimes he pissed on things to get the oxidation starting. Maybe you should soap and rinse the hardware carefully before using, haha.

[ToneMonkey]

Yup.  Piss on it, put on some yoghurt and put it in a hole in the garden.  That's my answer to age everything, it works on forged antiques  :shh:

[gwEm]

I asked Tim about aging chrome, and he said it was a difficult process, and he doesn't do it. its its really good quality chrome plate, it doesn't age hardly

[Denim n Leather]

I asked Tim about aging chrome, and he said it was a difficult process, and he doesn't do it. its its really good quality chrome plate, it doesn't age hardly

That's my understanding of chrome -- that it will retain it's shine indefinitely. Unless you are simulating chrome that's centuries old, better off with nickel.

[gwEm]

The hardware on my Greco appeared to be chrome, and it has aged.

Ordered chrome covers from Tim, and the difference was clear, so I sent the original Greco pickups to Tim. He repotted my BKPs in the Greco covers. He thought the Greco hardware might be a type of brass, but said it certainly wasn't chrome or nickel.

[Philly Q]

The only sign of ageing you tend to see on old chrome parts (apart from scratches) is that sometimes the plating can crack a little and flake off to reveal the zinc/brass underneath.

It doesn't really lose its shine like nickel does.

[tomjackson]

I ended up replacing my chrome hardware with nickle, I think it looks better even when new