How to darken bare wood on Relic body?

[coco]

I've painted a few bodies and added the normal dings and dents and armwear for the relic look, but always looking for better ways to darken the bare wood from these processes. Normally, I spray on some neck amber from Reranch, but it's hard to control for some of those tiny areas. I've also used a "dirty mix" usually comprised of graphite/lacquer thinner if I'm going for the heavy relic but I try and use the least amount of foreign material as possible and try to stay with an all nitro solution.

What does everybody else use to darken up bare wood?

[Old Cane]

Well, I use ash. I go out on our front porch with a coffe cup that has 1/4" water in it and pick up some ashes out of an ash tray and mix with the water. I then rub it in. Ebony stain works too but you need to wipe it off at just the right time. With the ash you get that stale cigarette smell that no relic should be without.

I'm sure some of you thin I'm kidding but I'm not. I also used it on the back of this tele neck.

[coco]

my ashtray has cigar ash in it when I go out in the summer for a puff and a sip of whiskey, maybe a few drops of whiskey on the bare wood would be good for some sour mash mojo....

great looking guitars, are those sonic blue, that Tele looks sweet!

[tweeet]

I've used strong tea and coffee and also Jack Daniels...just wiped on ...it stains nicely...and the more you use the darker it gets.

[twangcaster1]

Let your dog cuddle with it for a few nights, then use it as a cookie sheet. That oughta work.

[Old Cane]

Daphne and Surf. Coffee sounds liek a good one, just don't get things too wet with any of these options.

[Del Pickup]

For a woodworker's trick on how to age new wood check out this site www.xrestore.com/Pages/Aging.htm

It works a treat. I've used the steel wool/vinegar/tea mix on the neck and arm wear area of my tele and it looks very authentic - just like the Custom Shop neck jobs.

[Chet Johnson]

Originally Posted by tweeet

I've used strong tea and coffee and also Jack Daniels...just wiped on ...it stains nicely...and the more you use the darker it gets.

Cool.
Simulating wear works best with organic materials.

[Codger]

I’ve never relliced a guitar, but one of the things professional antique restorers and fakers use is potassium permanganate. It will quickly make most woods look old. It’s oxidizing that makes the wood look old, and this is a strong oxidizing agent. Stain won’t give that look. It’s used in water purification. Don’t get it on your hands, it will turn them brown. It’s a crystal that you dissolve in water. If you use some and pour it back in the bottle, the whole batch will turn, so discard what you don’t use. You could get more info online if you want.

[Vizcaster]

Is that the same as potassium dichromate? I still have some but I read more and more warnings about its toxicity. Anyway it doesn't work on all woods. Oak okay, cherry for sure, but some blonder woods without tannins in them just turn orange so I'm not sure it would work on maple. You also need to seal it with shellac or some other barrier coat, and it seems that the OP is looking for a way to darken wood that's going to be left bare.

The rust in vinegar trick also works better on woods that have tannins.

I'm not sure what they use at the Fender Custom Shop for that dirt look, but one of the master builders told me he likes to use the parking lot asphalt to ding up the headstock just so. He also said they use a cotton t-shirt to burnish the wood after sanding and those necks do feel awfully smooth.

[Codger]

I've never used potassium dichromate, but I believe it's very different and very toxic.

[tonewoods]

Originally Posted by Del Pickup

For a woodworker's trick on how to age new wood check out this site www.xrestore.com/Pages/Aging.htm

It works a treat. I've used the steel wool/vinegar/tea mix on the neck and arm wear area of my tele and it looks very authentic - just like the Custom Shop neck jobs.

Yep...

But there "that" greenish tinge that one sees on old worn ash, and I've found that some linseed oil and salt water (applied separately) will get you in the ballpark...
That and some time...

Here's a pic of a real '55 that shows that greenish coloration:

[bossaholic]

Believe it or not, on my first Springsteen clone, I used pencil graphite. I just colored the worn areas like I was shading a drawing and rubbed it in with my fingers. It was the perfect gray and still looks that way 20 years later.

I used the vinegar/steel Wool method recently and you really really have to watch it or it will go black. In fact, this method was originally used as a black stain. You have no control over it because the reaction takes a little time, so by the time it turns, it's too late.