Tips on relicing?

[VicUA]

I’ll try to make couple for my customers. I can’t say that is so difficult work for me. I got hands-on experience when I was an art university student. We learned how to restore old objects. Some newly made parts had to be brought to an antique look. At the same time, I think that my first wirk did not turn out as well as I would like. True customer wanted the look of a heavily aged guitar..

 

[aFewGoodTaters]

I’ll try to make couple for my customers. I can’t say that is so difficult work for me. I got hands-on experience when I was an art university student. We learned how to restore old objects. Some newly made parts had to be brought to an antique look. At the same time, I think that my first wirk did not turn out as well as I would like. True customer wanted the look of a heavily aged guitar..

Very nice work! Care to share a bit of your technique on checking? Looks very convincing on this guitar.

 

[darkwaters]

I’m agnostic when it comes to body wear. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. I have simulated aging on metal parts, including pickups, on three of my four electrics because I sometimes find that the shiny new look doesn’t suit the guitar. For example, here’s my 2006 SG Special Faded:

 

[Telecaster582]

So last night I took some dark brown stain that I had laying around and I put it on the guitar and then wiped it off and repeated the process but it still does not look aged very much and I don't have a tanning lamp so any other ideas on that would be great... I'll send you some photos of the neck because I did the same thing to the neck and it looks pretty good

 

[Telecaster582]

For a lighter level of ageing on metalwork, you can put it in a zip lock bag with some white vinegar in a dish next to it. After a day or two the vinegar condensates and takes the shine off the metal.

Another trick; put the parts in a tin with some small pieces of gravel and give it a shake. Take it out every now and then to check progress. I also put masking tape over any area that wouldn't normally get worn (like the back of a jack socket, under the saddles on a bridge, etc). Then I did the vinegar treatment afterwards.

I only did it to take the edge off my metal work on a Strat I built last year and after the work I did spraying the body I hadn't the guts to start chipping the paint. Just as well because the body ended up too heavy so I swapped it for a lighter one and now I can sell a 'NOS' nitro finished body.

I did the vinegar trick on bits of my avatar Esquire/Tele too, so I'll put a few pictures below for you:

Less obvious from further away:
View attachment 944226

Closer up. I just wanted to take the shine off a bit rather than make them very rusty. I know they'll age soon enough when I'm playing hot and sweaty gigs:
View attachment 944227

The Esquire/Tele; I bought the pre-finished/aged body, which wasn't my first choice really, but went with it. It's a bare Bakelite guard that has aged naturally through playing, the metalwork I did as described above:
View attachment 944231

Closer view:
View attachment 944232

I left the brass saddles to age just by playing...it didn't take long and they have dulled further since this picture, so a bit of patience can help for a more natural look:
View attachment 944233

Can you explain the vinegar treatment better?

 

[KelvinS1965]

I put some white vinegar in a small dish, then put it and the metal parts inside a zip lock plastic bag. Left them for a day or two (keeping check on progress). The vinegar condensates on the bag and the fumes from it attack the metal. It might take a few days to work and I sometimes put pieces back in for a bit longer to get the desired effect. I always go on the lighter side because I wasn't aiming for very rusty and I know that gigging will soon age the parts naturally...I just didn't want it all looking brand spanking new.

My 1982 JV Squier Strat metalwork isn't very rusty at all and it was my only guitar for 13 years (and only had a second guitar for the next 10 years). I've worn the plating away on the low E saddle, but the rest doesn't look too worn at all. I found that the Fender aged tuners I bought actually looked too aged for my liking, so I polished them up a bit so they looked more like my old Strat.



I sprayed the neck with a darker tinted clear at the headstock and heel ends to give a sort of faded effect, which to me is less 'severe' than those sanded CS necks. There isn't much lacquer on the back of the neck, so eventually it will wear through naturally.



My JV Strat neck is poly and that is pretty much the same as it was in 1982 apart from some nicks and scratches, so I doubt that will ever wear through.

Even the fingerboard only has a few spots of wear and bare in mind it's been refreted which gives some idea of how much it's been played (had them dressed a few times before the refret too):



Notice how shiny those tuners are too...not rusting away like some relics.

 

[Skyhook]

 

[Telecaster582]

I put some white vinegar in a small dish, then put it and the metal parts inside a zip lock plastic bag. Left them for a day or two (keeping check on progress). The vinegar condensates on the bag and the fumes from it attack the metal. It might take a few days to work and I sometimes put pieces back in for a bit longer to get the desired effect. I always go on the lighter side because I wasn't aiming for very rusty and I know that gigging will soon age the parts naturally...I just didn't want it all looking brand spanking new.

My 1982 JV Squier Strat metalwork isn't very rusty at all and it was my only guitar for 13 years (and only had a second guitar for the next 10 years). I've worn the plating away on the low E saddle, but the rest doesn't look too worn at all. I found that the Fender aged tuners I bought actually looked too aged for my liking, so I polished them up a bit so they looked more like my old Strat.

View attachment 944732

I sprayed the neck with a darker tinted clear at the headstock and heel ends to give a sort of faded effect, which to me is less 'severe' than those sanded CS necks. There isn't much lacquer on the back of the neck, so eventually it will wear through naturally.

View attachment 944736

My JV Strat neck is poly and that is pretty much the same as it was in 1982 apart from some nicks and scratches, so I doubt that will ever wear through.

Even the fingerboard only has a few spots of wear and bare in mind it's been refreted which gives some idea of how much it's been played (had them dressed a few times before the refret too):

View attachment 944737

Notice how shiny those tuners are too...not rusting away like some relics.

Nice, wasn't that the first year of the Squier? I thought what you meant was to put vintage in a bowl and the put the parts in a plastic bag and put it in the vinegar dish.... I was confused on how that would work but I get it now thanks!

 

[Telecaster582]

What about the neck I did? And how should I age the wood on the guitar?

 

[Telecaster582]

I saw a YouTube video that said you can put tea on the exposed parts followed with vinegar and steel wool.... Anybody think that that would work?

 

[Telecaster582]

This doesn't really show up on camera but the ground here is frozen so I couldn't get gravel so I went to 400 grit sandpaper. The ones I've done with the sandpaper are on top, and the ones I haven't touched yet are on the bottom. I don't know why the bottom is orange though.

 

[Telecaster582]

This is my progress so far. Im going to do the vinegar thing after I post this

 

[Telecaster582]

The wear on the front body contour looks a bit precise get some 400 grit paper and blend the edges of the paint down until you are nearly through to the wood like years of natural arm movement

Um I don't think that's working... I'll try some more and see what happens

 

[Telecaster582]

Where did everyone go?

 

[Telecaster582]

Well i don't know if the sanding really helped because it took all of the paint off, not just leaving a little bit of paint

 

[Telecaster582]

 

[netgear69]

Um I don't think that's working... I'll try some more and see what happens

That looks better starting to look more natural

Your saddles have gone orange because you have gone past the chrome into the copper of which they are made of

 

[Telecaster582]

Well the top should've been like that but I hadn't touched the bottom row so that's what that was for. How else might I make it look more natural

 

[netgear69]

Put a couple of coats of this stuff on the saddles where you have straight through the chrome

 

[Telecaster582]

How should I go about aging the wood