Road Worn Hardware?

[son of frog]

Hey guys,
had a search and a little look and couldn't find anything on this, also didn't really know where to post this? but here will do...

Basically i'm building a 1962 P Bass, from various parts etc. and i was wondering,
Have Fender started releasing Road Worn bass tuners / bridges, as separate items?

I had a look on ebay, all i can find is old vintage ones, which are hugely expensive and may suffer from age related issues.
I want aged looking hardware really but without the drawbacks of aged hardware,

If fender haven't started making them separate parts yet, is there any way i can age chrome hardware to get that look,
I've always wondered how fender did it, I'm guessing some form of magnetic stripping process... if i didn't just make that up!

-Tom

Edited April 22, 2011 by son of frog

[icastle]

[quote name='son of frog' post='1208684' date='Apr 22 2011, 09:42 PM']Hey guys,
had a search and a little look and couldn't find anything on this, also didn't really know where to post this? but here will do...

Basically i'm building a 1962 P Bass, from various parts etc. and i was wondering,
Have Fender started releasing Road Worn bass tuners / bridges, as separate items?

I had a look on ebay, all i can find is old vintage ones, which are hugely expensive and may suffer from age related issues.
I want aged looking hardware really but without the drawbacks of aged hardware,

If fender haven't started making them separate parts yet, is there any way i can age chrome hardware to get that look,
I've always wondered how fender did it, I'm guessing some form of magnetic stripping process... if i didn't just make that up!

-Tom[/quote]

You just made that up.

I get the impression that the vintage stuff is chemically etched.
There have been a number of threads on here about that and a lot of suggestions as to methods - everything from brillo pads to urine.
I've not seen the results after experimenting though - perhaps one of our intrepid machine head watersports experts could let us know how they got on...

[son of frog]

[quote name='icastle' post='1208718' date='Apr 22 2011, 10:31 PM']everything from brillo pads to urine.
I've not seen the results after experimenting though[/quote]




haha,
yes indeed, i'd love to know if there is a quicker way, I would have thought although urine does have corrosive properties it is also great at sterilising things, so would potentially just remove any minor corrosion likely to occur?

[icastle]

[quote name='son of frog' post='1208724' date='Apr 22 2011, 10:36 PM']

haha,
yes indeed, i'd love to know if there is a quicker way, I would have thought although urine does have corrosive properties it is also great at sterilising things, so would potentially just remove any minor corrosion likely to occur?[/quote]

Have you considered using matte spray?
It's a clear acrylic spray that they use on film sets to remove metallic reflections and is supposedly permanant (as opposed to dulling spray which is wax based and wipes off after shooting).

[Big_Stu]

I know someone who fixed old strings across a pair of gold humbuckers then dabbed paint-stripper across the gold. The strings were there to protect the bits where the strings would normally be. I saw the finished thing & they looked convincing. IIRC he did it more than once, a few minutes at a time, until it was aged how he wanted it, same with the bridge parts.



[quote name='icastle' post='1208739' date='Apr 22 2011, 11:02 PM']Have you considered using matte spray?
It's a clear acrylic spray that they use on film sets to remove metallic reflections and is supposedly permanant (as opposed to dulling spray which is wax based and wipes off after shooting).[/quote]
I had the dulling spray put on my specs (before I got contacts) when I was in a C4 docu

Edited April 22, 2011 by Big_Stu

[AndyTravis]

Circuit board etching fluid so i've heard...Maplin etc do it.

Well ventilated ares and use sparingly...so i've heard.

I.e. do it to some useless part to test first.

[icastle]

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='1208785' date='Apr 22 2011, 11:45 PM']I.e. do it to some useless part to test first.[/quote]

I can feel a drummer joke rearing it's head here any second now...

[icastle]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1208898' date='Apr 23 2011, 08:33 AM']Go on admit it you're taking the piss .[/quote]

As if I would...

[hillbilly deluxe]

Muriatic acid fumes.

[gafbass02]

ive had stuff from here before:
[url="http://www.grguitars.com/parts_5bass.htm"]http://www.grguitars.com/parts_5bass.htm[/url]

[RhysP]

Drink lots of of red wine.
Vomit on hardware.
Leave overnight.
Chrome will be completely f***ed in the morning - believe me, I've done it.

[son of frog]

[quote name='RhysP' post='1209218' date='Apr 23 2011, 03:05 PM']Drink lots of of red wine.
Vomit on hardware.
Leave overnight.
Chrome will be completely f***ed in the morning - believe me, I've done it. [/quote]




If anyones interested i found a guy who will relic any type of hardware he sells, does it really well too.

these look nice, all custom done by him.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280665088332&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_1039wt_975"]http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...n#ht_1039wt_975[/url]

those are quite expensive, But he has some really nice 70's ones not too badly priced and some other great hardware like bridge / pickup covers.

Edited April 24, 2011 by son of frog

[4-string-thing]

Anyone tried leaving things soaking in Coca Cola?

I once had to replace a head gasket on a Rover V8 and couldn't get the bolts undone, someone suggested making a blu-tac ring around the bolt head and filling with said soft drink overnight. The bolts came undone very easily after 24 hours....

If it can do that, it can eat away the chrome on a Fender bridge in minutes!

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1212171' date='Apr 26 2011, 10:53 PM']Anyone tried leaving things soaking in Coca Cola?

I once had to replace a head gasket on a Rover V8 and couldn't get the bolts undone, someone suggested making a blu-tac ring around the bolt head and filling with said soft drink overnight. The bolts came undone very easily after 24 hours....

If it can do that, it can eat away the chrome on a Fender bridge in minutes! [/quote]
Yep Coca Cola will do it.
I once dunked a set of grubby tuners in coke over night (thought I give them a decent soak as they were real manky) I came down in the morning and that sh*t had eaten right through to the nickel. Gutted.

[icastle]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1212212' date='Apr 26 2011, 11:51 PM']Yep Coca Cola will do it.
I once dunked a set of grubby tuners in coke over night (thought I give them a decent soak as they were real manky) I came down in the morning and that sh*t had eaten right through to the nickel. Gutted.[/quote]

Yep - coke contains phosphoric acid which absolutely loves chrome...

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='icastle' post='1212469' date='Apr 27 2011, 11:47 AM']Yep - coke contains phosphoric acid which absolutely loves chrome... [/quote]

Yee Haa....I've actually contributed something that is both useful and correct! (there's a first time for everything)

[icastle]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1215590' date='Apr 30 2011, 10:33 AM']Yee Haa....I've actually contributed something that is both useful and correct! (there's a first time for everything) [/quote]



I can remember doing an experiment back in the olden days, we dropped one of the old style ringpulls into the remnants of a can of coke - three days later it had dissolved into a grey sludge in the bottom of the can.

[son of frog]

[quote name='icastle' post='1215700' date='Apr 30 2011, 12:17 PM']

I can remember doing an experiment back in the olden days, we dropped one of the old style ringpulls into the remnants of a can of coke - three days later it had dissolved into a grey sludge in the bottom of the can.[/quote]

Coke is evil...

And yet i'm still addicted to the stuff...

May give this a go on some "useless bit of hardware" first, Are you guys saying that it will just remove the chrome plating leaving the flat / dull nickel look underneath?

if so sounds like a good idea.

[icastle]

[quote name='son of frog' post='1215711' date='Apr 30 2011, 12:23 PM']May give this a go on some "useless bit of hardware" first, Are you guys saying that it will just remove the chrome plating leaving the flat / dull nickel look underneath?[/quote]

Yep.
Like you said though, try it on something unimportant first.

[skej21]

I totally don't get this road-worn thing.

I mean really, you get addicted to buying the same thing over and over again (and lots of GAS as a side effect), then you want to ruin the beautiful liquid inside to burn off the chrome on bass parts!

What a waste of perfectly good Coca Cola!

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='son of frog' post='1215711' date='Apr 30 2011, 12:23 PM']Coke is evil...

And yet i'm still addicted to the stuff...

May give this a go on some "useless bit of hardware" first, Are you guys saying that it will just remove the chrome plating leaving the flat / dull nickel look underneath?

if so sounds like a good idea.[/quote]

Maybe not try it for too long? A couple of hours at a time, til you get to the desired state?

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='skej21' post='1215746' date='Apr 30 2011, 12:45 PM']I totally don't get this road-worn thing.

I mean really, you get addicted to buying the same thing over and over again (and lots of GAS as a side effect), then you want to ruin the beautiful liquid inside to burn off the chrome on bass parts!

What a waste of perfectly good Coca Cola![/quote]

We should point out that other brands of cola are available......

[skej21]

Going to try the diet cola thing today on an old neckplate and see how it goes!

[son of frog]

[quote name='skej21' post='1215771' date='Apr 30 2011, 01:09 PM']Going to try the diet cola thing today on an old neckplate and see how it goes![/quote]

Im sure diet coke is even worse,

And of course i would never waste real Coke on this... this is what Tesco own brand Cola was made for right?

[skej21]

[quote name='son of frog' post='1215878' date='Apr 30 2011, 03:19 PM']Im sure diet coke is even worse,

And of course i would never waste real Coke on this... this is what Tesco own brand Cola was made for right? [/quote]

Correct. I'm using Co-op's own brand Diet Cola. Put the neck plate in at 1pm. Still in there now and has not made any noticeable change.

Maybe my Co-op cola is too high-brow. Maybe some Netto cola would have been a better option?