How to make new gold parts look old?

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 11 Feb 2010 7:19 am

This might also be applicable to steel guitars.

I want to put a new gold bigsby trem on an old guitar. How can I make it look old without making it look like some phony "antique" thing they do with new guitars these days?

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 11 Feb 2010 8:19 am

If it is clear coated, use something that will get the clear coat off, and then handle it for awhile. It should "age" fairly quickly. Since gold is so inert, I wouldn't think it could be "antiqued" by the usual methods.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 11 Feb 2010 11:07 am

Well, here is what I untentionally did to portions of the pickup covers and tail piece. I had the bad idea to polish them and I soon realized that it was removing the plating..not what I had in mind. I stopped, but not before I had messed up a couple places. The plating comes off very quickly, so be aware.

This gives the hdwe. a worn look however.

You may be looking to accelerate the changing of the patina of the gold parts. For that, I don't have any suggestions. Perhaps spray with a shellac or other coating that has more of an amber base. I would seek out a professional for anything like that though.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 12 Feb 2010 1:34 am

The same way you make musicians look old:playing in bars.

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 12 Feb 2010 6:49 pm

Sweat works the best, but takes a little time.

If you want to get fast results use muriatic acid. I just have to warn all you kids DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. This stuff is very dangerous.
You can buy it anywhere they sell swimming pool supplies. You just need a little bit, not even a couple of tablespoon fulls poured into some kind of container, like a deep tupperware or quart size paint can.
You need to wear some kind of eye protection and a breathing mask. Then just exposed the metal pieces to the fumes of the acid for just a few seconds. I use an old wire coat hanger tied to the piece and lowered into the bucket. Don't let the acid touch the metal, all it takes is just the fumes from the acid to strip the finish.
It works on any kind of metal, but it is best if you can try it on some piece before you do the actual bigsby, so you can find out how long to leave it over the fumes. Like I said it only takes seconds for the fumes to start striping the finish.