|
|
Post by lee on Nov 2, 2023 19:24:17 GMT -6
Does anybody know how to take a white pickguard and give it the treatment? Just a general look of aging, nothing crazy.
I've heard of Scotchbrite pads, Kiwi shoe polish and all sorts of things, but I've never done it myself.
I'm replacing the PG on a lightly-aged guitar, so I'm just trying to make the new one fit the vibe.
I'm concerned I should have bought a parchment or mint guard first. Oh well.
|
|
|
|
Post by bowie on Nov 3, 2023 20:20:33 GMT -6
I've dealt with this when replacing a damaged or missing guards and knobs on vintage instruments. The problem with the popular method (coffee and other kinds of stain) is that it's uneven and doesn't really get IN the plastic well. Where it does get in, it's strong and odd looking. People tend to think aging is just from UV but plastic aging is due to a few types of reactions/degradations which change the chemical structure, some of which happen on the inside.
You can try a chemical oxidation if you know what the guard is made of (there's a few different materials used). Some plastics will oxidize from bleach and actually turn yellow. Acetone can dull the surface of PVC (even melt it if you aren't careful) and while that may not give you color, it can give you that aged/chalky texture and possibly make the surface take dye better because of it. I haven't experimented with this yet I just know from working w/ PVC.
My go-to method for dealing with this honestly just getting the right colored guard on ebay or getting an aged-looking blank and cutting it. When I have to DIY I use a stain. Coffee and household things have never worked well for me. I prefer leather gel dyes as they are strong and easy to work with. The trick is to do the scuffing AFTER. Otherwise, what happens is that the stain deposits very strong in the scuffs and looks terrible. 1,000 grit sand paper can make fine swirls. If the scuff marks look too fresh/white you can do a very brief, watered-down stain to get a little color in them. Let it sit in warm water after and clean it up really well before installing. That reverses a lot of your hard work but stain can bleed out for a while. You won't notice it until it leaves a mark on a shirt.
Best of luck, let us know what you end up doing.
|
|
|
|
Post by lee on Nov 3, 2023 22:17:17 GMT -6
I've dealt with this when replacing a damaged or missing guards and knobs on vintage instruments. The problem with the popular method (coffee and other kinds of stain) is that it's uneven and doesn't really get IN the plastic well. Where it does get in, it's strong and odd looking. People tend to think aging is just from UV but plastic aging is due to a few types of reactions/degradations which change the chemical structure, some of which happen on the inside. You can try a chemical oxidation if you know what the guard is made of (there's a few different materials used). Some plastics will oxidize from bleach and actually turn yellow. Acetone can dull the surface of PVC (even melt it if you aren't careful) and while that may not give you color, it can give you that aged/chalky texture and possibly make the surface take dye better because of it. I haven't experimented with this yet I just know from working w/ PVC. My go-to method for dealing with this honestly just getting the right colored guard on ebay or getting an aged-looking blank and cutting it. When I have to DIY I use a stain. Coffee and household things have never worked well for me. I prefer leather gel dyes as they are strong and easy to work with. The trick is to do the scuffing AFTER. Otherwise, what happens is that the stain deposits very strong in the scuffs and looks terrible. 1,000 grit sand paper can make fine swirls. If the scuff marks look too fresh/white you can do a very brief, watered-down stain to get a little color in them. Let it sit in warm water after and clean it up really well before installing. That reverses a lot of your hard work but stain can bleed out for a while. You won't notice it until it leaves a mark on a shirt. Best of luck, let us know what you end up doing. Hey Bowie, thanks for the really thorough response. Interesting about the scuffing order. I would have thought the opposite but what you say makes sense. I realized that I think this project will be more successful with a mint guard or a parchment one so I may return the one I bought. Stain like Minwax I’ll bet would work. I’ll report back if I don’t screw it up. |
|
|
|
Post by anders on Nov 7, 2023 11:01:49 GMT -6
I've had some success with just leaving things outside for a while.
|
|
|
|
Post by lee on Nov 7, 2023 16:41:43 GMT -6
I've had some success with just leaving things outside for a while. Outside, in the sun or not in the sun? And if you wouldn't mind defining "a while"? |
|
|
|
Post by anders on Nov 9, 2023 0:39:12 GMT -6
I've had some success with just leaving things outside for a while. Outside, in the sun or not in the sun? And if you wouldn't mind defining "a while"? Well, it would obviously depend on your location and the amount of weather. In the sun, yes. We also have rain, snow, etc. here. But a week or two, seeing what happens, keeping an eye on it. Or even burying it in the garden. |
|
|
|
Post by Ward on Nov 27, 2023 7:26:18 GMT -6
Do I share my secrets or don't I ? ? ?
|
|
|
|
Post by lee on Nov 27, 2023 10:03:20 GMT -6
Do I share my secrets or don't I ? ? ? I was going to do it today or tomorrow. You definitely DO. |
|
|
|
Post by Ward on Nov 27, 2023 13:06:27 GMT -6
Do I share my secrets or don't I ? ? ? I was going to do it today or tomorrow. You definitely DO. Wood dye. one that you can dilute in water or oil. Mix very VERY thin, and let it soak for a week. The plastic will absorb the color. So use a very light color, like pale yellow or butterscotch, to get that nicotine soaked over 25 years look to it. |
|
|
|
Post by lee on Nov 27, 2023 13:12:11 GMT -6
I was going to do it today or tomorrow. You definitely DO. Wood dye. one that you can dilute in water or oil. Mix very VERY thin, and let it soak for a week. The plastic will absorb the color. So use a very light color, like pale yellow or butterscotch, to get that nicotine soaked over 25 years look to it. Two questions about this: I have a copper shield on the back of the PG. You think that will damage it to soak like that? And I bought some Minwax 210B (Light Oak). Is "wood dye" a different product from stain? Sounds like I should go lighter and yellower. What you're describing is exactly the look I'm after. Thanks dude. |
|
|
|
Post by Ward on Nov 27, 2023 13:16:05 GMT -6
yes, a wood dye is a TOTALLY different thing. Go to a crafts store. Do they have a Michael's in your area? www.michaels.com And shouldn't hurt the copper shield, but won't hurt to take it off and glue it back on again afterwards |
|
|
|
Post by lee on Nov 27, 2023 13:17:15 GMT -6
yes, a wood dye is a TOTALLY different thing. Go to a crafts store. Do they have a Michael's in your area? www.michaels.com And shouldn't hurt the copper shield, but won't hurt to take it off and glue it back on again afterwards OK thanks. Yes, there's a Michael's not far away. I'll make a pit stop later. |
|
|
|
Post by lee on Dec 8, 2023 18:33:18 GMT -6
I was going to do it today or tomorrow. You definitely DO. Wood dye. one that you can dilute in water or oil. Mix very VERY thin, and let it soak for a week. The plastic will absorb the color. So use a very light color, like pale yellow or butterscotch, to get that nicotine soaked over 25 years look to it. The PG has been soaking in yellow wood dye for 5 days so far, and I just took it out to see if anything was happening. Even after lots of steel wool abrasion that I did first, it isn't taking on any of the pigment. So I just upped the ratio by a good deal. We'll see if it wants to take. |
|
|
|
Post by Ward on Dec 8, 2023 18:47:13 GMT -6
Wood dye. one that you can dilute in water or oil. Mix very VERY thin, and let it soak for a week. The plastic will absorb the color. So use a very light color, like pale yellow or butterscotch, to get that nicotine soaked over 25 years look to it. The PG has been soaking in yellow wood dye for 5 days so far, and I just took it out to see if anything was happening. Even after lots of steel wool abrasion that I did first, it isn't taking on any of the pigment. So I just upped the ratio by a good deal. We'll see if it wants to take. Every plastic is different . . . keep trying! I assure you it works. I'll post some pictures soon. Purple wood dye, dying white plastics/ |
|
|
|
Post by audiospecific on Dec 13, 2023 21:51:13 GMT -6
Wood dye. one that you can dilute in water or oil. Mix very VERY thin, and let it soak for a week. The plastic will absorb the color. So use a very light color, like pale yellow or butterscotch, to get that nicotine soaked over 25 years look to it. The PG has been soaking in yellow wood dye for 5 days so far, and I just took it out to see if anything was happening. Even after lots of steel wool abrasion that I did first, it isn't taking on any of the pigment. So I just upped the ratio by a good deal. We'll see if it wants to take.
ok, promise me to wear gloves though, and put plastic down on the table. Mix 3 parts yellow candle wax dye, 1 part white. Be careful, that dye will stain everything for a long time. So another call to Micheal's. Candle wax dye is not water soluble, and so it will never wash out of your clothes.
|
|
|
|
Post by lee on Dec 19, 2023 10:12:11 GMT -6
The PG has been soaking in yellow wood dye for 5 days so far, and I just took it out to see if anything was happening. Even after lots of steel wool abrasion that I did first, it isn't taking on any of the pigment. So I just upped the ratio by a good deal. We'll see if it wants to take.
ok, promise me to wear gloves though, and put plastic down on the table. Mix 3 parts yellow candle wax dye, 1 part white. Be careful, that dye will stain everything for a long time. So another call to Micheal's. Candle wax dye is not water soluble, and so it will never wash out of your clothes.
OK another interesting tip. I currently have the yellow dye way upped in concentration and I'll check it today. Failing that plan, I may go back to Winwax... or this. |
|
|
|
Post by audiospecific on Dec 19, 2023 10:39:57 GMT -6
ok, promise me to wear gloves though, and put plastic down on the table. Mix 3 parts yellow candle wax dye, 1 part white. Be careful, that dye will stain everything for a long time. So another call to Micheal's. Candle wax dye is not water soluble, and so it will never wash out of your clothes.
OK another interesting tip. I currently have the yellow dye way upped in concentration and I'll check it today. Failing that plan, I may go back to Winwax... or this.
That's cool. The candle wax dye is one of the very few petroleum dies available. A long time ago, I used that to dye oil, for oil projection, and food coloring for the water. It will stain plastic almost instantly and recommend caution while using it (you definitely don't want any of this to get on you)
Also, you might want to use just yellow only to keep it transparent.
|
|
|
|
Post by jcoutu1 on Dec 21, 2023 15:19:40 GMT -6
Why not pick up a pack of butts, put the pickguard in an airtight box, fill said box with smoke, and let it work.
|
|
|
|
Post by lee on Dec 21, 2023 17:11:33 GMT -6
Why not pick up a pack of butts, put the pickguard in an airtight box, fill said box with smoke, and let it work. That would be most life-like. Create some sort of 1970's pub atmosphere. I am JUST starting to get a bit of dye to stick on bits of the PG. I really had to crank up the dosage. Weirdly, it's not uniform in its spread, so I'm giving it a little more time. |
|
|
|
Post by lee on Dec 29, 2023 12:23:03 GMT -6
Success. I kept it in the dye for quite a while longer and now it has begun to stain the plastic in quite an irregular way. i think it looks pretty good. If I think it's too yellow in spots, I think I'd have good luck with a Scotchbrite pad, just taking it down a notch. Good tip, Ward! |
|
