thermopyle Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 hi opened an old box to find... some very old strat parts, one yellowed pickup cover and full knob set. they'd be about 25 years old and they look it. amazing. i'm gonna put them on one of my strats. question is - which of the replacement brands out there make a pickup cover that can be stained with tea/coffee/whatever to get that aged look? or should i just buy some pre-stained? it may sound silly but i'd like to have the amount of yellowing decrease from top to bottom, just like on this real one i've found. (what i wouldn't GIVE to know where the other two are...) thanks thermo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 21, 2003 Report Share Posted August 21, 2003 I pick coffee and just about all of the single coil covers no matter where they are marketed come from the same 2 plants in the world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted August 21, 2003 Report Share Posted August 21, 2003 i think most white ones will yellow no matter what won't they? to speed it up (couple months instead of years) try leaving them on a window sill on the top floor of ur house facing south. well... that's if u want to go the all natural rout.. wouldn't a high powered UV light do the same thing in a matter of hours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thermopyle Posted August 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 well, not sure what i'm doing wrong... i have a pair of dimarzio covers, brand new and white. soaked one in coffee overnight, nothing. same with tea. still looks like the other one. what am i missing here? thermo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckguitarist Posted August 24, 2003 Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 Yea, i tried coffee and tea, didn't exactly help, what I found worked the best was rubbing your fingers on a bbq grill (not while its on ) and then jest rub it on the pickguard/pickup covers, the problem is, it is really easy to just wipe off, I've been trying lots of things, just gotta figure out how to make the stuff stay on. Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 24, 2003 Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 what am i missing here? thermo Were trying to figure out the best way to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thermopyle Posted August 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 time for a little experimentation perhaps. i'm going to do a fine (220) sanding on the surface to rough it up some, then try soaking it in some hot coffee for a while, then maybe sit it in the sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butnut Posted August 26, 2003 Report Share Posted August 26, 2003 The best thing I've found is KIWI brown shoe polish. I used it on my Strat and Tele white bodies and it gave a nice aged look. I steel wooled the Tele because I wanted to ding it up to relic it...did'nt want shiney dings...it turned real dark. Both are poly finish. I had to use some varnish remover to take it off. Rub on and rub off quickly..you can always go darker. On some plastics, it darkens nice and quick...on some parts, it does'nt stick. A quick wipe with some lacquer thinner to remove the wax or mold release stuff should help adhesion. I did hear some 'brands' of parts just don't take any stain. I noticed some parts have worn back to white, but it's minor...I just redid them. Works on Maple necks too. I was amazed poly could be stained with this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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