Ageing nickel parts with vinegar...

rico · January 2018

Is it as simple as putting the nickel bits in a little container of vinegar?

WezV · January 2018

No, it’s the fumes you want.

get a bit lunchbox and pour half an inch of vinegar in the bottom. Then float a smaller container on that, put the parts in this one. Seal it all up.

i prefer acid for chrome or etchant for nickel. Not got the patience for vinegar

munckee · January 2018

Do you need white vinegar specifically @WezV ; or is it just malt vinegar might smell bad?

poopot · January 2018

WezV said:

No, it’s the fumes you want.

get a bit lunchbox and pour half an inch of vinegar in the bottom. Then float a smaller container on that, put the parts in this one. Seal it all up.

i prefer acid for chrome or etchant for nickel. Not got the patience for vinegar

^this...

if if you want to speed things up, go to your local diy shop (little one, not a b&q type) and get a bottle of “spirit of salts”... it’s hydrochloric acid.

let the fumes do their work and check every 20mins or so.

munckee · January 2018

Does this process work on chrome parts, if not is there another DIY home process that does?

rico · January 2018

I did as @WezV recommended and it worked a treat on some nickel pickguard screws. I think the vinegar was old though as it took about 6 hours for some pretty light corrosion.

I will get a new bottle for the bridge plate.

rico · January 2018

Here is a pic comparing before and after:

Image: https://s17.postimg.org/m0rtynxwf/Photo_23-01-2018_17_36_14.jpg

Not a bad job I don't think.

streethawk · January 2018

munckee said:

Does this process work on chrome parts, if not is there another DIY home process that does?

Chrome is pretty resistant to ageing.

What happens is that the chrome layer wears away, usually in spots or flakes, and then the layer beneath the chrome plate ages. It's looks pitted rather than the more uniform 'grey' of aged nickel.

You'll often see aged chrome parts with a shotblasted look, that's because they've tried to remove as much of the chrome as possible before ageing.

You can sand away at the chrome layer and then age the piece (easier on small bits with a thin chrome layer). Be careful though: if you sand too hard you'll rip through the (nickel) layer beneath the chrome and reveal the plate below that, which is usually copper. If that happens, you can scuff of the copper to reach bare metal.

munckee · January 2018

streethawk said:

munckee said:

Does this process work on chrome parts, if not is there another DIY home process that does?

Chrome is pretty resistant to ageing.

What happens is that the chrome layer wears away, usually in spots or flakes, and then the layer beneath the chrome plate ages. It's looks pitted rather than the more uniform 'grey' of aged nickel.

You'll often see aged chrome parts with a shotblasted look, that's because they've tried to remove as much of the chrome as possible before ageing.

You can sand away at the chrome layer and then age the piece (easier on small bits with a thin chrome layer). Be careful though: if you sand too hard you'll rip through the (nickel) layer beneath the chrome and reveal the plate below that, which is usually copper. If that happens, you can scuff of the copper to reach bare metal.

Thanks I have sanded some chrome before and it looks like sanded chrome, I would like the dulled grey of nickel ratehr than aged exactly, I will give it a go.

poopot · January 2018

munckee said:

streethawk said:

munckee said:

Does this process work on chrome parts, if not is there another DIY home process that does?

Chrome is pretty resistant to ageing.

What happens is that the chrome layer wears away, usually in spots or flakes, and then the layer beneath the chrome plate ages. It's looks pitted rather than the more uniform 'grey' of aged nickel.

You'll often see aged chrome parts with a shotblasted look, that's because they've tried to remove as much of the chrome as possible before ageing.

You can sand away at the chrome layer and then age the piece (easier on small bits with a thin chrome layer). Be careful though: if you sand too hard you'll rip through the (nickel) layer beneath the chrome and reveal the plate below that, which is usually copper. If that happens, you can scuff of the copper to reach bare metal.

Thanks I have sanded some chrome before and it looks like sanded chrome, I would like the dulled grey of nickel ratehr than aged exactly, I will give it a go.

You could try the old trick of “tumbling” the chrome parts.

put the part into a sealable container with a handful of screws of various sizes... then shake for a few minutes, check to see what the chrome looks like, repeat if needed.

alternativly put the container in a tumble drier for a few minutes... again, check the progress and repeat if needed... if you use the tumble drier make sure the container won’t easily open, lots of little screws flying around a tumble dryer will break it!!!!

once the chrome is “aged” to where you want it, then try the acid/vinegar/lemon juice fumes.

below is a chrome plate I did in the tumble dryer.

http://a67.tinypic.com/2qu12d0.jpg

streethawk · January 2018

munckee said:

streethawk said:

munckee said:

Does this process work on chrome parts, if not is there another DIY home process that does?

Chrome is pretty resistant to ageing.

What happens is that the chrome layer wears away, usually in spots or flakes, and then the layer beneath the chrome plate ages. It's looks pitted rather than the more uniform 'grey' of aged nickel.

You'll often see aged chrome parts with a shotblasted look, that's because they've tried to remove as much of the chrome as possible before ageing.

You can sand away at the chrome layer and then age the piece (easier on small bits with a thin chrome layer). Be careful though: if you sand too hard you'll rip through the (nickel) layer beneath the chrome and reveal the plate below that, which is usually copper. If that happens, you can scuff of the copper to reach bare metal.

Thanks I have sanded some chrome before and it looks like sanded chrome, I would like the dulled grey of nickel ratehr than aged exactly, I will give it a go.

You have to damage the chrome in some way so that the underneath layer (nickel plate) is partially exposed - or at least that's what I surmise. Sanding screws or a pickguard bracket is easy enough, but something large like a control plate has to be done randomly and using different grades or it'll look, well, sanded.

@poopot that is a belting job!

poopot · January 2018

streethawk said:

@poopot that is a belting job!

Ta.

just to add... be very careful if using acid fumes to age chrome... I once did a chrome trem (cheap for experimental purposes) every time I looked in the container there was no patina what so ever... so I left it a bit longer... and a bit longer... and longer still.

what actually happened was the acid ate away at the metal under the chrome (found a way in somehow) and left the chrome intact!...

i ended up with a hollow chrome chrome trem that just crumbled as I picked it up!,..

munckee · January 2018

poopot said:

streethawk said:

@poopot that is a belting job!

Ta.

just to add... be very careful if using acid fumes to age chrome... I once did a chrome trem (cheap for experimental purposes) every time I looked in the container there was no patina what so ever... so I left it a bit longer... and a bit longer... and longer still.

what actually happened was the acid ate away at the metal under the chrome (found a way in somehow) and left the chrome intact!...

i ended up with a hollow chrome chrome trem that just crumbled as I picked it up!,..

That is a belting job. Will give it a whirl, I will experiment with my tuners as I want to replace them anyway.

streethawk · January 2018

poopot said:

streethawk said:

@poopot that is a belting job!

Ta.

just to add... be very careful if using acid fumes to age chrome... I once did a chrome trem (cheap for experimental purposes) every time I looked in the container there was no patina what so ever... so I left it a bit longer... and a bit longer... and longer still.

what actually happened was the acid ate away at the metal under the chrome (found a way in somehow) and left the chrome intact!...

i ended up with a hollow chrome chrome trem that just crumbled as I picked it up!,..

Dear lord!

Springywheel · August 2023

Does anyone know if vinegar works on zinc alloy?

Funkfingers · August 2023

Stronger solutions of acid will eat away zinc.

STUCK RECORD TIME
The usual sequence for electroplated finishes is copper, nickel, chrome.

Carefully monitored imersion in diluted Spirit Of Salts will gently dissolve away chrome to expose the nickel beneath.

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