gtaunton - Posted - 09/30/2009:  08:40:36

I like the look of aged/amber-colored tuner buttons. Is there a way to stain your tuner buttons to give them that "aged" look?

The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD (Isaiah 38:20).

pickNgrin - Posted - 09/30/2009:  08:58:11

I fixed up an old mandolin from the 40s and had to replace a few buttons. I started with new ivoriod buttons, and then soaked them for several days in a super strong tea/coffee mixture. Way stronger than you would ever drink... like 4-8 family sized tea bags for a cup full of water (I actually started with some leftover coffee instead of water). It worked great! Before soaking, I scuffed the buttons slightly with sandpaper to give them a little "tooth" for the homemade dye to grab onto. The new buttons are just about dead ringers for the old ones.

-matt

Edited by - pickNgrin on 09/30/2009 08:59:38

Banjophobic - Posted - 09/30/2009:  09:23:17

Matts advice will work great. If your knobs have the 'amber' tint,then use Amber dye, such as sold by Stewart McDonald. It works great and gives knobs,lacquer,inlays, an antique look.

banjo-joe - Posted - 09/30/2009:  09:28:42

Iodine Tincture 7% (Wallgreens), mixed 50/50 w/water.
soak overnight. ta-da... nice yeller pinta

Banjojoe

leftcoastbanjer - Posted - 09/30/2009:  09:36:14

Here's an excellent way, the results are very authentic:

http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets...2&clk=201525

Scroll down in the article to see the tuner button aging

-Larry
Chief #141

CoolSpring - Posted - 09/30/2009:  10:11:18

Does any one have any pictures, I would love to see what it looks like when finished?

divingsailingdoug - Posted - 09/30/2009:  11:04:07

Soak them in used coffee grounds for a few days and you'll be pleased with the "old" look they'll get. Check after a couple of days and if you don't like what you see put them back in until their "done" to you satisfaction.
Cheers,
Doug

Too soon old and too late smart

John Gribble - Posted - 09/30/2009:  14:18:37

Keep them a long, long time.

John Gribble
Tokyo, Japan

Edited by - John Gribble on 09/30/2009 14:19:21

Helix - Posted - 10/01/2009:  05:26:00

I really like all the options mentioned, I'm working on the long, long time part.

I remember Richie Dotson gives complete instructions.

The coffee method has got to be the best folk medicine, the simplest, and therefore my choice, if I ever GET the time.

(_)===='===::}

stanger - Posted - 10/01/2009:  16:06:20

Bury them in the back yard for about a year, then don't clean 'em when you dig them up.
regards,
stanger

The pen is mightier than the pigs.

Kevin B - Posted - 10/01/2009:  17:05:07

Here is Richie Dotson's tutorial about aging buttons http://banjoist.tripod.com/ButtonAging.htm

Kevin ( )=='=~

'Possum, It's what's for dinner . . ."

Edited by - Kevin B on 10/01/2009 17:05:24

pickNgrin - Posted - 10/01/2009:  17:10:07

Here are the ones I did using the tea and coffee method that I mentioned above. I didn't have an unstained one to compare to, but they started out like the ivoroid thumbpick but even lighter. The extra buttons on the table have already been stained. In real life, the difference between the stained buttons and unstained thumbpick is even more than the picture shows.

One of the buttons on the mando has been replaced... can you tell which one? Another one is cracked and needs replacing too, so you know it's not that one.




-matt

Edited by - pickNgrin on 10/01/2009 18:20:26

DumbPluck - Posted - 10/01/2009:  19:32:33

Looks to my eye that the one just to the left of the cracked one is the new one.. Great job...

pickNgrin - Posted - 10/02/2009:  21:22:29

Yep... you got it right. If you know it is there and are are looking for it you can spot it pretty easily, but I think it blends in good enough that a casual observer would never notice it.

-matt