Dpilg - Posted - 03/19/2019:  12:48:50

Has anyone had experience on making new bright nickel, that old grayish pot
metal look ?
This is for a new build.

I know a few builders such as Yates are distressing the nickel to give the older
pot metal , dull look but was wondering about technique.

I have seen new nickel pieces scuffed with a scotch bright pad that looked nice.

I am just not a fan of a bright shiny newer look on a banjo.

Thanks for ideas in advance !

Flex_Luthor - Posted - 03/19/2019:  12:57:43

Take a brite pad, sandpaper, ect to it to roughen the surface so you get a sort of pattern and not flst color change. Soak papertowels in vinegar and wrap the nickel. Put it in a bag thats not completely sealed.

Edited by - Flex_Luthor on 03/19/2019 12:58:48

RioStat - Posted - 03/19/2019:  13:03:31

Like this? 10 second dip in Ferric Chloride, rinse in fresh water.

Bradskey - Posted - 03/19/2019:  13:06:13

I would think you would only want to do this chemically. A normal honest nickel patina, which I have on a couple older banjos, can usually be easily removed with the right polish, not that anyone should.

Flex_Luthor - Posted - 03/19/2019:  13:10:14

Thanks for reminding me bradsky. You will need to put some seal or finish on it to prevent it from rubbing off or futhur oxidation

RioStat - Posted - 03/19/2019:  13:20:21

You can buy this stuff from Electronics Supply store (used to get it at Radio Shack, but they're a thing of the past). It's called "etching solution", 42% concentration

Buy a big, flat, PLASTIC pan/bowl at least 14 -15" diameter,  from Walmart ( the stuff reacts with all metals, however, it won't affect chrome plating) pour the stuff into the PLASTIC pan deep enough to cover your flange, tension hoop, etc.

DO ONE PIECE AT A TIME !!  start with about a 4-5 second immersion then immediately into, or under flowing fresh water for a minute or so.  You can add baking soda to the water, it's a base that stops the acid effect. I did it in my laundry room, so I could use the large laundry basin/sink.

Start with 4-5 seconds, because you can always re-dip your parts to achieve more of an effect, but this stuff will remove the nickel-plate right down to bare metal, brass, pot metal, or whatever your flange, tension hoop, armrest, etc.. is made from, so it's easy to overdo it very quickly.

I put the hooks and nuts (taken apart) into a shallow flat-bottom PLASTIC spaghetti strainer (collander?) then set it into the big pan and sloshed the solution around, all over them, then rinsed with fresh water.

Wear rubber gloves, have good ventilation. When you're done, pour the solution back into the bottle, it can be re-used, and it lasts "forever".

The hardware in my photos is Recording King hardware, bought 7-8 years ago, when RK was selling high quality banjo parts all over the Internet.

Edited by - RioStat on 03/19/2019 13:30:54

 

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/19/2019:  14:10:33

Huber is offering this nickel finish on parts.

Bradskey - Posted - 03/19/2019:  14:49:48

Kinda like what they call a satin or brushed nickel finish. It's softer, more uniform and a bit less "organic" than a true patina, but it still looks good.

When it happens naturally it is usually somewhat uneven and may be accompanied by faint wear spots down to the brass, like on armrests or hoops. I guess actual relic'ing involves trying to capture or reproduce some of that, beyond just the character of the nickel plating.

Dpilg - Posted - 03/20/2019:  07:35:22

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will experiment with the different idea's.

Thanks for your time and photos.

Darin.

desert rose - Posted - 03/20/2019:  19:06:30

The Radio Shack etching solution is THE way to go, you can reproduce the EXACT look of old vintage parts. This is what the Fender Custom shop uses, and Vintage specialty music stores insisted they label the instruments to avoid being fooled

Scott

Steve harrold - Posted - 03/20/2019:  20:29:51

Will the ferric chloride remove the nickel plating from a tone ring without damaging the tone ring itself.