How to Relic a Pickguard, Plastic and Hardware 

I aged my white pick guard with the suggested Angelus Leather Dye. And it did the job, couldn't be even better. Thanks for video.

I've relic'ed two of my cheap Harley Benton guitars, one strat clone and one tele clone and both turned out great...very realistic and convincing. I bought unfinished bodies to replace the original HB bodies and then nitro'ed paint and just used various tools and lots of patience. The keys is to go slow. Probably the most effective tool/technique to me was a stiff wire brush, which I used on the body wood BEFORE painting. It really helped with the authenticity because it raised the grain pattern in a way that looks like real long-term wear. Not sure I can describe it but the wire brush removed softer wood between the harder grain veins. It leaves the wood very aged looking since the surface of the guitar is no longer a shiny smooth surface, but a kinda gnarly surface, as if the guitar has experience years of sweat and beer seeping into the grain structure if the wood. Anyway, it's very convincing and realistic. I also made sure there were plenty of real-life denting and scrapes which I did by just banging it around and scraping the painted body around on my paved driveway. LOL. A relic isn't very convincing if the guitar doesn't have any dents and scrapes. Finally, I used a small wire wheel on my dremmel and a light touch to relic the fretboard. This requires alot of patience. I used a real-life old guitar from a video that had 50 years of fretboard wear as my 'go-by'. I screen-shotted the video so that I had a still photo and that's what I used as my model. I just kept using the dremel very patiently and replicated what I saw in the image as far as wear between the fret and of course the location of most wear. Then I used brown shoe polish to 'dirty up' the fretboard to make the wear appear aged and authentic. The shoe polish also helped with the wood surface of the guitar since any gnarly wood grain isn't going to be uniformly colored on an authentically aged guitar.

Great video, lots of useful information. Just what I needed for my latest project. Thank you for taking the time to produce it.

Now, this is diffrent and more easy than I use to see. I just found out the way you upgrade the pickups from ceramic to Alnico 5 is so interesting. Never seen that before too 👍👍👍

been enjoying your meticulous eye for detail on the other projects so fun to see you do something totally different

Got some of that same leather dye sitting in front of me right now… Wish me luck ha ha. I have so many pick guards there’s really no risk

The goal has been to use all the parts that came with the Stew Mac kit. I've been trying not to replace anything with higher quality parts. I really wanted to replace all the hardware with nickel parts and the pickups with something better but this whole exercise was to see what we could do with what came in the box. Off camera shielding paint was applied to the cavities and the new Alnico 5 poles were super glued in.

Learned something new with the leather dye. I used to use shoe polish (it's def not a permanent solution) but then used furniture stain with really good results. You just have to scuff everything with a Scotchbrite fine pad first. I did recently try the Birchwood aluminum blue dye and after some trial and error I found a method that works. Start by scuffing all chrome/nickel parts with 400 grit sandpaper, then do the muriatic acid vapor aging (about 30 mins of vapor exposure). Then use a Qtip and blot the blue dye on the hardware in random places. If you rub it on, it looks bad, you have to blot it. Remove it after about 6 seconds (again, blotting with a clean cloth) and you have a really nice random pattern of wear. Doesn't smell good, but looks good!

Hey Mark, thanks for posting your video! I personally relic guitars, so it was a pleasure to see you at work. I was also able to learn many ideas and techniques from your video. I really like your idea with the leather color. For example, I relice with graphite, wood stain, hydrochloric acid. So thank you again for the great video. With lovely greetings from Germany!

I just practice everyday and wait 40 years. Works every time.

The best description for the colour of reliced plastic is : Nicotine.

Sir you are real hero I have ever seen in my life. Please tell me that how to male guitar polish from house hold Items amd tell that how can polish hardware tools looks like new ever? Thanks.

This is so well filmed! awesome content

Not my style at all but man you're doing a great job on this project. Love the cheap pickup upgrade

Very high quality content sir!

What a fantastic video have a good Easter weekend

Looks great, man.

Dude you're like the bob ross of relics haha

Looks great sir!

Great video, Mark. Thanks for sharing

I prefer a more VOS affect .. but I think especially your technique on plastics seems really helpful. Although the body is too far gone for my tastes, I will look for a video on that. I have a Shell Pink Polyester body that I would like to age a little. I am more interested in possibly sanding off the clear coat, keeping the poly like a thin sealer coat and then spraying a nitro over the top. But because your example is also Shell Pink , I.think, I had to check out your video. I really like the background music. Thanks for the share!

Learning a lot. Thanks 👍🏼

Why did you glue the lazered small (wooden?) plates to the bottom of the pickups after replacing the poles? Has it got something to do with the sound etc? Just wondering... Cheers.

I'm not sure if this is the look that you were going for, it looks fire damaged. I saw Dweezil Zappa with a burnt Stratocaster that belonged to his father and was given to Frank (I think) by Jimi Hendrix. It looked a lot like this.

cool

Awesome, but how would you make Gibson Les Paul Custom binding and pearloid inlays yellow?

Thanks for great video. I just did a test on a white pickguard. It was sanded with 400 then 800 then 1000 grit and I applied a thin coat of amber shellac. Well to my surprise it absorbed into the plastic. I'm thinking it was because of the denatured alcohol in my shellac The shellac i mixed is not really that dark of an amber and it turned out perfect to my surprise. The shellac is NOT lying on the plastic it was absorbed so you can sand it if needed. Just an fyi, thanks.

Amazing… thanks for that 🙏🏻😃

If I sent you a Squier 60s Classic Vibe tele, would you relic it?

Nice work. Next time try using ferric chloride to age the metal. Works much better than than the blue/black dye

What would you use to age a white pearl pickguard?

Idk why they always leave the middle part white cause it's actually reverse in real life cause no one cleans under the strings so that's where everything builds up on a guitar in real life scenario

I missed which acid you used & was that vinegar used before? Thanks

Have you tried de glossing the plastic parts.

beautiful work as always . may i ask the name of the compass device you used ?

Rules of a good relic job: Prefer pastel colors Do it only on strats or teles......

How long did you let the hardware sit in the muriatic acid for?

I would wash all plastics in dish washing liquid and water to degrease them first....

Too a snooty stick up the ass eye its obviously not a super convincingly accurate relic but I don't think thats the point. The joy of relicing (and these guitar kits in general) is the joy of customizing and building a story with your guitar. The guitar looks sick and punches above its weight for how little money you've probably had to spend getting to this point

it's supposed to look 60 years old not 600

I always enjoy watching the relic process. It reminds me a lot of some of the prop making techniques that Adam Savage demonstrates to impart age and "story". A good example here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cwOXSXkW-uE.html Of course, it's always disappointing on videos where they run it backward and claim it's a restoration. 🙄 Apropos, I've read that actual wood screws don't weather as much under the surface, for lack of oxygen and moisture. Something to look into?

Pristine finish good. Relic bad. Sarcasm.

this color is almost bone like

WHY !!!!! WHY would anybody in their right mind destroy a perfectly good guitar ?!! What on earth are you people doing??!!! Would guitar look better ? NO!!! Would guitar PLAY better?! NO !!! Would it worth more when is sold ??!! NO !!! So, what is the point of that VANDALISM ??!!! You people are MINDLESS !!!!!

I've never seen anyone relic an expensive Rolex Tudor Oyster to make it look used. Why do it to a guitar. Have not seen a grand piano, a trumpet dinged up, or a sax oxidised by acid to make it appear to be well used. How about a set of drums that have been partly destroyed so people would think they have been well used. Nope, never seen anything like these examples. Time to rethink!!

Why not go out and buy a crappy old second hand guitar that has been abused, and just play it. That would save a lot of time, wouldn't it. In fact, the crappier it looks the better... right??

Why this "fashion" of "relic"? I don't understand why someone would buy a guitar that looks old, poorly cared for and dirty...

All wrong, the way you relic a guitar is by ACTUALLY PLAYING IT.