I have a vision for my Franken Fretless.
Originally I had black hardware in mind but now have found some “aged copper” hardware I like.
I have this neckplate
And have ordered these tuners
I am thinking about these:
But I am wondering if there is a way to match the aging, if it was steel I would use vinegar but this will only turn Copper pink.
Lots of YouTube videos on this topic
Are there?
Cool
I am aging/darkening Cu or some mystery Chinesium alloy tho not chrome or steel, I have a few ideas now anyway
I’ll be placing the hardware in a sealed tub with an open jar of hydrochloric acid and let the fumes do their thing. I’m hoping to take pics of the entire journey along the way and post them here.
What metal/finish are you aging on yours?
The chrome Schaller tuning pegs, the tree and fender bridge
I would be trying to darken an unknown Chinesium “Copper” alloy (?)
I know this is the least helpful comment of all time, but I will never understand the desire to take a nice instrument and make it super shitty in an effort to fake looking like a bass that needs replacement
I must admit that the urge to restore my ‘77 JB sometimes gets quite overwhelming 
I agree with that, but you may remember that this is my parts bass.
The body is already scratched and chipped.
The aged copper fittings are to match what is already done as an aesthetic choice.
I am not relicing it-I am adding to it’s charm
This is what it looks like-it has already had a hard life.
If I do get around to re-finishing it one day, it will most likely be green and the copper will still suit nicely.
You could try using different chemicals to age the “copper”, but not knowing exactly the alloy might make for hazardous results 
Another option would be to apply a patina to it, wear it off to the desired level and use some varnish to fix it.
Here’s a video that might contain some useful elements (definitely not an expert on this):
I have seen a few of those types of effects, really I would like it to match the machine heads in being darker.
I reckon that liver of sulfur may be the way to go.
Hmmm, I have sulfur and KNO3 downstairs I wonder if I can make some 
Another alternative is to polish all the copper and let it tarnish over time-another look I like
My reasons for doing this are …
I love the sea foam green colour over the black colour that this bass currently is.
I love the relic look.
I enjoy working with my hands.
I will be upgrading pick ups and adding flatwounds .
I enjoy learning new things and so far this has been a massive learning curve.
Despite turning 51 i still need to learn patience. Waiting for shellac and nitro to dry is teaching me this. I still have an uncontrollable urge to touch wet paint 
This is reason enough 
And I was more making a comment on me than on anyone else. It’s a popular look. Just saying I simply don’t get it
I did a nitro spray last year @BK for the first time using cans. There’s no way I could have done that in my 20’s (way too impatient). I created a playlist for my workshop of songs to remind me to slow down and enjoy the process 
Ive just given the body its first coat of shellac as that stuff sticks to anything and theres been some conflicting info on the net regarding coating straight over nitro. Plus, its white so stripping the green back later will look better with white under it rather than black. Im going to start a post documenting beginning to end, but will now need to wait as we’re off on holidays for a week.
For now this is what it looks like
