Advice on aging a gold anadized pg

Congrats on your MJT build. They finished 2 for me and love the results. Matt and Mark do amazing work.

Send the pg to MJT. They did the hardware on my heavy relic. And if done wrong will stick out like a sore thumb.

 

It doesn't look terrible like that but if the hardware is worn also then some "age" on the pickguard wouldn't hurt.

 

A great way to age gold anodized is to rub your thumbnail back and forth across it until a nails-on-chalkboard tone is achieved.
Then keep going till well-worn.

pro tip: If possible, while scratching, hold the pickguard up against the ear of @JimmyM, as he LOVES this particular sound!

 

A few tips about anodizing:

Anodizing is actually a layer of corrosion. Anodizing is to aluminum like rust is to steel. It's a thin layer on the surface that has chemically changed into hard fine particles. To make gold (or other color) anodizing, they spray a thin gold colored dye onto the surface of the aluminum, then apply electricity in a chemical bath, to make the aluminum rapidly develop a layer of corrosion. The corrosion ends up gold (or whatever) colored.

Anodizing is similar to plating, but the final coating is thin, hard, brittle particles, that have a somewhat rough texture. Like gold-colored metal sandpaper. That's why anodizing is satin sheen, not bright and shiny. And that's why, when you rub it with soft things, like your fingers, you leave marks. Fine particles of skin rub off your fingers and become embedded in the surface of the anodizing.

The anodized particles themselves are hard and abrasive, but they peel off fairly easily. Again, think fine sandpaper.

If you scrape anodizing with steel, even a dull steel block, you'll scrape the anodizing layer right off and get bright shiny aluminum scratches. Those are permanent and can't be repaired without completely stripping and re-anodizing. You probably don't want to do that.

If you rub anodizing with a soft material, it will leave marks of embedded particles. Those marks can usually be removed with lacquer thinner and a bristle brush, without damaging the anodizing.

Also, be careful with thin dyes, like Sharpie markers. Dyes and thin inks will sink down deep into anodizing and permanently stain it.

So, to age anodizing, rub it gently with something dark and soft. A piece of black rubber. A piece of leather with some brown shoe polish on it. A scrap of rosewood. Something like that. Don't use steel or sandpaper or a hard material.

 

A year or so of playing it and it will look more natural than anything you can do.