Black Hardware restoration

Hey there,

I have a Spectrum LX that I have had since about 1986 and the black hardware - trem, tuner heads, string lock - are all worn and pitted. I have managed to get the rust off but they are still pitted and look kinda crappy. How does one get the solid black look back? Do they have to be replated?

Im putting everything back together and setting it up because I am really excited to play it again (its been sitting in the case for like the last 7 years). Any advice to getting it back looking sharp and black would be appreciated.

Ryan

Unfortunately the only way I know to remove the pits is to resurface the hardware to whatever depth the pitting goes. Then to make it consistently black again is the problem. Painting yourself may look fine at first but will most likely not last long before it looks worse than before you painted and create a mess. Re-plating or replacing is your best bet in my opinion if you want it to look like I'm assuming you do.

Yep... re-plating to recapture the deep blackness of the hardware. Even getting the body to shine without swirls and hazing is a PITA; blacks a horrid colour!! I've got a black LX as well...