Nickel plating turning blue?

[WolfeMacleod]

Well, I just got an email from a customer of mine who reports that one of the parts I had nickel plated is beginning to turn a gunmetal blue.


The plated material is nickel-silver. After plating, the parts was breifly tumbled in a rock tumbler to add some wear and light scuffing for a lightly aged look.

I have other parts here that were plated at the same time as his parts, and they are not turning blue.

Part is being used on a guitar. Could the sweat or skin contact from a player be causing this blueness?

I've asked for some pictures...if I get some, I'll post them.

[CarWiz]

I had a piece in the shop do that a while back. I don't know exactly why but I attributed it to the hydrochloric acid I had in the near area. The HCL has since been relocated to glass jugs and stored in another shed all together. I haven't had the problem since.

I had a similar problem with the plastic jugs of HCL gassing and rusting metal. I should have known to relocate it out of the shop again but I got lazy.

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by CarWiz

I had a piece in the shop do that a while back. I don't know exactly why but I attributed it to the hydrochloric acid I had in the near area..

Thanks for the reply. I'll ask him, but I doubt there's any hydrochloric acid storead anywhere near his guitars...

[KCV6]

I suspect it is tarnishing/discolouring with skin contact. Unlike chrome, all nickel/copy chrome parts require waxing and regular cleaning. the more they are used and come in contact with oils and acids (sweat, skin contact) the more often they will require cleaning/polishing.

cheers

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by KCV6

I suspect it is tarnishing/discolouring with skin contact. Unlike chrome, all nickel/copy chrome parts require waxing and regular cleaning. the more they are used and come in contact with oils and acids (sweat, skin contact) the more often they will require cleaning/polishing.

cheers

Guitar parts are generally nickel plated, and will last years without tarnishing to any great degree with nothing more than a simple wipe. I've never known any parts like this to be waxed at all.
This started happening within a couple days.

When guitar parts DO tarnish through years of use, it happens in a very predictable manner. And blue isn't one of them.
I've studied the effects and patterns of guitar part aging for almost ten years now, in order to try to reproduce those effects accurately.