How to age something.

[PaulB]

This might appear daft, in fact, there's no doubt that it is indeed daft but here's a question for you hobbyists. How do you age wood? Seriously, how do you age wood? I need something (specifically? A pair of drum sticks) to look like they'd been around and used from about 1975. Any ideas? I'd stick them face down right into the soil and let them dry out (I've got until Christmas Day) but of course the rock-solid ground prevents that at the moment. So, diluted Marmite? Repeatedly wet and then dry in the oven? Any suggestions gratefully welcomed.

 

[Mo1959]

This might appear daft, in fact, there's no doubt that it is indeed daft but here's a question for you hobbyists. How do you age wood? Seriously, how do you age wood? I need something (specifically? A pair of drum sticks) to look like they'd been around and used from about 1975. Any ideas? I'd stick them face down right into the soil and let them dry out (I've got until Christmas Day) but of course the rock-solid ground prevents that at the moment. So, diluted Marmite? Repeatedly wet and then dry in the oven? Any suggestions gratefully welcomed.

People sometimes use tea to age paper. Wonder how it would work on wood?

 

[cougie uk]

It's usually soaking in tea isn't it ?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

There's a guy on YouTube Engels Coach shop he's a wheelwright & often has to try to blend wood in. He uses vinegar & iron fillings I think it is.

 

[classic33]

https://gadgetsandgrain.com/2019/08/02/how-to-oxidize-age-wood-in-a-matter-of-minutes/

 

[Cycleops]

Perhaps you could ask this art dealer who sold £4m of supposedly antique artefacts to a rich Arab sheik which were later found to be artificially aged:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...4m-selling-fake-ancient-sculptures-sheik.html

Should ditch the diluted Marmite idea as somebody may mistake them for Twiglets.

 

[alicat]

Googling 'distressing wooden furniture' might give you some good results. As well as acquiring colour, the drumsticks will need to be worn away in some places.

 

[PaulB]

Some great advice here. To encourage my wife to join our drumming group, I drunkenly told her I could get her Karen Carpenter's drumsticks. Like a true cynic, she laughed at my boast and of course knows the drumsticks she'll be opening on Christmas day are as much Karen Carpenter's as the hair brush I promised her actually belongs to Arthur Scargill, but it's got to look like I've tried to age them!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Start drumming frantically with them. Keep it up until Christmas day.

 

[Oldhippy]

Find a good live music pub with a rock band on this week and buy the drummer a couple of pints for his old ones.

 

[presta]

I once made a replacement for a broken saucepan handle from wood, but it got annoyingly sticky and resinous when warm. Anyhow, to try and get rid of the resin I simmered it in a pan of boiling water for a while, and that left it looking quite old (and got rid of the resin).

 

[Reynard]

Are they varnished? If yes, sand lightly to get most of the varnish off, then soak in tea, let them dry and then a few coats of wood polish. Maybe go to a hardware supplier and get one of the pre-stained blocks of polish.

The ends you hold them at should need to be darker than the drum-hitting ends. Also, maybe do some drumming against some rough brickwork or concrete to scuff them up.

 

[MontyVeda]

make a flail with a length of bike chain and a stick, whack the drumsticks repeatedly, then apply a dark stain which will penetrate deeper where they're damaged