Plating was/maybe still is an arcane science. Old time platers kept a closely guarded book of recipes for their various solutions and the way to replenish the precious metals in such a way as to keep the bath plating consistently. Copper was usually plated over steel to help keep corrosion down. I don't think brass required it. Copper also can fill in irregularities so one could plate a rough piece, then polish the copper and finish plate. Nickel yields a bright, shiny surface and was sometimes plated on before gold. In jewelry, gold is often lacquered to improve its wear life. I suspect that some gold parts of Victor machines were lacquered or coated with shellac to improve wear. The gold blush sounds like a toned lacquer.
Ron L -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tim McCormick Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 10:14 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Phono-L] Question on Victor electroplating techniques A few members of HAPS (Hoosier Antique Phonograph Society) have been discussing Victor's technique for gold plating parts on early 20's machines. Once the tapered tube, for example, has been created out of brass, was it then electroplated with copper first before being gold plated? Does anyone know the formula used for gold plating? What was the percentage of actual gold used in the electroplating solution? In some later Orthophonic machines, Victor used a technique called Gold Blush that can be removed with acetone. Does anyone know the makeup of this finish and how it was applied? Thanks, Tim McCormick _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org
