Nickel plating on wood Victor traveling arms

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Dave D
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Nickel plating on wood Victor traveling arms

Post by Dave D »

Does anyone know if the metal parts on the Victor wood traveling arms for front mount machines were nickel plated? I am restoring a machine and would like to know.
Thanks!
Dave

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Curt A
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Re: Nickel plating on wood Victor traveling arms

Post by Curt A »

Yes...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
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Dave D
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Re: Nickel plating on wood Victor traveling arms

Post by Dave D »

Thanks, Curt! They always seem to have a light layer of rust on them when I see them, so I wondered if they were unplated steel.
Dave

edisonclassm
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Re: Nickel plating on wood Victor traveling arms

Post by edisonclassm »

Early Victor products had the lightest coating of nickel so therefore does not hold up well over time. The type of nickel plating used at that time is not generally used in the industry today. Most plating companies today use nickel plating with brighteners rendering the finished product like a chrome finish. Most plating that was done over a hundred years ago needed to be buffed to bring it up to shine.

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Curt A
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Re: Nickel plating on wood Victor traveling arms

Post by Curt A »

The rust can be cleaned off and the parts can be polished with a buffing wheel and jewelers rouge. They will look nickel plated again, after polishing.
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

Dave D
Victor IV
Posts: 1222
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:43 pm
Location: Port Huron, MI

Re: Nickel plating on wood Victor traveling arms

Post by Dave D »

Thanks, guys, for all the information.
Dave D

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