So I always liked my 2-65 Victrola. It's a 4 digit serial built in 1930 and has a very pleasant sound (though I do need MicaMonster to fix the soundbox.)
In my teenage exuberance on discovering it dumped in an antique mall I spray bombed all the hardware Krylon gold. It'd be fairly accurate for an older painted model but the 2-65 I have originally came with gold-plated parts.
How do I go about gilding all this to make it original again? I heard of Rub N Buff but don't know if that can be done to a mirror shine. Should I just have it done by an electroplater?
Gilding tonearm on a Victrola portable
-
- Victor VI
- Posts: 3179
- Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:39 am
- Personal Text: I've got both kinds of music--classical & rag-time.
- Location: South Carolina
-
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 8516
- Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:25 am
- Personal Text: Stop for a visit when in Oregon.
- Location: Albany, Oregon
Re: Gilding tonearm on a Victrola portable
I suspect real gold plating will be cost prohibitive. If your first paint job was done quickly without good quality control, I would suggest taking your time and doing a good gold paint job. Jerry Blais
-
Onlinegramophone-georg
- Victor VI
- Posts: 3995
- Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:55 pm
- Personal Text: Northwest Of Normal
- Location: Eugene/ Springfield Oregon USA
Re: Gilding tonearm on a Victrola portable
Eppy... the secret to a really good and convincing faux gold plating or yellow cad job is shiny metal underneath. Get the old paint off and polish the metal on a buffing wheel to a bright shine, clean it with degreaser, then LIGHTLY MIST your gold over that till you get the tone you want. Gold leaf spray works really well for this.
Otherwise, get a second and or third job and just have everything plated. I'm actually considering doing just that on one of my big monster machines.
Otherwise, get a second and or third job and just have everything plated. I'm actually considering doing just that on one of my big monster machines.
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek
I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar
I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar
- Curt A
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 6431
- Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
- Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
- Location: Belmont, North Carolina
Re: Gilding tonearm on a Victrola portable
If your paint job is good, then you can try overspraying it with amber lacquer toner. It mellows the gold paint to look convincingly like gold plating... You can also wipe amber shellac over it to get a similar effect. Amber lacquer toner sprayed over polished silver colored metal also gives a good appearance without having to paint it first, since it is transparent.
Source for lacquer toner and a number of other restoration supplies including veneer and other woodworking supplies: http://furnituredoctor.net
Complete catalog: http://furnituredoctor.net/wp-content/u ... _Line1.pdf
Walter Smith, the owner is also a phonograph collector and can give extremely knowledgeable advice regarding finishes, etc.
Source for lacquer toner and a number of other restoration supplies including veneer and other woodworking supplies: http://furnituredoctor.net
Complete catalog: http://furnituredoctor.net/wp-content/u ... _Line1.pdf
Walter Smith, the owner is also a phonograph collector and can give extremely knowledgeable advice regarding finishes, etc.
"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
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
- Retrograde
- Victor III
- Posts: 959
- Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 1:47 pm
Re: Gilding tonearm on a Victrola portable
For reference see this thread for gold painted Victor tone arms with my recommendation for Sheffield paint. I know it won`t help with gold plating but worth repeating since the original post mentioned Krylon (heinous abomination face) paint.
Also the rub and buff product is mentioned in the same thread.
Also the rub and buff product is mentioned in the same thread.