The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I think I spy copper beneath the gold where it's worn through on my actual parts, as well, but this in turn raises the question of do I need to strip everything down to the base metal myself, or is that generally part of the process that a company will do before they plate it?

Heck I would just clean the gold wash with ammonia and leave it as is. It will not be as bright as new but to me would look just fine.

A lot of it is actually gone, though.

Why not just leave it alone? It looks fine to me.

Edisone wrote:Why not just leave it alone? It looks fine to me.

I was thinking the same. Also, gold plating is expensive (none of the parts are brass plated). Not sure this machine warrants this expenditure given the current condition of the plating.... .

Hi winsleydale.
Personally, I would try to do a cleanup/conservation as Valecnik suggested. You might be surprised how good it looks cleaned with ammonia and sealed with lacquer. I tried that with my VV-XVI about 8 years ago and will probably keep it that way. In considering re-doing the gold plating I would consider how much the machine is worth. I don't know what H-19s are going for, but I suspect the plating will double your expenses without doubling your machine's value. I had my Victor Credenza parts gold plated in 2003. At gold prices back then I spent about $380. I'm sure the costs will be higher today. I'm not saying "don't do it", but rather "try the cheapest option first and live with it awhile". In any case, good luck.
Regards,
Martin

I guess I should point out that the plating in question is not pictured. I am a thousand miles from my phonograph right now; I took a stock photo from Google to illustrate my point. My actual machine is not so nice as the picture.