From: | Doug Strange | e-mail: | AMCAdoug@aol.com |
Subject: | RE: RE: RE: Tool box latch finish | Date: | Sun Dec 28 19:49:24 2014 |
Response to: | 5471 |
Nickel plating was dirt cheap and used on most metal items to protect them from corrosion. It didn't matter that companies painted over the plating. In some manufacturing processes, to paint over plating was merely less expensive. As in my Ace and Indian wheels of that period, the rims would be laced up and the entire assembly painted. It was quicker and cheaper than painting the rims separately then assembling them. Think of the scratches in the plant by workers who probably didn't care that much. Expediency and costs over attractiveness. ACEdoug ----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS ----- Schwinn was a good business man. The latches, like many other small parts were a proprietary item , in this case purchased from the Corbin Manufacturing company. The latches were undoubtedly an off the shelf item and would have been plated somehow, surely they wouldn't sell a bare steel latch as it would rust in short order. I have some that are stamped CORBIN and they are nickle plated. I also have 2 latches that are identical except they are not stamped and are brass plated. Anyway, they bought what was available and integrated it into their product. Other examples of this on the X were spokes and wheel hubs. These were purchased from Corbin, or other vendors and I would assume were nickle plated by the manufacturer. The wheels were assembled, then the hub, spokes and rim were painted as an assembly. I know this continued even after they started making some of their own wheel hubs in 1915. ----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS ----- I thought Schwinn was a good businessman just like old Henry. Why would he pay for nickel plating and then paint over it? ----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS ----- OK, here is the question of the day: The tool box latches used on Super X and Henderson were Corbin latches, nickle plated. Were they riveted on after the box was painted, or before and then painted with the box? The only real way to know would be a nice original paint machine, anyone have one that can answer this question? |