Gold plating vees '53

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

“OLD DOG LEARNS NEW TRICKS”……..Mike’s post about Dirilyte, a term I had not heard before,  made me curious enough to search the subject. Looking at the pics I found: https://www.google.com/searchq=dirilyte+flatware&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjP_ImD6cvYAhUj0IMKHTItBwsQ_AUICygC&biw=1522&bih=742#imgrc=Vd9u5LA_oBQqEM:  I felt the color was too much like brass. Further references noted the material was a bronze alloy which means it could be adjusted to a richer gold like color. Additionally I found a site devoted to polishing Dirilyte  ( https://www.finishing.com/71/37.shtml ) which explains the proper way to polish and care for the surface. ….Seems the material does not react well to certain cleaners and chemicals. Several of the posts reported the ability to achieve a mirror  finish like real gold. Unfortunately, there’s nothing specific about the nature or composition of the “protective coating” but comments suggest that regular use of unprotected flatware could cause surface stains or tarnish. If the ’52-55 emblems were Dirilyte, and I’m now convinced they were, they had to have some protective coating, be it lacquer, plastic or even a flash coat of gold.

Gary, if your emblems are only dull and tarnished, but not pitted, you should be able to restore them yourself using the polishing materials noted above after removing the protective coating. If there’s surface pitting, you’d have to sand the surface to remove any blemishes before polishing. I’ve done this on stainless and it’s a laborious process that’s hard on hands and fingers. It’s wet sanding from 400 through 3000 grit, without skipping a grit.  I would not try my first piece using machine sanders.  After polishing the surface a thin lacquer coat would protect it for a while but eventually you’d have to remove it, polish out any new tarnish, and coat it again.

Great topic!

HTH

[Munich]

Hello,
interesting discussion.
Till now I waste no thoughts about the V´s, but now I wishes to know it.
Master Parts List 1959 says that V´s and Crests from 1952 including 1958 are gold finished and clear coated, but no word to the material. 1959 alum. finished.

I have two spare sets of 55 Cadillacs V´s. The first one: Trunk Derilyte 3 1463457, Hood 146?460 AF 3 (is no Derilyte and it is heavier, maybe brass.
The second one: Both NO Derilite and are heavier maybe brass. Trunk 14?3459 AF 1, Hood 14??480 AF 3.
All exact the same size and studs but different numbers.
Now I was in the garage and removed my 1955 gold finished Trunk V, it is Derilyte # 1463005  12 30
I plated it 20 years ago and it looks like new.
Any help from the professionals?.
G.R.

[imagejean]

Hi Gary,
I also have a '53 convertible and am curious to know if you polished or plated your fees yet. I am considering going the route of polishing them with the dirilyte polish. I'd be curious to know what you decided to do!

Jean

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

The remarks about "ducks" is so far back, no one is probably interested, but the correct designation is "merlots." Dan, you learned "two" things today...

[jaxops]

I had the front and rear V's and badge holder (front) tripled plated and then gold plated at New England Chrome in East Hartford.  The gold does wear off so you have to be careful about not polishing them.  I hadn't considered clearcoat at the time.

[Roger Zimmermann]

As I had 2 '56 cars and some spare Vs, the ones on the hood are aluminum and the ones for the trunk  are pot metal covered with a thin aluminum sheet over it, gold anodized.

[G Pennington]

The crest bases are pot metal.  McVeys has new repros, 24k gold plated, for $125 each, so probably not worth trying to salvage the old ones, which are badly pitted.
The vees are not pitted, just heavily tarnished.  Estimate to have them gold plated was $300 each (not including polishing), so I ordered some dirilyte polish and will polish them myself and see how they turn out.
I've attached a pic I found on the internet of a vee & crest on a '53 Eldo.  Vee looks to have been polished, crest base is gold plated.  They don't match, but it dosn't look bad!  Is this what they looked like coming out of the factory in 1953?