tray what could she be made of?

Questions on polishing, restoration, conservation + manufacturing techniques
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wd40
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 4:06 am

tray what could she be made of?

Post by wd40 »

Hi I have this tray and I am having trouble figureing out what its made of. I use a 14K gold test solution it remains clear but turn metal black, I use 18 Karat solution and it turns and dries milky white see pic..the tray measures 16" X 12 1/4" and it is almost 1/4" thick. any ideas what it is made of..also I can bend a corner up or down fairly easy, so I thought it might be lead so I got and old lead fishing sinker and tried both 14K and 18K solutions and no reaction at all, what could she be made of?

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wd40
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 4:06 am

Post by wd40 »

I forgot to add there is no hallmarks or any id marks at all..
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byron mac donald
Posts: 410
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2007 1:45 am
Location: Central Ca. USA

Your Tray

Post by byron mac donald »

Hi WD-
May I call WD or is it mister 40? just kidding. Could it be made of leaded pewter? Just for my ongoing education, Why do you use a gold solution? does it have something to do with checking for silver content?

Thank You-
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2495
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 6:52 pm

Post by admin »

It looks to be plated brittania metal, which is an alloy similar to pewter and commonly used in the 2nd half 19c as a plating base.

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