General Information

Serial #

299

Part Number

1

Total Parts

3

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

.1 METAL AND SYNTHETIC CONSTRUCTION/.2-.3 GLASS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

21.0 cm

Width

13.3 cm

Height

21.2 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Industrial Technology

Category

Tools-Machine

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

HANAU

Country

United States of America

State/Province

New York

City

Buffalo

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

THIS TYPE OF ELECTROFORMING MACHINE USED C. 1940S+. ELECTROPLATING DEV'D AND USED COMMERCIALLY SINCE 1850S.

Canada

PART OFA COLLECTION OF JEWELLERY & SILVER MAKING TOOLS AND EQ. FROM THE HENRY BIRKS AND SONS WORKSHOPS IN MONTREAL. HENRY BIRKS OPENED HIS JEWELLERY STORE IN MONTREAL IN 1879; IN 1893 THE FIRM BECAME HENRY BIRKS AND SONS, WITH SILVERWARE & JEWELLERY WORKSHOPS IN MONTREAL, & POSSIBLY TORONTO. MFG OPERATIONS CEASED C. 1995.

Function

TO BUILD UP SMALL MODELS TO COMPENSATE FOR SHRINKAGE; TO MAKE HOLLOW JEWELLERY FROM WAX MODELS BY BUILDING UP A HEAVY METAL COATING ON A WAX MODEL.

Technical

EXAMPLE OF SMALL ELECTROFORMING MACHINE OF THE TYPE USED BY JEWELLERS AND WATCHMAKERS C. 1940S +. THE LOW AMPERAGE AND HIGHLY FILTERED CURRENT OF ELECTROFORMERS PRODUCE SMALL, EVENLY DISTRIBUTED PLATES THAT ADHERE MUCH BETTER TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE UNDERLYING SUBSTRATE THAN STANDARD PLATING UNITS. PLATING PERFORMED BY ELECTROFORMING IS HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF TIMES THICKER. ELECTROFORMING IS ALSO THE ONLY KNOWN METHOD OF COMPENSATING FOR LOSSES INCURED IN CASTING. PLUG-IN PLATING KITS WERE OFFERED IN WATCHMAKERS' AND JEWELERS' CATALOGUES C. 1905-1950S. (SJB)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

.1 Plate screwed to casing top reads " JEWELERS, POLISHERS, CASTERS SUPPLIES/ EST./ 1918/ NEW/ YORK/ 299 MODEL". " DIES IN TANK/ [scale 0-4 +]/ and " JUNIOR/ ELECTROFORMER/ HANAU ENGINEERING CO., INC./ BUFFALO, N.Y., U.S.A. " printed on indicator face. " HANAU ENGINEERING CO.,INC., BUFFALO, N.Y. U.S.A. " cast on unit front, above clips./.2-.3 no markings.

Missing

APPEARS COMPLETE.

Finish

.1 BLACK CASING; SILVER METAL TRAY FOR.2/.2-.3 MOULDED OPAQUE GLASS.

Decoration

.2 SIDES OF DISH DECORATED WITH VERTICAL LINES AND GROOVES; BOSSES FEATURING SAME PATTERN DECORATE FOUR SIDES OF LID.