Restoring The Gold Filigree On Old Vibroplex Bugs

 

From the time that Vibroplex production started in 1905 until the late 1930's, the standard finish for Vibroplex bug bases was the "Japanned" finish. The steel base was coated with a thick layer of black lacquer paint, then finished with ornamental gold filigree, consisting of gold pinstripes near the edges, and gold "florets" in the corners. Sometimes a collector may get lucky and find one of these keys with perfect filigree, but more often than not some or all of the gold lines and florets have worn off due to excessive use of the key. This page will explain how the filigree can be restored on one of these keys.

 

			At the far left is a beautiful example of a Vibroplex with Japanned base finish from 1924. In the middle is an early key where the gold lines have worn off over time. On the right is a key where the filigree has been poorly restored at a later date.

 

Before you begin, you need to have another Vibroplex bug that has at least one of the gold "florets" in good condition. The restoration procedure involves making a stencil by tracing over a good gold floret with a sharp pencil. The base finish needs to be nice and smooth with no pitting in the area where the filigree will go, otherwise the restoration will not work properly.

Items you will need:

--Roll of Cellophane Tape --Metallic Gold Extra Fine Sharpie Marking Pen --Sharp Xacto Knife --0.3mm Mechanical Pencil --Piece of Smooth White Floor Tile --Pair of Sharp Tweezers --Dark Brown Artists Pencil (Optional)

 

Creating New Pinstripes

The pinstripes are placed 1/2" from each edge of the key. Each pinstripe is approximately 35mils wide (0.035") but you can just use your eyeballs to decide what is right.

Place 2 pieces of cellophane tape down on the key base with a spacing between the two of approx. 35mils. You might want to work under a stereo microscope so you get the spacing as accurate as possible. You might need to practice a bit to get the spacing correct and perfectly parallel so that the spacing is consistent along the entire length of the stripe. Obviously the longer stripe is more difficult so start with the shorter ones until you get the hang of it.

After you are satisfied that spacing looks good, rub your fingernail along each piece of tape adjacent to where the stripe will go. This will eliminate any air pockets along the edge and prevent the gold paint from running under the tape.

Next, follow the directions on the gold marking pen and rub the tip along the groove between the tape pieces, making sure the groove is completely filled with the gold paint.

Wait 3 minutes, then pull off the tape and you should have a nice looking gold pinstripe. It should be completely dry in less than 30 minutes.

If you make a mistake while creating the pinstripe, remove it with a tissue soaked with mineral spirits then start over.

 

Making A Stencil For The Florets

Now we will make a stencil of a nice gold floret from another key to be used to make a new floret for the key that is being restored.

Take a piece of cellophane tape and place it over a good gold floret. Leave a little extra tape at the far end and fold it over on itself so that you have a "handle" to pull off the tape when you are finished.

Next, use the 0.3mm artists pencil to trace along the edges of the floret. Again, using a stereo microscope will make things easier.

Peel up the tape and press it onto the smooth white floor tile.

Then use a sharp Xacto Knife to cut along the pencil lines and peel off the tape in the middle of the stencil with fine tweezers. You have now created the floret stencil.

 

Making The Florets

Now take your newly created floret stencil and place it on your key in the desired position. Remember to rub the inner edges of the stencil with your fingernail to eliminate any air pockets to prevent the paint from running under the stencil.

Rub the gold marking pen in the stencil grooves, completely filling it. Wait 3 minutes then pull off the stencil.

If you plan on creating more florets, do not re-use the stencil. Create a new one from scratch.

As with the pinstripes, ff you make a mistake while creating the floret, remove it with a tissue with some mineral spirits, or use a Q-tip soaked with mineral spirits as you can work more accurately, then start over.

The pictures above show the re-creation of a complete set of florets and one gold pinstripe on a 1920 Model X Vibroplex.

One thing I have noted is that the gold paint from the Sharpie pen, although close to the original color, does appear to be a brighter gold color. You can darken the filigree a little by rubbing the pinstripes and florets lightly with a dark brown artists pencil. That's what I have done in the picture above right, to make the color look a bit "older".