Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Salut

I picked this up off eBay:


I didn't notice the modern script when I bid but fortunately I was the only bidder.

I guess it must be either a fake, or a modern unfinished casting. Any other ideas ?

There's another for sale:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-LOTUS ... 0991172170

Maybe they were rejects

@+

Vernon

vernon.taylor wrote:I guess it must be either a fake, or a modern unfinished casting. Any other ideas ?
Vernon

While I am not sure I think it may just be a badge with the coloured enamel broken out of it ? is it copper on the reverse side?

Salut Brian

Yes, looks to be solid copper - unfinished both sides.

@+

Vernon

types26/36 wrote:

vernon.taylor wrote:I guess it must be either a fake, or a modern unfinished casting. Any other ideas ?
Vernon

While I am not sure I think it may just be a badge with the coloured enamel broken out of it ? is it copper on the reverse side?

I used to do little enamelled things as a hobby, on copper, which I usually cut from a pice of plumbing pipe & then flattened.

I think it would be difficult to get old enamel (which is really fuzed glass) out of such a casting without making lots of scratches in the copper, so my guess is that that item has never yet been enamelled.

that one has been spelt wrong....bcac...

when we all know it should have been acbc

billwill wrote:
I think it would be difficult to get old enamel (which is really fuzed glass) out of such a casting without making lots of scratches in the copper, so my guess is that that item has never yet been enamelled.

Why I suggested it may be missing the enamel was because years ago I had a key fob with a Lotus badge on it, it was not in good condition with some of the enamel missing.
I chipped out the rest of the enamel (which I don't recall being too difficult) and I fitted it into a wooden gear lever knob then used it in a car.
From memory it looked in the same sort of state as the badge in question, I have seen many nose badges with the enamel chipped (usually through over tightening of the fixing nuts) and thought someone may have done the same thing

Funnily enough the seller quotes

VINTAGE COPPER LOTUS MOTOR CAR BADGE

You are bidding for this vintage unused copper metal lotus motor car badge very good condition two pin back fixing round in shape most of these badges went on to be enamelled this has been left in its copper finish,size = 57mm diameter please see photos

Seems to sum it up nicely

Mick G

It is most likely some factory reject. metal is coppered before chrome. So it is copper/nickel/chrome then enamel

One of this vintage is not likely to be solid copper, more likely zinc

To do enamelling, copper has to be heated until glowing red to melt the glass powder.

Might Zinc melt at this temperature?

whatever the material, stripping the badge would cost as much as buying a new one[20 bucks] and this is a dreadfully common late 80's to whenever they went to the plastic coated ones that are peeling.

If it were an early Seven badge that has slightly different dimensions and you were the kind of person that noticed such a thing, it might be worth restoring.

I am still going with factory reject

comment proc?der vous pour refaire l'email fissur? et ?br?cher ; cause de serrage intensif sur l'insigne fix?e sur le museau avant ?
solution ,m?thode ?

To me, it looks like a "to be"enameled badge. The early ones had very light embossed letters. The surface was flat, polished. First chromed, then painted. The later ones had a rough engraved surface to give hold to the enamel, beeing chromed afterwards as chrome would discolour when baking the enamel. When they get chipped, the
enameled areas remain brass, letters and outer ring stay in chrome, except when chrome polished away.
When brass is treated with acid, the zinc in the surface disappears, leaving a copper like surface.