Why would you post a thread in great finds if you already bought it?
That's like a perfect storm of crappy listing practices. Wrong item, bad title, "keyboard" isn't even in the title, arguably the wrong category...
Though I'll admit to being amused if you were actually sent an M.
On the US eBay site, the same seller is still offering what appears to be the same keyboard, but with the P/N of a 122-key Model M terminal keyboard. I suspect the seller is also using a photo taken/stolen from elsewhere.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-IBM-Model-M-13955660-/171699834171?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27fa1b8d3b
he said he couldn't change the photo in the listing. Yah, right!
he said he couldn't change the photo in the listing. Yah, right!
Well, it is true that ebay will not allow you to make any changes to a listing once a valid bid has been placed.
Will have to start browsing ebay.ca ;D
A mandolin crystal Model M for less than $1000?!?! Holy wow!!
Barcode label, square logo, "brass" backplate, the crystal, and all the rivets intact? Yeah, that's a nice one.Wait, is a "brassy" backplate a special thing? =o
What's up with all of these sellers sending out M's instead of F's lately????
Barcode label, square logo, "brass" backplate, the crystal, and all the rivets intact? Yeah, that's a nice one.Wait, is a "brassy" backplate a special thing? =o
Barcode label, square logo, "brass" backplate, the crystal, and all the rivets intact? Yeah, that's a nice one.
Barcode label, square logo, "brass" backplate, the crystal, and all the rivets intact? Yeah, that's a nice one.
It isn't brass, it is steel, the color comes from heat treatment processes.
Barcode label, square logo, "brass" backplate, the crystal, and all the rivets intact? Yeah, that's a nice one.
It isn't brass, it is steel, the color comes from heat treatment processes.
:)) Preventing that reply is exactly why I put it in quotes which I don't usually do. Some call them gold plates but we know they're not talking material, I think they're closer to brass in color.
Barcode label, square logo, "brass" backplate, the crystal, and all the rivets intact? Yeah, that's a nice one.
It isn't brass, it is steel, the color comes from heat treatment processes.
:)) Preventing that reply is exactly why I put it in quotes which I don't usually do. Some call them gold plates but we know they're not talking material, I think they're closer to brass in color.
It's a Model-M or F (completely ignorant about these types of keyboards) so simply take it apart and replace the old plate with a thicker, actual Brass Plate and enjoy the feeling and weight ;) .
As mentioned above, it's because of the heat (probably to melt the plastic rivets).
I think the yellow/bronze color of the early IBM plates is the result of galvanization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanization). Also, the extra coating of zinc is probably what adds to the weight of these plates. They probably stopped galvanizing the plates as a cost cutting measure.
Here's a picture of some galvanized screws that have a finish similar to some of the early IBM plates:Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/NwgdyxR.jpg)
If you look in the post my manolin you can see trails where the color from the heat treatment was affected by the machine that melts the plastic rivets.
I know it's kinda late for this, but I think the color may be due to either cadmium plating, or a yellow zinc chromate-conversion treatment. The streaks were probably cause by turbulence in the plating tank (I believe the plating solution is kept vigorously agitated during the process) and this caused the solution to flow through the holes in the steel plate, which would have been punched prior to plating.
I think it's highly unlikely that the coloration was caused by the heat staking process that formed the "rivet" heads. This would have been a very quick operation, as the plastic melts very quickly -- probably too short a duration to so thoroughly discolor the steel and/or whatever anti-rust treatment that had already been applied. I envision the assembly being clamped into a holding frame of some sort while a curved heating platen was pressed down upon the protruding tenons (i.e., rivet shanks) to flatten them into round heads. The heated-platen pressing cycle would have been quite short, probably only a second or two.