Antique Glasses Frame Marking

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sskalko

Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
5
I have a pair of antique eye glass frames that are marked "14K PAD", initially I couldn't find any markings on these frame and it wasn't until I did some disassembly that I found the markings. I assumed initially that they were silver until I found the markings. Could they be a 14K palladium alloy?

Thanks
Steve
 
It probably refers to the nose pads and perhaps the bridge. Some higher end frames would be mainly gold filled, with karat gold nose pads and perhaps bridges.

Dave
 
Is there any plastic on the nose pads, or are they just thin metal? I've seen both types in karat gold. The ones with plastic pads can look just like gold filled pads, but if they're just thin metal pads it's a pretty good bet they're karat gold. They're a nice little bonus when you're buying gold filled frames.

Dave
 
Yeah, the actual nose pads are plastic, thanks for the help, nice little surprise considering I thought the frame was silver at best.

Steve
 
Some old gold eyeglasses have tiny karat gold bridge pads. It makes sense that the part that touches the face would be karat gold instead of GF.

This summer I did a couple of big batches of GF frames this summer. What a mess. They were loaded with random base metals and lead solder for repairs over the years. Even with all the nose pads and magnetic metals removed, the frames were caked in skin oils and gunk inside all the tiny crevices.

I didn't make much money on that material. The only way I'll do more eyeglasses is if they are free or almost free.
 
lekjaz said:
Some old gold eyeglasses have tiny karat gold bridge pads. It makes sense that the part that touches the face would be karat gold instead of GF.

This summer I did a couple of big batches of GF frames this summer. What a mess. They were loaded with random base metals and lead solder for repairs over the years. Even with all the nose pads and magnetic metals removed, the frames were caked in skin oils and gunk inside all the tiny crevices.

I didn't make much money on that material. The only way I'll do more eyeglasses is if they are free or almost free.
Click to expand...

Incinerate the gold filled prior to processing. If I have just a few I use a propane torch and heat to a dull red. If I have a lot, I will boil them in water for a while, let it cool then skim off the waste. Afterwards I will very often heat with the torch anyway just to be sure they are clean. Cleaning the material of oils and dead skin first can really improve how the processing goes.
 

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