# Hammond electronic organ, is this gold?



## fiat128 (Apr 22, 2012)

I fished an old Hammond organ out of a dumpster and started cutting it up for scrap. When I got to the keys, I noticed that each one appears to have a gold wire for a contact on the tips (these are thin copper strips under each spring steel key that when depressed connect to a copper bus bar strip that also has what I think are paladium contacts welded to it).

I found a couple of other topics on this using the search but the organ I have seems to be different from the ones discussed in those theads. As you can see in the photo, the fine wires are gold in color, not silver. The bottom one has the wires pulled of and they are below it. Would these be solid gold or just plated?




Also, here a photo of what these contact. What is this metal? Is that the paladium you guys were talking about in the other threads? There is what appears to be a silver wire connecting the two halves of the stamped bus bar together in the upper left of this photo as well . Any comments on what's worth saving here would be appreciated (I almost didn't notice the fine wires and started to toss the whole thing in with the #2 copper). The model # of the organ is "124 XL".


----------



## jimdoc (Apr 22, 2012)

Those contacts should be palladium. I just scrapped one like that last week. It is a more modern organ than the ones I did before. There is a lot less palladium than the older ones. The contacts on the bussbar have nickel in them also, they are slightly magnetic. The little wire contacts should be pure palladium. I have not tested them yet, but they look just like the wire contacts from the older Hammonds.

Jim


----------



## eesakiwi (May 15, 2012)

I found a keyboard like this & cut out the obvious looking valuable wire.
Its was several peices that run the length of the keyboard & looked like the silver 'silfos' gas welding wire that we use in the workshop. It was soft like copper wire, but silvery & without a oxide layer.

I did check the shorter, very hard & springy wires, one for each key, that contacted with the 'silver looking' wire.
Since I found them slightly magnetic I figured they weren't valuable......

I mighta been wrong there..... I know of 3 older electric organs for sale, probably NZ made. Is it worth buying them just for the PM's?
I know its a general question but I don't know what to look for.
I can get pics just so you can see what their makeup is, for reference for this site, if nothing else.

In hindsight, I think I can check for platinum or palladium by its catalytic action. Heat it up to red heat & then flow butane gas over the red wire.
The catalytic action then converts the butane directly into heat & the red hot wire continues to glow red hot, with no flame.
Just like the little wire in the 'jet flame' gas cigarette lighters.


----------



## jimdoc (May 15, 2012)

I have only scrapped Hammond organs, any other brand you would have to check and see. Hammonds from before 1970 would be best when they had tubes.

I wouldn't buy them for the palladium, most people are glad to get rid of them without having to give the trashman a big tip. I have scrapped over a dozen and haven't paid for any of them.

Jim


----------



## skeeter629 (Jun 3, 2012)

Fiat128,
I also have some of the golden colored contacts like you have in the first picture. I have collected them from about three sets of Hammond organ keyboards recently. I kept them seperate from the known palladium contacts. I was curious when I tested them with a magnet and noticed that thay were indeed magnetic. I just went outside with a test tube and mixed a few drops of AR and placed a few of the strips in. They dissolved with a little heat added. I then took the solution and tested it with Stannous Chloride and the result was a dark purple color. This is a positive test for gold. I would guess that there is nickle mixed with it, hince the magnetic attraction. 

Jim,
I would like to have your thoughs on this if possable


----------



## goldminer (Jun 22, 2012)

Which model Hammond? I have taken apart an M1 before, but only for parts (tone wheel, speaker, etc).


----------

