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There are still a lot of collectors who believe early SS Nickel Silver
Buckles were not painted silver or at all, simply because the metal
was already silver in color or because original buckles they saw were
without paint. This is wrong.
It can be explained because paint has less chance to remain on those
buckles with a very smooth surface. Since the raw metal, like aluminum,
was silver in appearance no primer coat was applied before the final
paint coat. Applying a primer coat before final paint will be very
common on most later SS steel buckles, but not at all for those Nickel
Silver and aluminum ones, further decreasing adherence of the paint.
But they were all painted, and close examination of any untouched SS
buckle will reveal remains of such paint somewhere, even on some
ground-dug buckles. Keep this in mind as it can be a valuable tool
when searching for an original SS Buckle at a show!
Here is a guide for adherence based on my personal examination of
different SS Buckles (opinion may differ):
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