70b grit spreader, black base

[sammynose]

another shot

IMAG0067.JPG (36.75 KiB) Viewed 812 times

[sammynose]

dont know is this sheds any more light on this but my 70b is a code 9
also its only black on the very bottom no trace of black any were else .
plus i know the base was not taken off because theres yellow paint under the rivet. i removed a very sm spot of paint from around the rivet and its black under were the yellow paint was .
my chemest friend could not think of any chemical that would turn the base black without hurting the paint close by .
larry c. in n y

[numi]

Hi Larry,thanks for showing.
Could u please upload a clear close-up of the front axles,wheels and part of the front base all in just one pic.
Thanks
numi

[SMS88]

Hi Larry,
The chemical contamination that gives the blackened appearance would have happened in the Lesney factory before this toy was assembled,most likely something was unintentionally added to the plating solution,maybe something as simple as lube oil or grease.This is not anything applied afterwards, indeed it appears to be part of the (electro?) plating process and something Mattel does today to make dark tinted chrome on some of their Hotwheels.Plenty of 1970s Lesneys have very dark gray glossy plating over raw zamak however full black is unique to the couple of these Grit Spreaders as far as I know. All were intended to be proper bright silver however they discoloured either at time of manufacture or after contact with finger grease from my childhood experience with new #4 Pontiac + #1 Challenger way back in 1976

[sammynose]

hi numi, for some reason i can only upload pics from photo buckeet not from my pc.
this is the onlt pic i have of the base iof it uploads

[sammynose]

better pic i hope

[sammynose]

sorry about the pics will try to take some better ones a little later
larry c. in n y

[numi]

sorry about the pics will try to take some better ones a little later
larry c. in n y

Thanks Larry but none of these pics do any justice.Perhaps delete them and add better pics whenever ure ready.
numi

[kwakers]

As Larry has stated, his base /grill is in fact painted. I really have to say in my opinion it is a factory produced Lesney oddity that I would also be proud to own and display. By having black paint under the yellow when he tested the rivet area, it seems that this base color is not any kind of discoloration, and is pure factory paint. With the front grill in black and the inside of both base and grill still in silver, Larry has done what is necessary to prove his points quite well. We Forum members may find some others as we look around one day, so I would not waste any time speculating on how this painted finish could be only 'Discoloration' where it appears so uniform bottom and front. I am sure Larry knows the difference between discoloration and black paint, so give up arguing that point Boys and Girls....... My earlier Post was aimed at answering the blackened (bare) metal chemistry question, not black paint as on Larry's Grit Truck.
I like this one as either a variation note as on the #7, or as a possible factory pre-pro. I will now try and find one for myself in my travels. Purely speculation on my part is that a handful of these could have been done with a black grill for a Lesney catalog picture. I have a 'special' I found in my mint boxed store stock spares that was specially made with white tissue windows from the factory. These may have all later been boxed and put out in circulation after they were photographed, even though they may have been unique factory one-offs done to contrast the model's window features. After seeing several different models with these tissue windows in collections, there is little doubt in my mind we collectors have not seen everything Lesney experimented with, even after all these years.
My basic question to Mick and a few others is this: Why is it that an unrecorded Regular Wheel oddity like this black painted base Grit Spreader is met with such disbelief?? If this were any Superfast Era Matchbox, any base color oddity or paint shade would be met with happy accolades and smiles. Pages of discussions and sharing of variations in tints, primer colors, top coat thicknesses and so forth would follow a 'New Discovery' like this one. Sometimes the contrast between these R/W and Superfast discussions really bothers me as much as it does the few who dare share any new regular wheel oddity with us. Thanks for sharing Larry...... On that thought, I am off to bed now. It may take 10 hours for this Post to clear an administrator, but it is far better than the downgraded Lefora Site we left behind.........kwakers

[nickjones]

I'm with you on this one Dick, I have seen many discoloured baseplates but none as discoloured as this one, Yet it's the third black base grit spreader and as Hugh reminded us the 7c refuse truck was also recorded with a black base.