Olds Register photo guide – Los Angeles

Question 5: Balusters

The balusters are the upper part of the valve casing. Olds used a two piece valve casing. There are generally two types of material used for the balusters.

Brass – The balusters are brass, the same as the lower part of the valve casing. Some very early Olds instruments had brass balusters, but later the Ambassador and Mendez models had brass balusters and for brief periods, other models had brass balusters due to material shortages.

Nickel-Silver (an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel) Many of Olds professional models had nickel-silver balusters with brass on the bottom part of the valve casing.

Plated finish: If an instrument has been plated, then it is likely impossible to tell what material was used for the balusters under the plating.