[Boatanchors] Micamold Recovery

[Richard Knoppow]

-----Original Message-----
>From: L L bahr  <pulsarxp at embarqmail.com>
>Sent: Jun 4, 2014 4:50 PM
>To: Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>
>Cc: Boat Anchors List <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>, Rob Atkinson <ranchorobbo at gmail.com>, David Hallam <dhallam at knology.net>
>Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Micamold Recovery
>
>Micamold is a BRAND NAME.  The company Micamold built caps that externally looked the same.  Some were mica and some were paper.  The dot on the case indicates whether it was a paper or mica Micamold cap.
>
>Lee, w0vt
>
     Micamold and Solar Mfg Co are a bit of a mystery.  Both were quite well established companies up to about the end of WW-2. Solar, in particular, was a regular advertiser in many electronic magazines.  Then they disappeared. I have an old Radio's Master catalog (have to wait until I get home to find the date) that has Solar included in the index but with a note. There is nothing inside and a jump in the page numbers. Not missing pages, they were never there. It appears that the Solar reserved a place for its catalog but never sent it to the publisher.  A web search brings no results.  Micamold also seems to have disappeared but they did not advertise as much so its hard to determine when.  I can find no advertising for the flat paper caps. 
    Micamold was involved in some heavyweight patent litigation with (I think) Cornell Dubilier over capacitor making machinery and with Aerovox. I can't find the details of the latter suit but it was evidently very well known in legal circles.  I don't know if these suits had anything to do with the disappearance of the companies.  Perhaps someone out there has authentic details. 
    Both of these companies built all types of capacitors although Micamold is best known (notorious) for the flat paper ones.