Method of fabricating a socket type electrical contact

A method of fabricating a socket type electrical contact for use in an electrical connector comprising the steps of:

• plating a strip of beryllium copper with nickel;
• plating only one end portion of one side of said strip with a first layer of gold to a thickness of at least 0.625 micrometers;
• stamping, from said sheet a rectangularly shaped piece having a plurality of fingers extending longitudinally from one end of said piece;
• forming said rectangular piece into a tubular form;
• heating said tubular form in a vacuum furnace at a pressure below 50 microns for at least 2 hours and 15 mintues at a temperature of about 489 degrees centigrade;
• and
• plating the entire tubular form with a second layer of gold to a thickness less than 0.250 micrometers.