10-23-2002, 11:32 PM (This post was last modified: 10-23-2002, 11:55 PM by ibaya.)
Here's a fun science experiment you can do with a silver Soviet order/medal.
Hardboil an egg. Take out of the yolk. Break a piece off of it, and *smush* it on the medal real good. Rinse the medal off in hot water, lightly dry with a cloth, then put it in a drawer for a few days. As a reference, put away an accompanying "un-egged" medal at the same time.
Accelerated tarnishes like this are easier to rub off than ones that have developed over longer periods of time.
Back to the gasoline method, I guess it depends on how long the item is kept aflame. Gasoline fires tend to get *very* hot, hotter than the temperatures use to cure hot-baked enamel. And too long of an exposure to such hot temperatures can darken the enamel.
Here is an Order of Alexander Nevsky that I subjected to just an overnight treatment of "accelerated" patina. I then took a soft cloth and a mild abrasive to "highlight" it. Again, this is just after one night ...
Here is another Nevsky order for comparison. This was an order that was never polished since purchase. The amberish tinge to all of the photos was due to the light I was using (incandescent 40-watt bulb, reflection-diffused to prevent shine that would white-out the patina because of the digital camera's brightness compensation).
I am looking for help in stabilizing damaged enamel.
I DON'T mean repairing enamel by adding new enamel or enamel look-alike.
I have a few items, all pre-dating the end of WWII with badly cracked enamel. I wonder if there is a way to stabilize them so that the enamel does not continue to crack or flake off.
Is there a clear glue that can be added to help cement everything in place without damaging the remaining enamel??
Hi Shawn
I don't know if this will help but I once bought a OPW 2nd suspension type which had the usual enamel damage on the 12 o'clock arm. All the enamel on this piece was covered in clear (nail?) varnish which made it glow under a black light. Initially I thought it was a fake but the varnish was easily removed and the real enamel was underneath. I don't know who put the varnish there but it was essentially invisible and was easy to remove from the surface. I presume it was to protect the enamel.
So, I don't know if this is a good idea but I have seen it done.
What is the conventional wisdom regarding cleaning militaria? To be specific, I have a silver award beaker presented to an NKVD officer in 1944 for "Fighting Bandits and Nationalists". It has an engraved NKVD "Honored Employee" badge with the guy's name, date, and the above inscription. Through the years it has accumulated a patina that is very dark with a slight purplish tinge on it. Though I have been severely tempted to restore it to a bright finish, I have somehow restrained myself, thinking it better to leave as is. Right or wrong?
