So, I bought a Bravery Medal and upon arrival I find that the enamel has been replaced. In person it's too pinkish, though in the photos (and in certain light) it looks very red. It also wasn't visible in the photos and, but there are traces of the enamel outside the letters - not real globs, more of a sheen or stain appearance.
Not that big a deal - I want the medal and it's in great shape except for the replaced enamel. My question is removing the new enamel. Anyone familiar with if it can be done, and if so how to do it? Not even all of it, just the 'sheen' outside the letters. Don't want to scrub, obviously. Anyway, any word would be appreciated.
Steiner: "Why do you want it so badly? It's just a worthless piece of metal. Look."
So, being the impatient SOB that I am I couldn't wait for a response. Looking under my 10x lens it appears that the original enamel is still there. Badly cracked, missing in a lot of places. But most importantly where it's missing the sickly pink stuff is in its place. So I get out a Q-Tip, dip it in water, and ever so gently rub the obverse of the award.
The Q-Tip turns pink, and the "sheen" is gone, or at least greatly reduced, in the area rubbed!
Water based paint? What the heck is this stuff? :confused: Anyway, no matter. A bid more rubbing, with only a Q-Tip, takes off more. It appears to be adhereing to the patina most of all. I wonder if, in shipping, it got hot and ran out of the letters? Again, no matter. I'll just going to work on this puppy with water and Q-Tips and see if I can't clean it up to its nice "salty" reality.
Cracked and missing enamel is fine, any would be "improvers" out there. For gosh sakes, don't paint anything!
Steiner: "Why do you want it so badly? It's just a worthless piece of metal. Look."
I've got one where sombody (ahem) took a red magic marker to the letters. Looks very pink like you're describing.
"patina imparts character" - PJS
A wise man said: 'you should not pay a premium for what you want beyond your comfort level, and always ensure there is a mutually agreeable return policy.'
Navy Guards Senior Sergeant Vasilii Petrovich Kovalev was born 1913 in Krasnodar. He was of Russian ethnicity, working class, and had an "incomplete" middle-school education, graduating in 1928 with a 6th grade education and no knowledge of foreign languages.
He was inducted into the military in 1938 and took his oath 23.2.39. He first served October 38 - May 39 in the 24th Corps Artillery Regiment as a cadet, then May 39-October 40 as an assistant platoon leader before being demobilized. He was again mobilized June 41 and served until October 44 in the 403rd Railroad Artillery Battalion, Baltic Fleet as some kind of signals intelligence device mechanic - a film-radio mechanic. From December 44 - November 45 he served in the 121st Railroad Artillery Battery, Baltic Fleet and was demobilized according to an edict dated 25 September 45.
He joined the communist party in May 1946, however was thrown out in 1952 after being sentenced to two years prison for violation of an Edict dated 04.06.47, "Article 17". He was amnestied in April 1953. His amnesty coincided with Stalin's death....
His combat service is listed as November 39 - March 40 in the Soviet-Finnish War and June 41 - May 45 in the Great Patriotic War. He received the Order of the Red Star (#1.786.471) in 1945 and the Defence of Leningrad and Victory over Germany medals. A notation states he didn't, then later actually did, receive the 20th Anniversary of Victory Medal.
He was on mobilization record at various times in Sochi, Krasnodar, Levashevsk (Leningrad), and Leningrad. His height was 171cm, hat size 58, gas mask 4, and shoe size 43.
Very cool Simon, thanks. I don't want to know what article 17 was/is.
"patina imparts character" - PJS
A wise man said: 'you should not pay a premium for what you want beyond your comfort level, and always ensure there is a mutually agreeable return policy.'
Personally, I'd rather just leave it be. It may have been done by the recipient, in which case your duty as a collector is to preserve it. Just my IMHO ...
I once had an Order of Merit of Hungary 2nd cl. and on the reverse of the neck badge there was a place where the enamel had chipped out and a previous owner had put some latex enamel, not even the same shade of white as the order. I used a toothpick and gently coaxed it out as it was still soft. Knowing that it was not the awardee who "repaired" it, I wanted it to be back to the condition it was in before this stupid repair. The paint didn't even remove the fuzz and dirt in the chipped place so the piece looked as it did before. But I certainly agree with Alexei that in some cases, the awardee could have made the repair and should be preserved as well as the piece itself.
Today has been a big camera/medals day for me. I promised a month or two ago to take some photos of some of the semi-oddities I have in the area of homemade repairs, alterations, and other freaks of time and human invention as they apply to our favorite SovStuff. The images I'm posting here I think are due to people just doing stuff to their own medals with no thoughts of one day faking out or tricking collectors. It's just stuff that simple dudes did as they got older and their medals aged with them. Even the veteran who scratched out his serial number before he sold it would also qualify his awards for this thread, and we might as well throw in those broken medals that still represent acts of service and bravery but may appear too broken for many of the purists out there.
Most of what I will post here came from the Ferghana Valley of Uzbekistan, a region known for excellence in farming, simplicity in life, variety in culture and ethnicity, and independence of thought and action.
Maybe this thread will motivate others to contribute here pictures of their circus freaks, elephant men, orphans, and other honorable but often unloved souls...
...Brian
I'll start with a sub-million CSM that I believe was once owned by a guy who decided to make it match an earlier T1 award as opposed to the other way around. It's too crude to try to deceive. I really think he just tried to make them match, and he prefered square to five-sided.
Again, no matter. I'll just going to work on this puppy with water and Q-Tips and see if I can't clean it up to its nice "salty" reality. 
I promised a month or two ago to take some photos of some of the semi-oddities I have in the area of homemade repairs, alterations, and other freaks of time and human invention as they apply to our favorite SovStuff. The images I'm posting here I think are due to people just doing stuff to their own medals with no thoughts of one day faking out or tricking collectors. It's just stuff that simple dudes did as they got older and their medals aged with them. Even the veteran who scratched out his serial number before he sold it would also qualify his awards for this thread, and we might as well throw in those broken medals that still represent acts of service and bravery but may appear too broken for many of the purists out there. 
