Dirt can be removed easily. But verdigris are rust more difficult and require trade-offs that are never easy (and I worry when someone asserts that the decision here is an simple one). Sometimes the goal should be to stabilize rather than reverse the inevitable processes of nature? And always ask yourself if what you are about to do can be reversed. Destruction of patina is permanent, though something else will sprout in its place and I am sure there are folks in the Baltic states who have ways to restore a "patina" quickly. But I think you should use a light hand throughout, though some may find it more satisfying just to take a hand drill to the medal or plate/dip the thing.
From my experience with fake patina I believe onion or chives or something along those lines are used. The smell and tastes can very often be a major tell.
Every individual items needs to be approached in an individual fashion. Some things you obtain will never need anything other than correct storage, other items will need very special attention.
Problems such as oxidisation must be addressed as soon as possible. Otherwise it would be like stating "this document was on fire when I obtained it, I'll leave it like that and see what happens".
Time certainly makes fools of us all.
I also wouldn't leave any items "soaking" in anything other than water unsupervised as things can easily get out of hand. A light wash with citrus or vinegar may not seem to be doing everything you want it to but with light reapplications and patience you can hopefully get the result you need without going too far.
I always remember the first episode of "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" in which a local tries to sell the boys gold and the Sergeant dips his hand into the battery acid which is supposed to be proving the gold is non-reactive thinking it is water and he is being tricked, only to be surprised.
With the modern information superhighway hopefully folks know better than to clean silver with a wire brush.
04-22-2012, 05:37 PM (This post was last modified: 04-22-2012, 05:41 PM by CtahhR.)
I have had items that completely lost their plating after soaking. This may be the case here. If you have gold plated brass you may now just have brilliant brass - which should return to a brass-like colour with time.
Soaking gold plated copper will not have a very happy ending. Vinegar will eat the plating off of copper items soon enough given the opportunity no matter what the plate is - Gold, Silver or Chrome.
Does anybody know how to get some of those PET/Mylar sleeves? I can't find anywhere and I need shipping to Europe. If you have any info please let me know (PM).
Figured I would look at things from both sides:
Story on german set: Set of photos, krim shield, KVK and Ostfront medal (with document) from a engineer sergeant
Story on Russian mount: Came all together on a naval artillery general's uniform but the ORB's are mismatched on research so I assume whole thing is put together. The the other hand, the ever famous "nota bene" has had the odessa and sebastopol medals in hand and pronounced them genuine
05-14-2012, 03:33 AM (This post was last modified: 05-14-2012, 03:36 AM by Pobeda45.)
Lately I've been switching to an acid free, chemical free system to avoid the harmful effects of plastic / PVC gases.
Here's what I do today:
First, I buy a pack of safe plastic "SAFLIPS" normally used for coins. The size isn't perfect and I cut open the top half of the flip to accommodate the suspension, but it holds the medal steady and adds rigidity. I put the medal into the rigid SAFLIP.
Second, I use soft Ultra-Pro sleeves (also non-PVC, originally meant for tall Baseball cards) and put the medal in the SAFLIP inside. I seal each pouch with a small sticker with the awardee's name
Third, I put the medal in its "cocoon" in an Ultra-Pro sheet of 3x2 pockets (also archivally safe).
Lastly, the sheets go into an archivally safe binder that locks like a box and is stackable. I have my order books and documents stored in this way as well.
A little overkill, but it helps with the peace of mind.
