Zinc pest

[rkoy]

some badges i have have got the dreaded white looking zinc pest. will washing with warm sudsy water then coating with alight coat of wd 40 be OK?

[Adrian Stevenson]

That will or Vaseline will work.

Cheers, Ade.

[Fritz]

What would help with aluminium items? Also vaseline?


Thanks!!

Fritz

[rkoy]

thx adrian

[Paul R.]

rkoy. It would be in your best intrest not to use any oil base lubes to cover your metals. Zinc metals are made up several metal alloys, and have the possibality to be unstable them selfs do to their composition.They are porous in there construction. I would first look at how the medals are being stored. What type of mounts, envelops, plastic bags ect. are they in an acid free enviroment. If they are mounted in a cheap plastic box. The plastic box material may be off gassing. Check the humidity levels in the room were they are stored. should be between 40-50%. Are they being handle alot. Oily human skin can cause a break down of the material. Are they exposed to sunlight. By coating the with a oily lube it will attrack moisture, and dust it will accelerate the break down of the metal properties of the zinc. Some people apply a thin coating of renaissance wax, but then turn around and put the back in the same poor enviroment in which the just came out of thinking that renwax will keep safe. Also if you do apply renwax clean off the metal first before applying it otherwise you are covering up the grime on top of the metal. Renwax can be reversed. Do a search on this site to offer more help. Paul

[Jeff V]

rkoy. It would be in your best intrest not to use any oil base lubes to cover your metals. Zinc metals are made up several metal alloys, and have the possibality to be unstable them selfs do to their composition.They are porous in there construction. I would first look at how the medals are being stored. What type of mounts, envelops, plastic bags ect. are they in an acid free enviroment. If they are mounted in a cheap plastic box. The plastic box material may be off gassing. Check the humidity levels in the room were they are stored. should be between 40-50%. Are they being handle alot. Oily human skin can cause a break down of the material. Are they exposed to sunlight. By coating the with a oily lube it will attrack moisture, and dust it will accelerate the break down of the metal properties of the zinc. Some people apply a thin coating of renaissance wax, but then turn around and put the back in the same poor enviroment in which the just came out of thinking that renwax will keep safe. Also if you do apply renwax clean off the metal first before applying it otherwise you are covering up the grime on top of the metal. Renwax can be reversed. Do a search on this site to offer more help. Paul

I disagree. A light coating of vaseline will solve your problems. best wishes,
jeff

[Chet Sowersby]

I've used vaseline with good results for as long as I've been collecting. Recently I read over on the GCA that good results have been obtained using clove oil. Howver, I've never used it so I can't say one way or the other.

Chet

[Tiger 1]

WD 40 is a penetrating oil. Not a wise choice to use if you wish to keep whatever original finish is left.

Just a thought.

Tony

[Stahlhelm]

Wow! These completely conflicting opinions are always tough to negotiate--especially when they all seem to come from collectors who really know what they're talking about--from experience and/or knowledge otherwise.

Hmmmm....I guess you just have to listen to everybody, and then go with what sounds most logical--or, in the worst case scenario, I guess you could always just flip a coin...

Of course, I'm not trying to make light of the situation, but it is a real head-banger when that happens...

Chris

[Martin Harding]

Contagious

Hello Guys, just my opinion but zinc pest really is untreatable long term, it is literally like a malignant cancer on the metal, perhaps you can slow down the process but not cure it. What about denying oxegene to the items that are suffering? I am convinced that zinc pest is contagious, I have two PABS that were fine, in a case with another PAB suffering from zinc pest now they too are starting with the dreaded lurgy.Better wash my hands after touching them
Regards Martin

[Stahlhelm]

Wow, again! I admit I don't know anything about his "zinc pest," but from the information here, I suppose I should really get familiar with it--especially since it's so destructive and, worse, possibly contagious! .

So, just exactly what is this stuff?

What activates it, in the first place? (I'm assuming it's the the usual humidity level).

What does it do to the zinc it affects? Does it eat, disintegrate, or somehow break-down the structure of the zinc itself?

Finally, if this stuff is possibly "contagious," then is it also possibly something biological--a living organism of some type? I'm really not joking about that either. If it is contagious, then to me that suggests something biological too.

I really don't expect any one person to know the answers to all of the above questions, necessarily--especially since there has already been some disagreement and difference of opinion about this issue, in general. However, please do jump in and answer whatever you can. This is very interesting, indeed!

I have only a few things in my collection which are made of zinc, and they are, so far, unaffected by this pest. However, I suppose I should know as much as possible about it--especially since it may be contagious! I'd rather be proactive, and hopefully keep it away from my stuff. Knowing my luck, I'll catch it myself...

Chris

[Will Brown]

In a nutshell:

http://www.finishing.com/376/80.shtml

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~khmiska/zinkpest.htm

just two of many sites.

Will.

[Stahlhelm]

Thanks a bunch, Will! I'll read it.

Chris

[Stahlhelm]

Okay, I read it!!!! All I can do to express my reaction is this...

From the information in the above links, it is obvious that NOTHING can be done about this stuff. It really sounds like an incurable form of zinc cancer. Once it begins, it is unstoppable. Control of humidity is, to some extent helpful, but its occurence seems mostly inevitable, depending on the metal composition of the period. It appears to be tantamount to a death sentence for the item it inflicts. Although the articles say nothing about it being contagious, it might as well be. If indeed humidity is what stimulates this stuff, then it's obvious that the only thing that could be of any hope is to control that. However, due to the composition of the metal, that could even be futile, at best. This isn't my opinion; It's basically just a grim summary of the articles in the links posted above...

Sincerely mortified,

Chris

[Will Brown]

Indeed. It seems zinc pest is to some medals what dry rot is to helmet liner leather. (But that is another story)