Restore vs Leave alone

[Justin P]

Jimmy

I have seen your Work, And you do The Awards Proud But for me my Old Mucker i would have them as they Are

[Stahlhelm]

I agree that they are better off left as they are. Now, if it is a repair by the original owner, during the period, then that's a different story.

Chris

[Eric Gaumann]

It depends so much on the situation.

I've done some repairs/changes that in retrospect I wish I hadn't. And then there's cases where what I did I like a lot.

And for me it's not usually about value at all as I sell very little of my collection. And of course if I ever do sell anything I've repaired/changed I'd say that out front.

It seems like good ol' Dr. Luv gets a boatload of business so it seems there are many that have no problems with repairs. And I agree; pin replacements and re-swazing de-swazed awards can be considered "restorations" if ya want to use that term.

[Stahlhelm]

It depends so much on the situation.

I've done some repairs/changes that in retrospect I wish I hadn't. And then there's cases where what I did I like a lot.

And for me it's not usually about value at all as I sell very little of my collection. And of course if I ever do sell anything I've repaired/changed I'd say that out front.

It seems like good ol' Dr. Luv gets a boatload of business so it seems there are many that have no problems with repairs. And I agree; pin replacements and re-swazing de-swazed awards can be considered "restorations" if ya want to use that term.

Eric:

Even though I've already said that it's best not to repair anything, I must say that I really like what you said above. I like your reasoning, and it actually makes me reconsider what I said. You have some very good points, and I agree with you. My opinion is hereby amended.

Chris

[Steinar]

Just imagine this scenario: You hold your favorite Pilot badge, your having a bad day, you drop it to the floor or you step on a badge, something like this, just pure bad luck, and you break the pin or the catch or even both.
What would you do?

I know I would of sent the baby over to UK but what about you?

[Bob Hartman]

For me a lot depends on what the piece is that is up for repair. In general I am opposed to repair of cloth items (flags-banners, uniforms etc). Metal items are another story. I have seen pictures of work that Jimmy has done on awards that I would deem acceptable. I don't like re-paints of helmets (or repaints in general). Just my opinion.

[Steinar]

Agreed. Have you ever seen a nice repainted iron cross ?

[MaxxBrunn1938]

Well here's a pair of CAG binos I picked up that were painted in an UNGODLY Russian metalic maroon with very little of the DAK paint left. After looking and thinking about them I finally tore them apart, matched the paint going by the very little left, stripped and cleaned, repainted and reassembled. I use these as display or if I ever get back into reenacting.

Joe

[Hartigan]

I prefer not to repair/repaint stuff. It feels to me like messing with the history the item carries with it. I mean imagine a cross that was partially bent in a battle. It would be shame to take that away from it.
Just my 2 pennies

[JustinG]

what about zinc pest

Ok, So here's a new twist. Say you have a bit of zinc pest present. How would you treat this problem. Many say that a little vasaline thinly applied and let stand for 24hours then wiped off gently can prevent further damage. Would you think of protecting your zinc badges/awards, or would you let them deteriorate?


2dresq907

somehow, this new server is not allowing me to upload photos.

[JustinG]

This is what a nasty thing zinc pest untreated can do.

Credit to the owner of this photo, (not me)


2dresq907

[wh014d4394]

[QUOTE=2dresq907;3075206]Ok, So here's a new twist. Say you have a bit of zinc pest present. How would you treat this problem. Many say that a little vasaline thinly applied and let stand for 24hours then wiped off gently can prevent further damage. Would you think of protecting your zinc badges/awards, or would you let them deteriorate?


2dresq907

somehow, this new server is not allowing me to upload photos.[/QU
i would restore that baby. if it was mine

[JustinG]

That photo can show what letting a zinc badge with some zinc pest and not doing something, until what your left with is a piece of junk.
I am sure that no one wants that to happen to their collection.

How do other members deal with zinc pest?
One collector suggested the Vaseline Treatment to me; anybody got anything different?

Regards,
2dresq907

[Stahlhelm]

I agree that the photo of the zinc-pest-effected badge above is an excellent of how doing something (such as applying vaseline) is a reasonable option. It's hard to look at that photo and not recommend trying anything but nothing. Many say that the vaseline does not stop the pest, once it begins. Others say it does. The only thing I know is based on what is known about the causes of zinc pest, at this point.

1) It is caused by humidity (moisture condensation) on the zinc-based badges, over time.

2) It is also sometimes caused by lead impurities in the composition of the metal. Lead is said to react with zinc, over time, to produce zinc pest. In this case, the presence of humidity may or may not have antything critical to do with zinc pest formation.

3) The worst scenario! Both 1 and 2. High humidity working with lead impurities, hastening the whole process!

If the zinc happens to have been mixed properly when it was produced, then just number one above could be the culprit. The pest could then logically be stopped by controlling humidity and/or creating a barrier between the environment and the badge.

However, if number two is the problem, then applying vaseline would be like using a bandaid to treat cancer.

Finally, since it is never possible to know what exactly is causing the pest, I'll let you make the logical conclusion here about what may be the best course of action.

Now, as for the aesthetic effects of using vaseline to remove spots of the pest, that can pose another problem altogether. However, even the problem I'm thinking of is no where close to the problem with the badge in the photo above.

Chris

[JustinG]

Agree.

The Petroleum in vasaline helps create that humidity barrier to help post-pone the damage. From what I know, nothing removes the zinc pest after it has set in.

I remember reading somewhere that there was some mention of a material that could help remove the zinc pest but that the discoloration that would be left behind would be perhaps worse than just doing the regular vasaline treatment alone.

The zinc pest and the damage that it does, seems like it is permanent.
The outer portion of the pin/badge or whatever, has been compromised and the only thing I know of is to just postpone the damage by occasionally putting the vasaline treatment on the badges and leaving for 24 hours, then removing with a lint free cloth lightly.

I have a small mini-dehumidifier for my display box, and I absolutely love it, Seems to work very nicely.

Cheers all

2dresq907