do zink badges loose finnish over time

[Wijtman01]

no matter how you store it, it always looks that zink badges loose there finnish and are very sensetive to hand contact am i right?


take care

[Dmv]

You're right!

Immagine how all those nice zink badges would look like in 100 years or so: all dull grey...

[Wijtman01]

and what about the buntmetal ones then? they dont seem to loose there finnish

[checkit]

The silver and gold plating will absorb into the base metal over time, a process known as amalgamation. Better made hihger awards will have an intermediate "strike" finish, such as nickel, between the base medal and the final finish, which prevents the amalgamation process from taking place.

[Paul R.]

Yes, checkit is correct. Over time it can also form a light powdering effect.

[Robin Lumsden]

.............zink badges lose there finish and are very sensitive to hand contact. Am i right?

YES.

You ARE right.

I bought a GOLD CCC in 1973 that had about 10% of the gold (NOT bronze) finish remaining.

It has been in a case for 34 years. Hardly ever touched.

Now it has 0% of the gold finish remaining!

[Wijtman01]

thats why im not to happy with zinkers
but am i also right that buntmetal badges develope a patina but keep their finnish if they are wel preseverd?

cause i have a gold bomber clasp in zink thats getting dark spots, and the gold buntmetal one stays nice and shinny

take care mates

[RadarZ]

zinc is pure crud, too bad that is used for anything, ever.

They started making USA pennies out of mostly zinc in the early 80's, they corrode very easily.
I metal detect, and often find copper coins from the 1800's still perfectly intact, but the zincs get eaten up in months in the ground, they would turn to dust within a few years.

zinc is pure crud, too bad that is used for anything, ever.

the zincs get eaten up in months in the ground, they would turn to dust within a few years.

Why do you think they make them this way now?

[keifer kahn]

It depends a lot on the makeup of the zink alloy and what goes into the alloy.Also depends on the soil makeup .European soils tend to be quite good at preserving items.

Ive collected German ground dug items for years and when digging up zink badges , ive found that even though a fair bit of corrosion takes place, german awards still manage to retain their stuctural integrity.
They may be defaced, pitted and cancer ridden but generally you can still see detail and certainly tell what the award was.

Regards KK

[Stahlhelm]

YES.

You ARE right.

I bought a GOLD CCC in 1973 that had about 10% of the gold (NOT bronze) finish remaining.

It has been in a case for 34 years. Hardly ever touched.

Now it has 0% of the gold finish remaining!

I'd say that's a perfect example from experience. Thanks for adding that.

Chris

[Stahlhelm]

The silver and gold plating will absorb into the base metal over time, a process known as amalgamation. Better made hihger awards will have an intermediate "strike" finish, such as nickel, between the base medal and the final finish, which prevents the amalgamation process from taking place.

Very good information. Thanks!

Chris

[Steve P]

Indeed zinc is a problem...See advice on how to treat it! (Pic - R.S. IAB)