Advice on Cleaning Thia Zinc IAB

[Steve P]

Guys, I would like to seek your advice on cleaning a zinc badge...Would you please list what you might try to clean and then ultimately preserve this badge...I would like to know what you may put on it to prevent further damage and/or corrosion after it's been refurbished?

Any advice is welcome, thank you as always?

[Steve P]

Reverse

[Paul R.]

Hi Steve,
You most likely are going to hear from some members to clean it. Don't risk changing or losing a piece of history. Any drastic change does not guarantee investment return, or keeping the medal stable. I have seen many sorry collectors ruin a piece, because they have an obsession to clean things thinking they are helping preserve something. The material that the medal is made of is unstable. There is no cleaning method to help or control the corrosion. Of course Steve it your item to do with what you see fit. Paul

[Steve P]

Hi Steve,
You most likely are going to hear from some members to clean it. Don't risk changing or losing a piece of history. Any drastic change does not guarantee investment return, or keeping the medal stable. I have seen many sorry collectors ruin a piece, because they have an obsession to clean things thinking they are helping preserve something. The material that the medal is made of is unstable. There is no cleaning method to help or control the corrosion. Of course Steve it your item to do with what you see fit. Paul

Hi Paul, Well I hear and understand all your points...I am not normally given to cleaning but I am drawn to do this one, I intend being very careful and have taken advice from a museum restorer that I know quite well...so I suppose you're going to want to kill me but I am resolved on this one, though obsessed is not the word I'd use mate.

I was just looking for any other wisdom from the clan...again any advice is welcome!

I am particularly interested in opinions on the use of something to seal the badge after cleaning? some suggest a light coat of vaseline??? Thanks.

[keifer kahn]

Hi Steve,

Ive collected zink pieces(including many ground dug) for years and all ive ever done is the following,

While i agree with Paul on many points, dirt, dust, and zinkpest are only going to add to the detriment of the piece.
I say clean responsibly but not clean to the point of polishing.

Clean off crud using only soap and water.Use a soft bristle tootbrush.
Light coat of vaseline to get rid of any subtle zinkpest and blooming.
Clean that off after 24 hours.
Rewash again and ensure the piece is totally dry.
Stick in a 50% humidity environment, usually under glass to eliminate dust.

If you need to store your items due to lack of space, you can buy the archival grade plastic sleeves available from medal and coin shops.
Slip in a dessicant satchel and you should be fine.

[Steve P]

Hi Steve,

Ive collected zink pieces(including many ground dug) for years and all ive ever done is the following,

While i agree with Paul on many points, dirt, dust, and zinkpest are only going to add to the detriment of the piece.
I say clean responsibly but not clean to the point of polishing.

Clean off crud using only soap and water.Use a soft bristle tootbrush.
Light coat of vaseline to get rid of any subtle zinkpest and blooming.
Clean that off after 24 hours.
Rewash again and ensure the piece is totally dry.
Stick in a 50% humidity environment, usually under glass to eliminate dust.

If you need to store your items due to lack of space, you can buy the archival grade plastic sleeves available from medal and coin shops.
Slip in a dessicant satchel and you should be fine.

Thanks Keifer!

[Paul R.]

The humidity should be 43 - 45% tops 24/7/365. Anything about this guidline is not slowing down rust, corrosion, mildew, mold. Just be careful not all comic/coin shops sell 100% archival holders. Some comic and coin dealers buy sheets in bulk, and sell in repackage sleeves with there company logo on a package. I tend to be skeptical under there conditions. Paul

[keifer kahn]

Paul,

Ive read from and spoken to alot of sources on this subject and there is a lot variation in the recommended levels of humidity for different items.
Too little humidity and you have the opposite problem.(leather in helmets drying out, etc)

Also 50% humidity is what was advised to me by several museums and conservators .
Also checking many On-line museum,conservation and preservation sites 50% seems to be the average recommendation.

Following the advice ive received over the years,using the 50% level, i can only state that have never had a single deterioation problem with any item.

As for Steves badge, it obviously has Zinkpest which isnt comparable with Patina gained through age and he can only improve the appearance by cleaning it.

As for archival grade sleeves the problem you mentioned sounds like a problem with the integrity of the dealer.Archival grade sleeves work fine.
All you need to do is check them as Genuine sleeves are coded and marked as such.If you are going to buy a bulk pack of sleeves and not check, then you may end up with rubbish.

[Steve P]

Keifer,

Thanks for your advice...I also appreciate the contributions made by all those who contributed by PM, a rather large number curiously!

I also thought the thread below was very interesting!

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...17#post3730317

NB: As a preventative measure for zinc pest it seems that a well respected product used by numerous renowned museums (also used and recommended by many guys on here) is Renaissance Wax as opposed to vaseline.

Zinc pest - description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest

Renaissance Wax site: http://www.restorationproduct.com/
I will post a pic of the finished product after cleaning process is concluded within the next 24hours! We'll see how we go!

[Steve P]

As promised, here is the badge after cleaning...IMO the result has been extremely positive and I am very satisfied with it. Thanks again to all contributors.

[keifer kahn]

Now, that is an improvement.!!

[Steve P]

Now, that is an improvement.!!

Agreed mate...Thanks for your advice and information, much appreciated!

[Stahlhelm]

Wow! That's an incredible improvement for sure, Steve! I must admit that I am highly impressed. As I have often thought, there are certain exceptions to the "no cleaning rule", and this is certainly a fine example of an exception.

Continue to control the humidity levels in your IAB's environment, and keep an eye out for any returns of the pest (zinc pest, of course). Sometimes, it will pop back up here and there, even after it's been cleaned off.

The pesky thing about the pest is that it is sometimes caused (or aggravated) by the most uncontrollable of things. In the case of zinc pest, it can be caused by lead impurities of the time, in the zinc of the time. So, just keep an eye out for any possible returns, and attack them as you already have anytime it may be necessary. In this case, your approach has certainly been effective. Just keep it up, I'd say.

The tough thing about cleaning is that it is not always clear, in advance, what cleaning is going to do to the artifact being cleaned. I have also seen a lot of cleaned items wind up worse cleaned than uncleaned, and sometimes even ruined. Cleaning, even in the best scenario, often involves a certain risk of having an irreverible, bad result. I've seen cases where removing the pest has just made things exponentially worse. In this case, due to the badge's advanced deterioration, you chose to take a risk that paid off, and I agree that your choice was best. I would personally have done the same thing with this one.

Congratulations, and keep us posted on how this works out for you in the long run. After all, new things are constantly being learned in the area of conservation, and much of the most valuable information comes from sharing experiences--both the good and the bad.

Thanks for posting your problem and followup results,

Chris

[Steve P]

Thanks Chris, I hear you and certainly will do on all counts mate!

[Stahlhelm]

Thanks Chris, I hear you and certainly will do on all counts mate!

You're welcome, Steve! I'm glad I could help.

Chris