Rotting bullion insignia

[Bond]

Hi all,

I have some bullion eagles on which the bullion is rotting/corroding and I wondered if anything can be done about it? Both are kept in sealed plastic containers but I took them out recently to take some pics. Thanks for any help or useful links.

Regards,

Jerry

[Jos L C]

The bullion is probably aluminum and got wet for a longer period sometime..
Now to decide to leave them like this or to improve and protect them a bit.
If kept dry they'll stay like this IMO.
To improve them a little bit you can take the most soft tooth brush you can find, the ones for small children and gently try to remove some of the white powder.
Try to use a loupe for this kinda work.
If you've a ultra thin metal thread, thinner than a needle, try to remove some of the powder between the feathers and gently brush it off.
Take your time on a rainy Dutch afternoon, we've plently of those.
Doing one wing might take a whole afternoon..
At the end take a Q-tip or better something smaller with very, very little oil and rub it on the metal bullion only, again use a loupe and follow what happens.
I once did a luft eagle this way and it turned out so much better.
Improvement will only be less than 50% or so, because you can't reach the deeper areas, but maybe worth a try ..
To me, eagles in this condition are almost lost, you can leave them as what they are or try to improve them a little bit and know when to stop.

Jos.

[Bond]

Thanks Jos. I might try and gently clean them, but will probably seal them back up and store them away. I like them, even in this poor condition.

Regards and thanks,

Jerry

[W.Unland]

The oxidation you see (white powder) IS the bullion. If you brush it away you will be left with the thread that originally held the purl in place. If the oxidation has not totally "consumed" the metal then some of it may be removed with some improvement. My experience has been negative. When this much oxidation not much underneath, and removing the oxidation will destroy what is left. You will end up with a bunch of thread where the bullion used to be.

In my opinion stabilize by keeping dry and keep it for what it is. As suggested a dab of mineral oil.....a VERY small dab.....can help keep it from deteriorating but may discolor the cloth. Unfortunately, there is NO way to restore the consumed metal, save replacement, and then you have a repro!

W.Unland

[Paul R.]

The oxidation you see (white powder) IS the bullion. If you brush it away you will be left with the thread that originally held the purl in place. If the oxidation has not totally "consumed" the metal then some of it may be removed with some improvement. My experience has been negative. When this much oxidation not much underneath, and removing the oxidation will destroy what is left. You will end up with a bunch of thread where the bullion used to be.

In my opinion stabilize by keeping dry and keep it for what it is. As suggested a dab of mineral oil.....a VERY small dab.....can help keep it from deteriorating but may discolor the cloth. Unfortunately, there is NO way to restore the consumed metal, save replacement, and then you have a repro!

W.Unland

W. Unland is correct. When the bullion has that amount of oxidation. It's has most likely attacked the thread below the bullion. Any movement from a brush, cloth, or even a Q tip can also tear the bullion thread. Be very carefull in applying mineral oil it can soften all threads below and cause it to tear apart.

Jos. method can and has work if only a very very small amount of oxidation has started. I have used this method (limited) in my conservation work, but care must taken when using this method of cleaning.

Of course these are your items to do with as you see fit.

[Bond]

Thanks all for the input.

Regards,

Jerry

[TrondK]

You could possible try very careful air removal. I have NOT tried it myself, but maybe someone else have some experience with compressed air.?

[Paul R.]

I my experence in conservation work. Compress air either in a can, or moble tank compresser is very powerfull blast of air. Aging rotten thread my be damaged further by such a strong blast of air.

Of course these are your items to do with as you see fit.

[101combatvet]

They were awesome examples... they are to far gone to help improve in my opinion. I hate to see this on fine examples as these.

[Rich Moran]

Here ya go, it can be long read, but it is the results so far of 2 years and 4 months of the white rot and stopping it.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=429887