Newbie IAB help

[pfrost]

Gentlemen,

One last question. I hope you don't mind, but I have nightmares of looking at a small smoldering pile of zinc due to doing this wrong.

Having let the badge "soak" in a thick coating of vasaline for ~24 hours, I will remove the gunk with a soft rag and some Q-tips.

I had read elsewhere on this forum that you could then use some 100% ethanol to remove the vasaline if you wanted or leave it as it is, with the residual vasaline present. What do the experts think?

Thanks for your assistance and patience with some dumb questions.

Patrick

[Graeme]

Patrick

Just remove vaseline with a soft kleenex tissue. That's it. You only have to dab the badge, there is no hard rubbing.

Let's see the result

cheers
Graeme

[greg.hays]

I agree with Graeme mostly......ie just wiping it off is fine I do not use ethanol or anything else and so far all my badges are just fine. However where Graeme belives in no "hard rubbing" I disagree thoroughly.....sometimes it's warranted

As far as being embarrased when the mrs. walks in and your sitting in front of the computer with a jar of vaseline in hand.......been there and I feel for you

[pfrost]

Well, here are the results. The badge seems a lot nicer. Thank you very much for the advice.

Patrick

[Bruce Simcox]

Hi Patrick......

......I have found this thread to be quite interesting, to say the least. The reason for this is that I have a Ostfront medal, severely attacked by zinc-pest, that I aquired precisely because of that condition. My original intention lay elsewhere, at the time I got it. But, since I have had it, I decided to let the damage run it's course, just to see what time, atmospheric conditions and exposure to indoor light exclusively would be the result. I bought the badge approximately 4 years ago.

Tonight I'll post the scan that I took of the badge when I received it, back in.....oh, I'm pretty sure 2002.....pretty sure.

Later today I'll post a shot as it is now in 2006.

I'm not trying to prove, or disprove, anything.....just pretty much a show and see, regarding just this particular medal and perhaps find out just how far, or how fast zinc-pest arrives, if ever, at it's point of eventual complete disintegration of a badge.

Here's the image:

[Bruce Simcox]

After 4 years......

.....here is the pic I took a few minutes ago. I'm in a bit of a hurry plus a little hung-over.

I have had this medal just laying around on the desk since I've had it. No white gloves just regular handling, more so than the badges on display that have no pest. It has never been cleaned, etc., etc, etc. Oh yeah....it has gone through a couple of moves in the time I've had it as well.

I am looking forward to it's appearance in another 4 years.

[Graeme]

Hey Bruce

Looks like it is getting better

cheers
Graeme

[greg.hays]

I am actually quite surprised I would have thought the corrosion would have advanced much more

[Frank Heukemes]

Hi guys,

I have also observed that items that have been in the earth (like Bruce's medal) and suffered much will come to a rest after they have been cleaned once.
In my opinion the most dangerous form of zinc pest is the "blooming" one. It has an almost fungus like appearance and will definitely develop. Bruce's medal is past that, the zinc corrosion is as hard as a rock and will stay that way if kept in normal environments.

[pfrost]

THis is the rest of the group. The GI was in Co D. 357th Inf Reg, 90th Inf Div. Wounded in Rhinland in November of 1944.

I got his PH and some of his ribbons and CIB.

[pfrost]

And some paperwork.

I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Not a bad group, I think.

[Graeme]

What a great little grouping, PH, dog tag and paperwork with dates

congrats
Graeme