Cleaning Medals

Discussion in 'The Lounge Bar' started by OpsMajor, Oct 24, 2008.

  1. OpsMajor

    OpsMajor Junior Member

    I have persuaded an old soldier to wear his medals at our village Remembrance Service. Unfortunately they have been in a drawer for years. Are there any old soldiers out there who could advise me how best to clean them please.
    Krs
    Mike
     
  2. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    OpsMajor

    Brasso, Silvo or any such type of cleaner.

    Make sure that you use paper or card inserted under the medals to insure that you do not get the cleaning liquid onto the medal ribbons.

    An old toothbrush comes in handy plus lots of elbow grease.

    Have fun !

    Ron
     
  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I'll dig mine out and have a look at the recomendations from the Manufacturers. Its been a a while since I've worn mine and I'm sure they say don't use Brasso because it wears down the engravings.
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I've just run upstairs and checked my medal boxes and all it says inside is do not use Brasso or any abrasive products to clean your medals. Bare in mind my medals aren't as old as your friends so mine may be plastic from China or something :)

    Maybe a web search may help you find out......I'm thinking I may have heard petrol used to clean them but I may just be having a senior moment ;)
     
  5. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Me again

    You say don't use Brasso or Silvo ?

    My medals (shown below) are the originals issued to me in 1947.

    I wear them once a year to attend the AJEX (Association of Jewish Ex-Service Men & Women) parade and service at the Cenotaph and clean them before the march using the cleaning materials mentioned above.

    So far they have lasted me 61 years..... I think they will probably last me a few more yet :)

    Cheers

    Ron

    ps
    I must stress that if we were talking about cleaning a set of medals that were from WW1 and/or of extreme value then my advice would certainly be do NOT use the materials I have mentioned.

    One of my hobbies is maintaining a collection of ancient coins and when asked for advice on "How do you clean an ancient coin?" my answer is always "You don't !"

    A bog standard set of medals of WW2 is a different matter and I would just clean them as I have stated adding the proviso "with care".
     

    Attached Files:

  6. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Hi,

    See here for 2 links about cleaning and caring for medals, both recommend Silvo too, but Brasso for stubborn stains on brass only. Fraid we have never touched any family medals and leave them as they are. Not on parade of course! :)

    IWM Home Page > Your History > found it in the attic? > Caring for medals

    Medal ribbons

    Remove medal ribbons before cleaning (you may want to replace them if frayed or dirty)

    If medals are broach mounted for wearing it may not be possible to remove the ribbons. Take care not to get cleaning agent on the ribbon, as it will stain.

    If the medals are court-mounted, you will have to cut the cotton threads holding the medals in order to clean them
    Cleaning medals and metal badges

    Don’t use harsh chemical cleaners or abrasive cloths

    For preference use a silver cleaner (such as Silvo silver polish) on medals and badges whether they are made of silver, brass, cupro-nickel or white metal

    Use a brass polish (such as Brasso) only for very stubborn stains on brass. Brasso is harsher than most silver polishes, and repeated use can wear away fine detail

    Use cotton buds to clean both dirt and the cleaning agent out of crevices; for stubborn stains use longer time, greater pressure and (with care) an old toothbrush

    Buff to a shine with a soft cloth, making sure to remove all traces of the polish (residues can cause corrosion).

    Do not touch directly with fingers after cleaning

    Don’t clean at all if they have an attractive and even-coloured ‘patina’, showing that they have never been cleaned and rarely handled.
    For more details on how to clean medals and badges, and to lacquer them with to reduce re-tarnishing, see the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs website

    How to clean medals

    Caring for your wartime memorabilia
    - How to clean medals
    Work out what you need and assemble everything before you start. Work in a well-ventilated area. Some of the chemicals used in the process can irritate if they touch the skin or are inhaled. Do not smoke when working with paints or solvents. For each stage of cleaning, first try the cleaning method on a small area of the medal, for example part of the edge.

    Take the ribbon off the medal by cutting the stitching, not the ribbon.


    Degrease the medal by dipping it in a small jar of acetone (available from a chemist or hardware store) then wipe it with a cotton bud. The acetone will remove most lacquers used to coat medals. Scrub the medal gently with a soft toothbrush if it is very dirty. Work carefully and stop if the brush seems to cause scratching on the surface of the medal.

    If necessary, polish the medal, using a silver foam designed for silver or plate. Ensure that the foam does not contain silicone. If a foam is not available, use Silvo silver polish. Only as a last result, use a silver dip. A silver dip etches metal, cutting into the surface details. Follow the instructions on whichever product you use.

    Use Brasso brass polish only for very stubborn stains for copper and brass. Brasso is harsher than the silver polishes, and repeated use could wear away fine detail on the medal.

    Make sure you remove all traces of the polish after you finish-polish residues can cause corrosion.

    Dip the medal in methylated spirits and wipe it off with a cotton bud to prepare it for the next stage.

    Coat the medal with lacquer to prevent future corrosion. Use Wattyl Incralac which is available from hardware stores.

    Hang the medal on a small loop of picture wire, and dip the medal gently into the Incralac for a few seconds. Pull the medal out of the lacquer and, using the wire loop, hang the medal where it cannot touch anything. Place old newspapers beneath the hanging medal to catch any lacquer drips.

    Leave the medal untouched for 24 hours, after which the lacquer will be thoroughly dry.

    If 'rainbows' appear in the lacquer on the medal, the lacquer is too thin or the room temperature is too low. Use acetone to remove the lacquer from the medal, then reapply it under more favourable conditions. Do not heat the lacquer or place it in front of a heater as it is very flammable.

    Cleaning medal ribbons
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Just saying what it says on my medal box Ron :)

    Mine are only a 7 years and upwards young and are probably made of monkey metal hence the warning. I've never cleaned them because I've never worn them so I my level of expertise stops at the instructions I'm affraid :)
     
  8. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    I wear them once a year to attend the AJEX (Association of Jewish Ex-Service Men & Women) parade and service at the Cenotaph

    Now that is something I'd like to see!

    (Sorry for the off-topic!)
     
  9. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Za

    It's quite a moving ceremony as the pic below should show.

    All being well, I will post a couple of pics after this year's ceremony.

    Cheers

    Ron

    ps A friend has just given me this photo he took last week.
    Admit it ......... those medals are the shiniest on parade :rolleyes:
     

    Attached Files:

  10. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Hi,
    See here for 2 links about cleaning and caring for medals, both recommend Silvo too, but Brasso for stubborn stains on brass only. Fraid we have never touched any family medals and leave them as they are. Not on parade of course! :)


    Both links seem to have expired.
    I think Ron is doing the right thing in having the shiniest medals on parade, but point taken about coins and collectable medals.
    Thought I might give some recent experience. I bought a WW1 'death plaque' a few weeks ago, without having seen it or even a photo beforehand. It was from a dealer. It arrived obviously never having been polished with a nice patina but also a lot of dreaded 'green stuff'. It looked like a heavy Brasso job to me, but I decided to attack it with wooden cocktail sticks. After an hour or so, all the green stuff had gone, the wood does not mark the metal or the patina. (best done under a magnifier). There are two areas of slightly dark staining still visible on the patina which is not green coloured, but I'm amazed at the result. I wish I had taken a before and after photo now. Compared to a previously polished plaque (which looks like it is made from recycled door knobs), it looks great!
     
  11. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Mine are filthy dirty with shabby ribbons. too old to bother
     
  12. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Both links seem to have expired.

    Thanks Geoff, repaired and quoted.
     
  13. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Thanks Geoff, repaired and quoted.

    Thanks.

    "Make sure you remove all traces of the polish after you finish-polish residues can cause corrosion."

    I have a WW1 artillery clinometer which has been polished, its a devil to get the polish residue out of the engraved scales.
     
  14. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Mine are filthy dirty with shabby ribbons. too old to bother
    I have some family WW1 medals, I wish the shabby silk ribbons were still there, the modern nylon stuff is not the same.
     
  15. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Geoff501

    I bought a WW1 'death plaque' a few weeks ago, without having seen it or even a photo beforehand. It was from a dealer. It arrived obviously never having been polished with a nice patina but also a lot of dreaded 'green stuff'. It looked like a heavy Brasso job to me, but I decided to attack it with wooden cocktail sticks. After an hour or so, all the green stuff had gone, the wood does not mark the metal or the patina. (best done under a magnifier). There are two areas of slightly dark staining still visible on the patina which is not green coloured, but I'm amazed at the result. I wish I had taken a before and after photo now. Compared to a previously polished plaque (which looks like it is made from recycled door knobs), it looks great!



    Before I took up computing, my postwar hobby was numismatics and I had a small but interesting collection of coins dating back to 2500 BC.

    On one occasion I found traces of the dreaded Bronze Disease and had to seek help from an ex-employee of the British Museum and with his assistance was able to cure the disease.
    You can read all about the subject here:
    Bronze disease!

    The WW1 "Death Plaque" was made of Bronze and thus was susceptible to this problem.

    Modern medals, such as the Africa Star are made of a yellow copper zinc alloy and have no such problems.

    And, as Michael Caine used to say, "not a lottta people know that !"

    Ron
     

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