Author Topic: cleaning of badges  (Read 8233 times)

chic

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cleaning of badges
« on: March 14, 2008, 07:51:10 PM »
Can anyone tell me if i should clean or polish the badges i have bought, if so how?.
(One for Harribobs i think).
                                      Chic.

Offline Wendi

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Re: cleaning of badges
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2008, 10:27:10 AM »
(One for Harribobs i think).

In the mean time Chic The Imperial War Museum has some advice for you  ;D

http://www.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00100p008006

and don't forget "Don’t clean at all if they have an attractive and even-coloured ‘patina’, showing that they have never been cleaned and rarely handled."  ;)

Wendi  :)

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it!  No matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and with your own common sense" ~ Buddha

chic

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Re: cleaning of badges
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2008, 02:28:02 PM »
Thanks Wendi, i will leave them alone.
                                    Chic.

Offline harribobs

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Re: cleaning of badges
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2008, 10:44:23 PM »
i'm not much help anyway on this, i'm not a collector of medals, i have a few i've rescued but none of them are cleaned  ;D

“It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply
  to serve as a warning to others."

chic

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Re: cleaning of badges
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2008, 03:51:05 PM »
Ok,thanks harribobs             
                            Chic.

Offline Robert Bonner

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Re: cleaning of badges
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2008, 08:27:13 PM »
Chic.

The anwer is really quite simple.  What would the original owner of the badge have done when he was a serving soldier.  He would certainly have kept it clean and if necessary polished it.  Whatever the rank of the original owner he would not have gone on parade with a dirty badge.  Not in the British Army and certainly not in the Manchester Regiment!!
Robert

Offline harribobs

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Re: cleaning of badges
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2008, 09:01:50 AM »
i afraid i read this as cleaning medals, ::)  i do keep my badges clean, but not highly polished.

i tend to use either brasso for brass (surprise surprise) but after i have used it, i rinse and lightly brush them ( i use an old toothbrush or mandy's if she's not around)  i don't like huge deposits of old brasso that have been built up over the year, i think they take away detail and don't look good at all.

on silver or white metal, i prefer a silver dip again and again rinse and brush. on both i use a polishing cloth that a jeweller gave me.

i admit there are a few i don't make a big deal out of cleaning because i like the aged patina on them but there's a difference between that and muck!
« Last Edit: March 18, 2008, 09:21:52 AM by harribobs »
“It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply
  to serve as a warning to others."

chic

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Re: cleaning of badges
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2008, 10:31:22 PM »
Thanks chaps, i will get out the brasso ,and Lindas toothbrush  ;D

                                              Chic.