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Preservation Boo-Boos.


jagjetta
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I have the good fortune to handle a LOT of militaria through the course of a week. Some of it is from very old collections, so I am able to see the effects of some practices that some people might not consider as a preservation boo-boo. I thought I would share a few I keep tucked away as examples of "bad preservation practices".

 

First up, little stickers on medal planchets. Here is what happens over the matter of a few years:

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This helmet is in my collection and is one of my favorites...worn by a member of the 301st Heavy Tank Bn (formed from the 65th Engineer Bn.). Unfortunately, the collector who had it before me, just couldn't resist coating it with a "preservative and then wrap it in a red flannel blanket! Well, this very historic Tank Corps helmet now has a healthy red fuzz all over it. Leave the coatings alone!

 

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I really didn't believe a collector thought it was a good idea to GLUE his Naval insignia to the a foamed back board. In all artifact handling lessons taught, the cardinal rule is, "Don't do anything to the relic that can't be un-done." Guess this collector never got that memo!

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Last one for now, and then I will leave it to others to share more preservation lessons learned from their (or other's) mistakes. This photo shows what happens when you leave a medal in one of those great plastic cases with the foam backing. That backing material breaks down over time, and obviously, adheres itself to brass! If you have to have a backing, washed (in PH-neutral soapy water--Downey Flakes are still the best), unbleached muslin is the most neutral material still available.

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Hope this helps. Don't worry if you have committed a preservation boo-boo...we all have. Sometime, I will share a few I have committed over the years!

 

JAG

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The only "boo-boo" of mine which springs to mind was well-intentioned...advisable even...but not without certain consequences. I'm talking about treating dried-out old leather. I've used some of the best regarded commercial products to treat such things as leather belts, holsters and even A2s etc., but, although it might re-invigorate the leather, the downside is that it irrevocably changes its colour, making the original rich russet browns permanently darker! That's the trade-off I guess? :(

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Best Boo Boo I ever saw was a state museum curator who had a cammo'd WW1 German MG. It was 'a little rusty' so he had it sandblasted then sprayed all gray.

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Oh, the bad preservation jobs I've had to undo over the years John. Oiling helmets as a preservative is the worst. we have a whole thread on that one: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/45336-oiling-your-helmets-other-helmet-preservation-misconceptions/ Then there are the leather treatments to historical leather. My personal gripe: moth balls... I don't care if they work or not, they stink up the whole house! And then there is Newspaper either stuffed into a hat or wrapped around items to keep them "safe". The acid from this paper does a great deal of damage.

My worst personal preservation was using a solvent to remove some overpaint on a helmet. My removal process was flawed and ended up ruining the painted insignia on the helmet. I've never forgiven myself for that education early in my collecting days.

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Good point re oiling helmets Scott. WD40 is often erroneously recommended for this. BAD MOVE! It's a water-resistant lubricant but with solvent properties . It can soften paint and remove markings too! :o

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Here is an example of one of the worst "preserved" helmets I have handled.

First the exterior with its glossy shine:

post-949-0-43233300-1376591475.jpg

 

Then a view of the underside when it becomes obvious a good-intentioned "preservationist" has had their hands on the item:

post-949-0-04459500-1376591548.jpg

 

It is hard for me to suggest what others 'should' or 'should not' do with their own items. But when I get something and something like this had been done to the item, I sort of wish there was an "industry standard" that all collectors would follow!

 

John

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I once had a '41 field jacket which was in surprisingly good shape (you know how fragile they can be) but rather "grubby". So, I took it to a dry-cleaners. As there was no care label like modern clothing I had to sign a disclaimer. When I got it back, it was very clean....but the collar had split along its fold (as they are prone to do) Although it wasn't like it beforehand I assume it was already weakened anyway and the chemical cleaning fluids just exacerbated it! I wasn't a happy camper, but I'd accepted the risk so I had to live with it! Actually, I took it to a seamstress who sewed over the split in a zig-zag stitch. The end result, though not perfect, didn't look half bad. The moral of the story? If you have a dirty field jacket...let it remain so!

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RustyCanteen

Great thread, and a lesson for collectors.

 

You can't turn back the clock, but with proper conservation it will last for a long time.

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A number of years ago, an antique dealer called me and said she had a number of WW1 collar insignia for me (Officer and EM). I arrived to find that she had polished all of them bright. She was pleased with her polishing job and said so. She did not know that they should have a dark finish.

 

I told her that she had decreased their value by probably 80 percent and now I did not want them. She was very unhappy with herself and me.

 

 

 

W

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Great Thread, i really dislike it when i sell a collector a great set of wings or a great silver medal or whatever and as soon as they get it home they clean it, buff it, oil it , then they try and trade or sell it back to me months later and wonder why i don't want it anymore or only give them half the value for it, i have a customer that spray paints medals because they think it looks better! Unreal.

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:o

Oh the military gunstocks I have destroyed in my early collecting years by sanding them to make them look better!!!! Please forgive me!

 

Or how about the civil war era glass plate image of a soldier that I "cleaned" thinking I could carefully wipe away a small blemish. The image soon disappeared!!!

Please forgive me!

Kim

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A .45 that had rusted in the holster. The woman's boyfriend had a way to fix it, scotchbright pad and a few hours of "elbow grease". Prettiest, shineyist, .45 you've ever seen!

 

14izf68.jpg

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Actually...I can't think of a single form of "preservation" that isn't actually "damage" and "decrease in value". I know I won't touch a piece of militaria that has been "preserved" by a well intentioned previous owner. Safe storage is another matter, and is a must.

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Last one for now, and then I will leave it to others to share more preservation lessons learned from their (or other's) mistakes. This photo shows what happens when you leave a medal in one of those great plastic cases with the foam backing. That backing material breaks down over time, and obviously, adheres itself to brass! If you have to have a backing, washed (in PH-neutral soapy water--Downey Flakes are still the best), unbleached muslin is the most neutral material still available.

 

attachicon.gifV39794-5-medal.jpg

 

 

 

I've encountered this one a few times...I think there must have been an era when the school of thought on these cases was different. I've seen it on medals and insignias, and have had varying degrees of success removing it utilizing a variety of methods. Generally a stiff bristled brush (not wire), toothpicks for crevices, and/or Q-tips dipped in nail polish remover has aided in removing the majority of the green. I'm yet to have nail polish remover have an adverse reaction on the pieces I've tried (EGA's, etc), so long as as soon as I'm done I rise/wipe the surface with clean water and thoroughly dry.

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Actually...I can't think of a single form of "preservation" that isn't actually "damage" and "decrease in value". I know I won't touch a piece of militaria that has been "preserved" by a well intentioned previous owner. Safe storage is another matter, and is a must.

 

I consider storage techniques to be a form of preservation. I put documents, images, etc in acid-free document sleeves and baseball card sleeves, backed with acid free thick paper stock. I know collectors do similar with patches, which I don't really collect.

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Actually...I can't think of a single form of "preservation" that isn't actually "damage" and "decrease in value". I know I won't touch a piece of militaria that has been "preserved" by a well intentioned previous owner. Safe storage is another matter, and is a must.

Well, correct storage is preservation, but for every proper technique, there are two or three improper ones.

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:o

Or how about the civil war era glass plate image of a soldier that I "cleaned" thinking I could carefully wipe away a small blemish. The image soon disappeared!!!

Please forgive me!

Kim

 

 

Kim:

You have given me courage to confess one of my "red-ear" attempts. I have been a life-long collector of historic photography and a past president of the Daguerreian Society, an international organization dedicated to the history, art, preservation and practice of early photography. That said....

 

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned..."

 

Having purchased a large box of cased images, I was in a hurry to evaluate and categorize as "keepers" or "to sell". I had encountered a decent melainotype on a canvas (rather than the usually encountered, tin-dipped iron plate) of a Union soldier that had clearly adhered to the cover glass. Being well-versed in photographic techniques (or so I thought), I poured a bowl full of distilled water and placed the ambrotype in it to soak for a bit. Yes, the canvas popped free of the cover glass...and so did the the rest of the emulsion that comprised the image. Damn melainotype survived 135 years--until I thought I was so smart I could "preserve" it.

 

 

John

 

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I had a very nice boxed and named WW2 Air Medal which had a slight "blemish" on the reverse side. I figured I could easily remove it with a little Brasso wadding. It removed it fine...but also took with it some of the gilding thus revealing the base metal underneath!! :o

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I had a very nice boxed and named WW2 Air Medal which had a slight "blemish" on the reverse side. I figured I could easily remove it with a little Brasso wadding. It removed it fine...but also took with it some of the gilding thus revealing the base metal underneath!! :o

 

I too have polished the brass off of some good insignia using a wad of similar product. Worst part was that it only took about 3 seconds of light rubbing to do it. So I've quickly leaned that some makers have a heck of a lot more plating on their insignia than others by practicing on some corroded and pitted junk insignia. Here is a collar disk that came in a lot of others that I purchased and it already had the brass rubbed off to show the copper underneath. It almost looks like a rotary tool like a Dremel was used.Posted Image

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  • 3 months later...

 

I consider storage techniques to be a form of preservation. I put documents, images, etc in acid-free document sleeves and baseball card sleeves, backed with acid free thick paper stock. I know collectors do similar with patches, which I don't really collect.

 

The best advice for documents, images etc I have seen here. :)I couldn't agree more- I have been using t mylar sleeves and acid free comic boards and bags for years for my letters and other ephemera

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