Some cleaning liquids everyone should have

[bigredone]

There are a few items everyone should have.

 

Deoxit - Deoxit is made by a company that was once called Caig and is now renamed Deoxit. Their web page is www.deoxit.com. This liquid helps restore corroded electrical connections.

 

Goo Gone - Liquid cleaner good for removing stickers and marker marks.

 

Rubber Rejuvenator - www.mcminone.com sells it. Made for folks servicing printing equipment and computer printers, since the little platens that move paper dry out. Also good for any rubber product, though I don't know how effective it is on larger older items. Will it restore a dried up gas mask?

 

Ink Removed - also at www.mcminone.com - will take the ink off a sheet of paper, plus whatever else you want removed. Wipe off your item with a wet cloth after applying the ink remover, since its pretty caustic.

 

Keep plenty of q-tips handy.

[jhs1970426]

Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with the Goo Gone? Will it remove/damage any factory stamps on web gear and packs?

[bigredone]

It can. Goo gone will mark plastics if you don't wipe it off quickly.

 

Goo Gone is great for removing stickers cuz it melts the glue. I put labels on dvds then found the labels made them unplayable. Soaking the labels in goo gone let me peel off the labels.

 

Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with the Goo Gone? Will it remove/damage any factory stamps on web gear and packs?

[doyler]

It will remove some forms of paint and also fade or take the color out of webb gear if not very careful.

 

RON

[Bob Hudson]

Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with the Goo Gone? Will it remove/damage any factory stamps on web gear and packs?

 

I've used it with great results for removing paints, magic marker and other stuff from canvas gear, metal canteens and helmets and all sorts of stuff. I usually soak a green scotchbrite pad with it and rub in a circular motion: by carefully putting pressure on it, you can remove something over old paint without removing the old paint itself. Except something like a helmet shell, I generally use it for local cleaning and stay away from stamped labels.

[gwb123]

Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with the Goo Gone? Will it remove/damage any factory stamps on web gear and packs?

 

 

Goo Gone is great for removing the adhesive used for price labels put on books. I just let it soak a minute and then gently rub. This is for something recently published with a gloss cover... I am not sure how it would work on a vintage publication.

[steamer98]

Whats the best way to remove stains from uniforms? I have an M1941 jacktet which has a large dark drown stain on the shoulder which I would love to remove. Any ideas?

[Bluehawk]

This is great information! Thank you...

 

The standard procedure among conservators is to begin by using the LEAST powerful solvent first and then move slowly up the scale of solvents until one works without damaging the artifact.

 

For example, begin with water, then go to castille soap with water, then to denatured or isopropyl alcohol, then to mineral spirits and etc.

[bigredone]

Use a light brush or even an unused velvet cleaning tool used for vinyl records. Then vacuum the area with the lowest setting and a piece of muslin secured over the nozzle. You can get a lot of dirt off that way.

 

Also, use deionized bottled water to wet the area then leave a dry fabric over it. (and beneath it, if its a thin item.) The dry fabric (clean dry non bleached muslin) will draw material away from the stain.

 

Steam can do some good, if the fabric can handle the high temperature. Make sure you use a steam iron that doesn't require salt to work, since the salt can recrystallize in the fibers and do a lot of damage. Probably not a museum recommended procedure to use steam, so use your best judgment. Museum procedures assume the item is terribly rare and fragile.

 

Bluehawk can recommend the best cleaning detergents to use. I'm sure there are several safe materials available online.

 

 

This is great information! Thank you...

 

The standard procedure among conservators is to begin by using the LEAST powerful solvent first and then move slowly up the scale of solvents until one works without damaging the artifact.

 

For example, begin with water, then go to castille soap with water, then to denatured or isopropyl alcohol, then to mineral spirits and etc.

[longs231]

What about very wrinkled (hard to read) paper. Do you think I could take a warm iron to it?

[longs231]

.

[Bluehawk]

What about very wrinkled (hard to read) paper. Do you think I could take a warm iron to it?

Depends on what kind of paper, mostly.

 

You can try the warm iron, but it probably won't work without SOME kind of very light moisture included.

 

Wrinkling is, essentially, a condition where you are trying to "relax the fibres"... so, heat and weight is not enough, usually.

 

We know that ALL paper (as far as I know) is made using water, so it can absorb a modest amount of clean water (distilled is trustworthy) nicely.

 

One method I've seen work well is to take a piece of ordinary window screening (plastic is neutral, no metal involved), place that on top of your piece of paper with the backside of the paper up, then apply light cotton (white T-shirts work well) fabric or even a paper towel type stuff over the screen, and using the lightest steam function of your iron go over it in a series of passes until it relaxes - IF the pigment/printing is not water-based. Do this on a hard surface, not on the ironing board or on a towel etc.

 

Afterward, I usually remove the screening material and lay some heavy weight, like a big book or something, on top of the sandwich until it dries to set the flattening. If you leave the screening next to the paper, it can leave an impression in the paper.

 

Problems occur depending on whatever the print pigment is made of - i.e. is it petroleum based, or is it a polymer based? If those two, then plain water won't normally bleed the print.

 

If water based ink/pigment, then it WILL dissolve/bleed with water or just about any other solvent.

 

To ascertain whether a pigment is or is not water based, my suggestion would be to ask fellow USMF member hhbooker2 - an expert in printing techniques.

 

As for detergents, THE absolute least likely to cause problems or leave residue is readily available castille soap. It isn't petroleum based. We used it on the flightline to test flammable lines for air leaks.

 

There are some other more exotic conservation detergents, but most of us won't be getting into that degree of restoration.

 

bigred's listing on this thread is really a useful thing...

 

p.s.

There ARE some contemporary paper stocks that have a quantity of polymer (i.e. plastic) mixed in or coated with... especially photographic papers. Those will respond to heat better than the traditional kind. The only way to be sure is to use a very strong magnifying glass - if you see fibres, then at least most of the paper is organic - i.e. not plastic.

[J_Andrews]

A Smithsonian conservator once recommended using Woolite and a little potato-scrubbing type fine bristle plastic brush (found in kitchen stores) on WWII wool and sheepskin (as with flight gear). But FIRST use a clean brush with medium-soft bristles to lift any crud that is stuck on the surface of the nap. The, SECOND use a vaccum cleaner, like a Dust Buster, in cioncert with its own brush (if good and clean) or the one used above. Woolite foams up with COLD or COOL water; do not use hot water. And try not to soak the material or get it too wet -- dewy moist is good. Use terry cloth or paper towels to blot up the moisture, then let air dry while in some semblance the desired shape.

[tredhed2]

There are a few items everyone should have.

 

Deoxit - Deoxit is made by a company that was once called Caig and is now renamed Deoxit. Their web page is www.deoxit.com. This liquid helps restore corroded electrical connections.

 

Goo Gone - Liquid cleaner good for removing stickers and marker marks.

 

Rubber Rejuvenator - www.mcminone.com sells it. Made for folks servicing printing equipment and computer printers, since the little platens that move paper dry out. Also good for any rubber product, though I don't know how effective it is on larger older items. Will it restore a dried up gas mask?

 

Ink Removed - also at www.mcminone.com - will take the ink off a sheet of paper, plus whatever else you want removed. Wipe off your item with a wet cloth after applying the ink remover, since its pretty caustic.

 

Keep plenty of q-tips handy.

 

Have you or anytone tried deoxit (or anything else) on tarnished bullion insignia? If so, how did you use it?

[Bluehawk]

Have you or anytone tried deoxit (or anything else) on tarnished bullion insignia? If so, how did you use it?

One traditional suggestion would be to: a) use as little as possible, use Q-tips, c) test it on a sample you don't care about first, d) neutralize it after use by going over it lightly with damp water Q-tip

[Bluehawk]

Deoxit seems fairly inert, since it can be used on electronics.

 

Link:

http://store.caig.com/s.nl;jsessionid=0a01...;it=I&id=64

[gunbunny]

Lighter fluid is great for removing ink, glue residue, crayon, etc. from paper. An antique dealer friend clued me into that one. I've used it on book covers, old model kit box tops, etc. It works and will not leave a stain. It evaporates completely. Again, test it first on a non-critical area of whatever your attempting to clean. I was skeptical when I was told about it but it definitely does "as advertised".

 

Another stand-by is plain old ammonia. This can be used as a non-abrasive cleaner for brass. Before trying Brasso on tarnished or verdigrised brass try a little ammonia with a Q-tip or toothbrush. This will often remove most of the tarnish without risking damage to the raised details of whatever your cleaning.

 

As for cleaning bullion insignia, The WWII Navy Officers Guide recommends potassium cyanide. I definitely WOULD NOT recommend that product!!!

[jhs1970426]

What about Armor All? Being that Armor All is good to use on car interiors, like dash pads and trim and seats, and keeps everything from being dried out by UV and all, would be ok to use on certian to keep leather and plastics from drying out? I havent used it on my military stuff yet, just wanted to check with the experts first

[Bluehawk]

What about Armor All? Being that Armor All is good to use on car interiors, like dash pads and trim and seats, and keeps everything from being dried out by UV and all, would be ok to use on certian to keep leather and plastics from drying out? I havent used it on my military stuff yet, just wanted to check with the experts first

I wouldn't.

 

High quality wax or non-petroleum based oil is much better, emphasis on HIGH.

 

With plastic, sun is the #1 enemy.

[J_Andrews]

Navy/USMC exchanges USED to sell "Braid-Nu" which was for cleaning gold braid, such as on Navy officers' cuffs and shoulder boards, plues service dres chn straps. I never had use for it, but another collector used it on WWI| and prior bullion stuff with good results. I have no idea if has gone the way of the dodo bird, red lead primer and carbon tetrachloride cleaning fluid or not.