12A54 Posted April 27, 2020 Share #1 Posted April 27, 2020 This is a family member's dog tag (101st Airborne WWII) just given to me last week. Blackened, green oxidation, etc. Tag and ball chain are in pretty bad shape and I don't want to damage them when cleaning or restoring. Any advice would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted April 27, 2020 Share #2 Posted April 27, 2020 Do not clean it. It is perfect the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfields Posted April 27, 2020 Share #3 Posted April 27, 2020 Agreed….please do not clean it! The amount of oxidation and wear it shows screams history! Kim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12A54 Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share #4 Posted April 27, 2020 3 minutes ago, kfields said: Agreed….please do not clean it! The amount of oxidation and wear it shows screams history! Kim I understand, but to me it screams neglect more than history. It looks like she stored it in a damp dirty place and no one took care of it. It's not as if this were dug up or looked like this when he wore it - it became this way through neglect. This condition seems to suggest it will continue to decay over time if left uncleaned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan H. Posted April 27, 2020 Share #5 Posted April 27, 2020 It is your tag, so you should do what you want to do with it. If you truly want to clean it, I would suggest a quick dunk in some CLR. It will take a lot of the oxidation off of it pretty fast and shouldn't cause issues with the metal. You could also use a soft bristle toothbrush and some soap and water to knock off the more serious verdigris but still leave patina. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbranch Posted April 27, 2020 Share #6 Posted April 27, 2020 Mild soap, water, and a soft bristle brush. Clean gently and afterwards store properly. It has lasted almost 80 years even with the neglect. It will last much much longer. No need to use chemical cleaners that may damage the artifact. The worst thing that could be done is aggressive mechanical or chemical removal of the oxidation/corrosion, which could damage the tags themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lerenfort Posted April 27, 2020 Share #7 Posted April 27, 2020 Hope you are able to post some info on the owner in the future, I'm sure I am not the only one who would like to know more about which regiment he was in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12A54 Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share #8 Posted April 28, 2020 15 hours ago, Simon Lerenfort said: Hope you are able to post some info on the owner in the future, I'm sure I am not the only one who would like to know more about which regiment he was in. He was in the 101st Signal Company. That Company had Message Center, Radio, Wire, and Carrier Pigeon sections. Some jumped and some were glider borne. I don’t have too much more information - his discharge only lists an EAME medal and no others so I need to get his whole file if it exists. His uniform jacket was donated or loaned to a VFW and his daughter said she’d ask them to return it to the family - we’ll see how that turns out. At the least (if its still there) she will take photos of it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reforger Posted April 28, 2020 Share #9 Posted April 28, 2020 I would just use water and a plastic brush (don't use a wire brush or anything too hard!) and scrub it. That should get some of the outer verdigris off without damaging the tags and preserving the current condition. It is important to keep it dry in the future. I would not use chemicals or acid to clean the tag because that can discolor and/or attack the metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddyboots Posted April 29, 2020 Share #10 Posted April 29, 2020 A babies tooth brush is soft and probably won’t scratch it up. I use them on arrowheads and fossils I find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldBat Posted May 14, 2020 Share #11 Posted May 14, 2020 A friendly jeweler might be willing to help too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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