Sivart Posted December 13, 2009 Share #1 Posted December 13, 2009 I have a medal grouping I would like to clean up. The medals were glued to a velvet backing years ago but they have come loose and have quite a bit of hard residue on the medal backs. Any suggestions? Thanks, Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collectsmedals Posted December 14, 2009 Share #2 Posted December 14, 2009 I had a similar problem with some medals and used a product called "goo-gone" with good success. I would avoid getting it on the ribbons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainofthe7th Posted December 18, 2009 Share #3 Posted December 18, 2009 I'll second that. Goo-Gone is amazing stuff. Up here in New England you can get it at a place called Christmas Tree Shops... we've always got a bottle in the pantry, it works on just about anything. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGM (ret.) Posted December 22, 2009 Share #4 Posted December 22, 2009 Try the "universal solvent" (water) first. Wrap the ribbons in a paper towel or tissue, then encapsulate in a sandwich bag, tying tight around the suspension loops with a rubber band. You might get lucky and the previous owner might have used a water-soluble glue (like Elmer's). The try water first, followed by the Goo Gone. The next solvent going up the scale might be alcohol, then mineral spirits, and lastly lacquer thinner. If the glue residue is hard and glassy, it might flake off using a tooth pick on the edges. If the residue is soft and rubbery, it might rub off using a gum eraser or your thumb. If you're getting good results flaking most of it off, a drop of WD-40 allowed to soak around the remaining spots might loosen / break the bond between the medal and the glue allowing the rest to flake off too. The medals look like the type with the "bronze" finish sprayed on, so testing to see if the thinner will affect the finish first would be wise. Use a little as possible by wiping with a cotton swab moistened in the thinner of choice. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaptonIsGod Posted December 23, 2009 Share #5 Posted December 23, 2009 I'll second that. Goo-Gone is amazing stuff. Up here in New England you can get it at a place called Christmas Tree Shops... we've always got a bottle in the pantry, it works on just about anything. Rob To chime in, it is a citrus based product that can remove basically everything and it has come in handy with pretty much anything. I'm sure WalMart or Target carries it, and if it isn't near you you can get it online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misanthropic_Gods Posted December 23, 2009 Share #6 Posted December 23, 2009 that Goo Gone is some amazing stuff, I use it all the time. I dont think it will damage the finish on the medals, but try it on a small part that isnt easily seen first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sivart Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted December 23, 2009 Thanks for the tips, I ordered some Goo Gone but it hasn't arrived yet. I decided to attack it with some H2O like SGM (ret) suggested and it did a pretty good job. Some of the really dark residue wouldn't come off, but I am hoping the Goo Gone will take care of that. Thanks again for the suggestions Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sivart Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted December 30, 2009 So after some work with a soft toothpick and a combination of water and Goo Gone, here is the result. This glue was pretty thick in some places and when I got it off it seemed to have eaten away the bronze finish of the medal. Even with the Goo Gone, some of the residue on the GCM refused to come off and I didn't want to start chipping away at the medal. Thanks again for the advice. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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