Preserving bullets

[GPAZ]

I have found some bullets from the Napoleonic wars recently and was not sure on how to clean and preserve them. I had a friend in the states that said he just lightly cleaned off the dirt from his civil war bullets so as to leave the white patina then put a clear coat of lacquer on them to preserve. My bullets have a brown crust on top of the white patina and I'm not sure what to do from here. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[BuckleBoy]

I don't lacquer anything. I just clean my Civil War bullets lightly and leave the white patina on them. Sometimes I make sure a little dirty water stays and dries to keep the bullet from looking as white as a sheet of paper. Looks a little more natural that way.

[viper771]

I just clean off the brown dirt and leave the white pantina. You know those brown army washcloths, something like that would work fine to get the dirt off, or one of those cheap fingernail brushes that have stiff bristles. The only things i ever clear coat are grapeshot, cannonball pieces, or anything bare metal.