How to Clean Buttons

[RPG]

OK guys. I need a little help here.

I found this button in the hay field last weekend quite a ways from the homesite. It was in a place that stays very wet during the winter and very dry during the summer and very deep. The dirt is like concrete on it. Toothpick wore down to a nub and didn't even scratch the crud. Today I boiled it in peroxide for four hours hoping to see a backmark. The first pic is before and the last two are after the peroxide. As you can see, there is still a lot of the concrete like stuff still on it. should I keep boiling it or is it a lost cause that I should just leave as is? I'm pretty sure it's brass as the front has a dark green patina. It also looks like it is cast. What do you think?

 

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[Iron Patch]

Sent you a message. That sure is a crusty one! Reminds me of a copper I've had for several years which I planned to slowly clean, but never got started on it.

 

[BuckleBoy]

RPG,

To be honest, I have no experience with a button this encased. In the past when I have found buttons with concretions on them, there was a chink in their armor, so to speak. And I was able to get in under and pick off the crud after some hard work. So my advice is this: if the front is partly exposed, start there, and work your way around the edges to the back. You might also want to try boiling then cooling in an icy bath immediately, back and forth several times to see if the crud will loosen. Then right after the last ice cold bath, try tapping it with a cutlery handle to see if any of it will chip off. There is no risk to the shank at this point since it appears to be broken off.

Keep me posted on how the cleaning is going.



Regards,


Buckles

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

I dug this early civilian two piece button today. The aluminum jelly worked like magic!

The photos do not do this one justice! It looks much better in person.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I dug this early civilian two piece button today. The aluminum jelly worked like magic!

The photos do not do this one justice! It looks much better in person.

That's a beauty of a button. Well done! I have a cool flower button and two gold plated wedding bands to add to this thread. Also aluminum jelly jobs...


-Buckles

 

[BuckleBoy]

Here's another before/after. Aluminum Jelly and some patient, slow work:











Best Wishes,


Buckles

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Another beauty of a button!.

It recently occurred to me that many more buttons still have gilt than you would think. I know try aluminum jelly on nearly every decent button I dig. I wonder how many of the thousands found that I may have ruined with peroxide over the years.

 

[Don in SJ]

Another beauty of a button!.

It recently occurred to me that many more buttons still have gilt than you would think. I know try aluminum jelly on nearly every decent button I dig. I wonder how many of the thousands found that I may have ruined with peroxide over the years.

Have no idea what you are talking about peroxide ruining a gilt button, it works great on gilt buttons............................

The only buttons you should not try peroxide on are the fragile, disintegrating pewter buttons, solid ones can be done in peroxide if you are careful and know what you are doing.

Don

 

[Iron Patch]

Another beauty of a button!.

It recently occurred to me that many more buttons still have gilt than you would think. I know try aluminum jelly on nearly every decent button I dig. I wonder how many of the thousands found that I may have ruined with peroxide over the years.

Peroxide is actually the safe way to test for gilt because if there's none, you can pop it out and keep the green patina. That was exactly the case when the Patriot was here and dug this 1700s Navy... it was impossible to tell if there was any gilt left, or how much, and if I had gone straight to something like the jelly you would now be looking at a dark ugly button with only traces of gilt. It's the jelly that's the risk not peroxide!

 

[BuckleBoy]

I agree with IP and Don. If the button is not one where I have to see the backmark to determine if it is CW era or not, valuable or not, I use peroxide to remove the dirt and get to the gilding, and then aluminum jelly to brighten that gilding. I still try not to dip my 2 pieces in anything liquid if they are compromised or torn by the plow. So a combination of both methods works well. If the backmark is something that I have to see to learn about the button, I still use aluminum jelly first, then after the back is dry I toothpick the back.

Regards,


Buckles

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

I agree with IP and Don. If the button is not one where I have to see the backmark to determine if it is CW era or not, valuable or not, I use peroxide to remove the dirt and get to the gilding, and then aluminum jelly to brighten that gilding. I still try not to dip my 2 pieces in anything liquid if they are compromised or torn by the plow. So a combination of both methods works well. If the backmark is something that I have to see to learn about the button, I still use aluminum jelly first, then after the back is dry I toothpick the back.

Regards,


Buckles

Thanks for the tips guys! I guess I have just gotten lucky lately, finding buttons with gilt left. I found very few in the past.

On another note, I tried to clean this CW Scovill Navy button that I found on Saturday. The dirt is like concrete on this one. Do you think I am better off leaving it as is, or would repeat treatments of aluminum help?

 

[Iron Patch]

I agree with IP and Don. If the button is not one where I have to see the backmark to determine if it is CW era or not, valuable or not, I use peroxide to remove the dirt and get to the gilding, and then aluminum jelly to brighten that gilding. I still try not to dip my 2 pieces in anything liquid if they are compromised or torn by the plow. So a combination of both methods works well. If the backmark is something that I have to see to learn about the button, I still use aluminum jelly first, then after the back is dry I toothpick the back.

Regards,


Buckles

Thanks for the tips guys! I guess I have just gotten lucky lately, finding buttons with gilt left. I found very few in the past.

On another note, I tried to clean this CW Scovill Navy button that I found on Saturday. The dirt is like concrete on this one. Do you think I am better off leaving it as is, or would repeat treatments of aluminum help?

Lemon juice will cut through the crud pretty good. I might do some of the work with peroxide first just to cut down the soak time... but it does look like it has lots of gilt so should be fine. That's one I would definitely clean.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I would clean that one as well--and IP is on the right track. It will take some soaking to loosen the crud, and some gentle persistence. Lemon juice is a possibility. Make sure you check on it frequently if you leave it in. But the gilding looks intact, so it should clean up just fine.

-Buckles

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Here is another beauty; a flat button cleaned using the toothpick method. A good example of the cleaning on a great early 1800's back mark!

 

[BuckleBoy]

Here is another beauty; a flat button cleaned using the toothpick method. A good example of the cleaning on a great early 1800's back mark!

Great photo of that backmark, and an excellent job toothpicking that button! We'd gotten on a bit of an aluminum jelly kick recently, and it's nice to see a good toothpicked example posted. That backmark would be faint or even impossible to see if you'd used water on it. Nice work!

Toothpicking works on just about anything that is brass with a design on it. I even used it on a powder flask with excellent results.


Best Wishes,


Buckles

 

[VERDI-CHEMIST]

I'm glad I joined this forum! There's some excellent information in this thread. I'm a chemist/coin collector, I specialize in copper corrosion/verdigris conservation.....but only for coins. I never gave thought to all the folks that conserve other copper/brass items. This button thread is an eye-opener for me!

I'm currently writing a book called Copper Coin Verdigris that explores all the chemical aspects of copper corrosion, including conservation techniques. I hope to contribute to the forum and share my knowledge. 8)

 

[BuckleBoy]

I'm glad I joined this forum! There's some excellent information in this thread. I'm a chemist/coin collector, I specialize in copper corrosion/verdigris conservation.....but only for coins. I never gave thought to all the folks that conserve other copper/brass items. This button thread is an eye-opener for me!

I'm currently writing a book called Copper Coin Verdigris that explores all the chemical aspects of copper corrosion, including conservation techniques. I hope to contribute to the forum and share my knowledge. 8)

It's a pleasure to hear from you. I look forward to your posts. And WELCOME to TREASURENET

 

[VERDI-CHEMIST]

Thank you sir! ...and thank you for this interesting button thread! 8)

 

[nyiangelo]

Here's my attempt at Naval Jelley. It really cleaned this shoe buckle up. Maybe to much, because in person it looks brand new.

 

[Iron Patch]

Here's my attempt at Naval Jelley. It really cleaned this shoe buckle up. Maybe to much, because in person it looks brand new.

As long as that's gilt or silver plate it's good. There's no in between for that condition... it's either leave it as is, or clean it so it shines.