Any hope for this button ?

[dcinffxva]

What would ya'll do to try and bring some life to this eagle cuff button ? Or is it best to just leave it be ?

 

[49er]

I am no expert on this subject, but here is my two cents... Leave it as is and put it in a show box.

 

[DugHoles]

Nice find regardless.......

Cheers!

Dugholes

 

[Gribnitz]

About all you can do on those old brass buttons is try a little water and a tooth pick to try and pick off a little crud at a time. Use a good picture of a button like it and try and follow the details. Don't use a toothbrush, soap, or any other cleanser. The detail can rub right off and leave you with a smooth nothing of a button depending on how delicate it is.

 

[DaChief]

You can get some results by soaking it in olive oil for a few days. You can also give it a peroxide bath. Check out the Cleaning and Preservation Forum on Tnet on down the list for many suggestions. Here is a link to a discussion that Buckleboy has on that forum about peroxide. Olive oil or peroxide isn't going to hurt the patina on the button and will give you some pretty good results. Just don't do anything like scrubbing it with a wire brush, etc.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,117293.0.html

 

[JC dig's]

If you have found lots of other buttons I would try to freshen it up, if not I would leave it alone. It's a really nice button either way....

KDMB

 

[sneaky6]

I soak my dirty buttons in lime or lemon juice (citric acid) diluted with just a bit water for about 20-30 seconds then I start to brush it with a soft bristle toothbrush. I'll brush it a bit..take a look...then dunk it again for about 5-10 seconds and brush until I clean it up. You don't need that much juice. Just prop a bowl up on a diagonal. Put 1 or 2 oz of juice and 1 oz of water in the vessel (enough to submerse the button) and have at it.

Everyone I hunt with does the same. The only risk you run is "burning" the button by exposing it to the citric acid too long. I have never burned a button that way...but I know you can. To burn a button you have to leave it the drink for a long time to do it. That is why I dunk it for a short time and then lightly brush it. When I am done brushing, I'll do a light rinse with water, let it dry, and smear a light coat of petroleum jelly over my button.

Everyone has a different way of doing things!!! Your button might look a little worn to most, but to me it shows promise to me. Under that dirt might be a beauty!! I have seen much dirtier buttons come out looking very close to new.

Best of luck!!
Sneaky6

 

[dcinffxva]

Thanks for the replies. I'm just a little wary of messing with it too much. The outer layer is already starting to flake off at the 6:00 position. Since this is my first button, I think I'm going to just stick it in a small clear box, and put it on the shadowboard. Once I get a few more, I'll be more adventurous

The peroxide method looks like it does a pretty nice job on coins. I've just been hitting them with water, and tossing them into a bowl. Looks like it's time to clean some of them up.

The area I'm working now has produced about 50 bullets, both fired and dropped, several knapsack buckles, some large grape shot, and a nice eagle plate, so it should be good for a lot more. The only problem is that it is 5,000 acres, and my buddy and I are finding things all over the place, and not in any one concentrated area. There are plenty of other things that we've recovered, but my main area of interest is Civil War relics.

 

[sneaky6]

Hunting 5,000 acres is not a problem....it is a gift from God! You are a lucky man. Stow your dirty button away and just keep swinging and digging. You will find more buttons, but I still think the one you have will clean up.

Keep us updated! Best of luck!
Sneaky6

 

[SCMDing]

Here is a link to a button that I had which I soaked with Olive Oil and then brushed, soaked again for a day, brushed and very carefully used a toothpick on certain spots. I could also tell that there was NO gilt of any kind left on my button or I would have tried a different approach, like very light brushing and maybe some tooth-picking. Yea, I know that can be dangerous, but I am really careful

The big difference with mine was that I could tell that it was crud over detail. Yours looks like it may be the button that is coming apart.

I think that it is awesome the way it is personally.

If you scroll down on my post, you will see an after pic.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,63433.0/topicseen.html

Congrats on your find. I am actually hoping to get our tomorrow!!

 

[DCMDer]

Good choice. Definitley leave it as is. It's a nice button and too much tampering will ruin it. I'll be more than happy to help you with your"problem" 5000 acres

DC Brad

 

[allen]

put it in a display case...nice find

 

[dcinffxva]

Good choice. Definitley leave it as is. It's a nice button and too much tampering will ruin it. I'll be more than happy to help you with your"problem" 5000 acres

DC Brad

Brad,

I wish I could. I ended up lucking in to this site, because it was a neighbor of a co-worker that owns it. When I met the guy he told me specifically to not bring anyone else on to his property, so I've respected his wishes there, but it's a huge amount of land to cover, and some rough terrain. It would be a lot easier to get a couple of people beating the bushes, and finding the really hot spots.

DC

 

[Montana Jim]

I've cleaned a lot of buttons...

Olive oil works great... really great - but it will seep olive oil for the next several years... icky.

Peroxide is clean and works well... I'd try that first - it's not gonna hurt anything.

Toothpicks are great advise.

Yer button looks like all the detail may still be there someplace... I dunno about value - but it's not gonna hurt it to clean it. I have thrown ALL caution to the wind on terrible buttons and just went with a toothbrush and some kitched cleaners... like Simple Green... LOL Fast results, no real damage to speak of... rinse well, enjoy the button.

Truthfully... if you are gonna keep it and not sell it - who cares what you use? The standard Eagle button is generally NOT valuable at all in that condition -

My 2 cents.

If you have found lots of other buttons I would try to freshen it up, if not I would leave it alone. It's a really nice button either way....

KDMB

I like this advise.