Palmetto Pony
Sr. Member
- Aug 21, 2016
- 265
- 337
- Detector(s) used
- XP Deus /Teknetics T2 Classic/Garrett Pro Pointer II
- Primary Interest:
- Relic Hunting
A little over a month ago I posted a button I found while out with VMI Digger. It was an Indian Wars era general service 2 piece with a Scovill back mark. Unfortunately it had been damaged at some point and the shank was missing, though I was still thrilled with the find. I had done an initial cleaning on it when I posted the pics.
I have now been able to get a bottle of Loctite brand Aluminum Jelly Cleaner & Brightener. It's somewhat thinner than Naval Jelly and not as caustic. Great stuff for gilt and it was no exception in this case. Though the button was damaged it still had a good bit of gold gilt remaining and I didn't want to lose any in the cleaning process. A gentle dabbing with the Jelly on a q-tip, followed by a rinse in clean warm water really helped it. While the dirt and crud was gone from the initially cleaning, some green remained. The Jelly quickly removed it and brought a nice shine out in the remaining gilt. No lose or damage was suffered and it actually brought out more detail. Here's the initial cleaning and the final cleaning:
Initial soap and water-
After Aluminum Jelly-
I'm really pleased with the results though I had some difficulty in obtaining the Aluminum Jelly. My local hardware store tried to order it for me only to later find out it's being discontinued. I found a place (a hardware place in New York), on Ebay that listed it so I bought two bottles. Just a heads up there because it may not be around much longer!
I have now been able to get a bottle of Loctite brand Aluminum Jelly Cleaner & Brightener. It's somewhat thinner than Naval Jelly and not as caustic. Great stuff for gilt and it was no exception in this case. Though the button was damaged it still had a good bit of gold gilt remaining and I didn't want to lose any in the cleaning process. A gentle dabbing with the Jelly on a q-tip, followed by a rinse in clean warm water really helped it. While the dirt and crud was gone from the initially cleaning, some green remained. The Jelly quickly removed it and brought a nice shine out in the remaining gilt. No lose or damage was suffered and it actually brought out more detail. Here's the initial cleaning and the final cleaning:
Initial soap and water-
After Aluminum Jelly-
I'm really pleased with the results though I had some difficulty in obtaining the Aluminum Jelly. My local hardware store tried to order it for me only to later find out it's being discontinued. I found a place (a hardware place in New York), on Ebay that listed it so I bought two bottles. Just a heads up there because it may not be around much longer!
