How to Clean Buttons

[ONE-PIECE BUTTONS ("FLAT BUTTONS") WITH BACKMARKS]

Hello All,


I thought I'd share a few tips I've learned over the years on cleaning both one-piece and two-piece buttons.  

ONE-PIECE BUTTONS ("FLAT BUTTONS") WITH BACKMARKS

First off, let me talk about flat buttons.  There are millions of these underground, and most folks don't give 'em much thought.  I love finding them, because I know that I'm on an old site, and I'll probably find old coins and other cool relics.  

The lowly flat button can be pretty interesting, though.  The backs of them have either a maker's mark (company name) or just a quality mark.  Both types of marks on the reverse of buttons are called "backmarks" in general.  Quality marks were the manufacturer's way of promoting their product.  Typical quality marks are "Extra Rich," "Rich Gold Color (or "Colour"), "Treble Gilt," "Best Orange Gilt," or any combination of those words ("Extra Orange Gilt," for example).  

Now the quality marks frequently don't tell us much, but maker's marks can date a site.  (I'd recommend the Tice book on buttons for some good info on button manufacturers and dates of manufacture.)  The big problem is being able to identify your buttons.  I used to use water and a toothbrush on them, and through the years I've realized that this method isn't all that great.  Many times, I ended up with something that looked like this:



So here's what I do...  First I get a toothpick or wooden skewer.  (I prefer wooden shish kebab skewers by far)  Then I hold the edge of the skewer flat against the back of the button (as if I were holding a charcoal stick and making a rubbing of the button).  Do this cleaning method Without water--the button must be perfectly dry.  



What this does is it keeps the patina in the grooves where the backmark is stamped.  (A toothbrush removes all of this patina, and you're left with no contrast to aid in reading the backmark!)  The finished product looks like this:



If the backmark/quality mark is Raised rather than stamped in, you'll have to scrape the corrosion off until you start to see the tops of the letters.  Don't go any deeper into the corrosion than that--but when you have a rough idea of what it says, you can then work on individual letters as-needed.  Afterwards, you can rub the high points with the oil on your fingers to bring out the design even more.  Here's an example, with the typical "groove" with its raised quality mark inside:



In some cases, you have to be gentle with the toothpicking--especially if there is still gilding clinging to the grooves of a stamped-in backmark.  This last remaining gilding is the only thing left that will allow you to read the mark easily.  Here's a "toothpicked" example:



Sometimes civilian flat buttons have other interesting designs, like this button:



(If I'd taken a toothbrush and water to it, I'd have never ended up with such great contrast between the design and the background)

ONE PIECE FLAT BUTTONS WITHOUT BACKMARKS

These are the older flat buttons--colonial types without backmarks, what our British friends refer to as "Dandy" Buttons (Very large flat Colonial-Era buttons), etc.

If you're certain there is no backmark, and the button is one-piece and made of brass--Peroxide method works well.

TOMBAC BUTTONS

Tombac buttons are named for the alloy they're made from--an alloy of copper and zinc.  They come out of the ground with a silvery or gun-metal colored shine.  Due to their coloration, some detectorists confuse them with pewter buttons or even silver ones.  I know of no way (yet!) to remove green corrosion from Tombacs.  Aluminum Jelly seems to cure tombac buttons of light tarnish.

Most of the time, Tombacs come up fairly clean--but in Virginia I recall finding some Tombacs that looked like iron...the crusty coating on them resisted toothbrushing--and for a while they sat in a display case with me thinking they were in fact iron buttons...I had to chip the encrustation off with a toothpick, revealing the shiny tombac underneath.

PEWTER BUTTONS

These must be cleaned Very carefully.  I usually place them in a Ziploc baggie to keep them moist after finding them, then take them home and soak and gently toothpick them--using care around the edges (which will typically start to flake over time).  After cleaning and THOROUGH drying, these must be coated with a thin coat of urethane (painted on and then thinned out across the front of the button) to preserve them and prevent them from continuing to flake away.  Some have had good results with painting several coats of a 50/50 mixture of Elmer's Glue and water on them to stabilize the flaking away of the edges of the buttons.  

FOR BUTTONS WITH GOLD GILDING

If you find a button that has lots of gold gilding that you'd like to keep, I'd recommend either Aluminum Jelly or Naval Jelly.  DO NOT toothbrush these.  This holds true for both one-piece AND two-piece buttons with a good bit of gilding remaining.  Apply the product to the button.  Let it sit for about a minute and gently swirl it around with toothpick.  The crust will melt away from the surface of the gold.  Use multiple applications until the button's remaining gilding is fully revealed.  When it's done it's work, rinse it thoroughly with a little soap to neutralize the acid in the Jelly.  (Also do this if you stop work on the button for an extended amount of time.)  I hold a cake of soap in my other hand in between the tap and the button, so that the soapy water falls over the button.  I don't apply soap directly to the button--just the water run-off.    Important:  This process can take a long time--depending on the detail on the button.  I have spent several hours on the civilian button below--but I spend comparatively little time with gilded flat buttons.  When you swirl with the toothpick, you'll be able to feel the smooth gilding underneath the dirt.  Don't push "into" the gilding--just ride the toothpick along on top of it.  Also, toothpick from areas with gilding Toward areas without gilding.  (That way you don't pull up the gold that is left.)  The more patient and gentle you are with the process, the more gilding will be left.  Also Important:  If you need to see the backmark on the back, and intend to do the front of a gilded button with aluminum jelly, then if the back has no gilding I advise that you do the aluminum jelly work on the front FIRST.  Then let the button dry completely before you toothpick the back.  Any time you use water, toothpicking runs the risk of losing the backmark.

Used with care and patience, Aluminum or Naval Jelly will give you results like this:  

Civil War Federal Artillery Button:



And an 1850s civilian button--first photo is after preliminary cleaning.  Second photo is after two hours of off-and-on careful work with aluminum jelly.  The secret is to put the jelly on, then gently swirl away the crust:





TWO-PIECE BUTTONS WITHOUT GILDING

First off, DO NOT use olive oil on these buttons!!  It will be absorbed into the button, and it will leak out for YEARS.  Oil will also make the button more fragile.  In some cases, even water can cause a two-piece button to disintegrate--so use your best judgement.  I've started using just a dry toothbrush on these--if they have a protective "crust" on them--and I've had good results.  I've then touched-up the design with toothpicks and used the oil from my fingers to bring out the design.  Here's an example:



Two-piece buttons are all different.  I've had the best luck with these methods in cases where there is a protective "crust" over the whole button.  Heavy corrosion and rust globules are another matter entirely, and I have no easy answer for you in those cases.

Soil type has a lot to do with it too--as well as the presence or absence of fertilizer.  Some buttons are just beyond help, like this crusty CW Eagle dug from a heavily-fertilized field in KY:



Toothpicking will work on most  brass items with a designs that you'd like to be able to read.  I use the same methods for cleaning up suspender clips that I find.  I also use it on wick turners off old oil lanterns and the front of toe taps (where there are frequently patent dates found).  

Be sure you try any cleaning method listed here on a less valuable find first.  Experimentation is of highest importance before you attempt to clean any button of high value.  I swear by all of the methods above, and if used correctly they should at the very least increase the display quality of your buttons.  In many cases, proper cleaning must be used to preserve the gold gilding, read the backmarks, etc.  

There are buttons out there worth hundreds or thousands of dollars--and some valuable buttons look like normal flat buttons except for the backmark.  So knowing what you have is important.

In the photo of the three Civil War buttons below, I used three different cleaning methods.  Aluminum Jelly on the Artillery button on the left.  Dry toothpicking, and the oil from my fingertips to bring out the raised design on the one in the middle.  And I used a dry toothbrush on the one on the right.


There are other examples of my cleaning methods in replies to this post below.  


Best of Luck,


Buckleboy



 

Great post Buck
    Thanks for the tips

I have used olive oil in the past and learned too late that it was a bad idea on my buttons.   

I agree with you 100 percent on that advice.

Great job Buckles.

Brillant post! This is the best I've ever seen for cleaning valuable finds.

i found the button cleaning tips are greatly appreciated...I have taken patina off of more than one button..... and now have no way to figure out info on the relic... it is always great when someone who is good at things shares the knowledge and experience with those of us who need it!

BB,
Fantastic post. Great info and pictures. I'm guilty of being one of the water and toothbrush guys too. I'll have to try the jelly and toothpick methods next time.
Thanks for the info.
-Doug-

I just had to add these photos of a CW-Era general staff button (before and after).  I thought this button was toast when I found it...I figured that it was fertilizer and cow urine disaster...but I used aluminum jelly and after about an hour of delicate work on it, I got the following results:





And the newest Excellent button for the Brigade:  DiggerGirl recently found this William Henry Harrison campaign button (1840 presidential election).  It is quite a valuable button--more valuable than any of the Union CW buttons I've found.  Here are the before and after photos. 







Regards,


Buckles

BB,
You are the button master.  That is amazing.  Great job on that beauty.
-MM-

Great job Buckles!   

Button fingers   

Great job Will.....as usual.

KFB

great post I have wondered about how to do this ...and now I learn about the olive oil..too late, but thats ok because my last button was beyond help anyway.

Great thread!

Everytime I look at your finds I think about how much I wish I lived down south.

Most of Michigan is the graveyard of THing.

Oh well, maybe I can dig an Avon ring today

BuckleBoy,
I cannot wait to try your method on a button. Now all I need to do is find one or two. Do you think this method would work for copper coins, all coins in general? I concede that the coin should be very worn, corroded, dirty and would not be of numismatic value.

Ed D.

Great thread!

Everytime I look at your finds I think about how much I wish I lived down south.

Most of Michigan is the graveyard of THing.

Oh well, maybe I can dig an Avon ring today

Or a copper culture point!   

BuckleBoy,
I cannot wait to try your method on a button. Now all I need to do is find one or two. Do you think this method would work for copper coins, all coins in general? I concede that the coin should be very worn, corroded, dirty and would not be of numismatic value.

Ed D.

Ed,

I wouldn't try either the toothpicking or the aluminum jelly on a coin.  The jelly will remove the patina chemically (and will likely result in detail lost), and the toothpicking could remove patina as well.  I only use peroxide on my copper coins. 

If you need any more information, please feel free to send me a PM.


Regards,


Buckleboy

Thanks for the tips on cleaning buttons, BB.  I will bookmark this post.  I am sure I will refer back to it ofter!

thank you, buckleboy. I'll try the peroxide method to try to clean it up. also, I believe I found one of those tombac buttons at a neighbor's house on my road; it looks very similar to the ones you posted. I thought it was the back half of a two-piece button because it has that shiny, gun metal color. it has a little breakage on the edges, so I assume it's brittle. I'm having some trouble posting pictures; my camera is broken so I'm reduced to borrowing a friend's camera, and he really doesn't like loaning it out. I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as I can. again, thanks for the information.

thank you, buckleboy. I'll try the peroxide method to try to clean it up. also, I believe I found one of those tombac buttons at a neighbor's house on my road; it looks very similar to the ones you posted. I thought it was the back half of a two-piece button because it has that shiny, gun metal color. it has a little breakage on the edges, so I assume it's brittle. I'm having some trouble posting pictures; my camera is broken so I'm reduced to borrowing a friend's camera, and he really doesn't like loaning it out. I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as I can. again, thanks for the information.

Try the toothpick lightly at first to see if it's Tombac.  If it's brass (with no backmark), peroxide should work well.

After seeing some photos of Tombacs in my links on your thread, you should be able to tell if it's Tombac or not.  Sounds like the other one you found most certainly is tombac--when the plow gets them, they break rather than bending.

Good luck!  Can't wait to see it after it's ready for the display case!  


-Buckles

Will, I really never used Aluminum Jelly too much, mainly for the reason, I do not find too many gilt buttons with anything worth left on them, and the other reason I did not know I had Aluminum Jelly in my garage, found out I got some given to me many years ago. Sooo, I gave it a whirl......  The button on this post was cleaned with peroxide first a few years back, then today I tried the Aluminum Jelly.

Nice results........

Don

Nice results........

Don

I'll say!  Well done, Don!  I'm sure there are other treasures in your button bins waiting to reflect a little sunlight. 

That one's a beauty.   


-Buckles

Great post Buckleboy!  I really enjoyed reading it all and will try it soon on some of my million buttons! 
I need to know your peroxide method, but I asked you that in another message.

What I would like to know now is what is Aluminum Jelly or Naval Jelly? 
I guess those are products you can buy in the USA, maybe I could find them here if I have more information.  Are their brands that I should look for?

Great post Buckleboy!  I really enjoyed reading it all and will try it soon on some of my million buttons! 
I need to know your peroxide method, but I asked you that in another message.

What I would like to know now is what is Aluminum Jelly or Naval Jelly? 
I guess those are products you can buy in the USA, maybe I could find them here if I have more information.  Are their brands that I should look for?

A brand of Aluminum Jelly is "Duro" and it is a gel that contains Phosphoric acid.  (I'm not sure what percent concentration...)



I hope this helps,



Buckleboy

Great post Buckleboy!  I really enjoyed reading it all and will try it soon on some of my million buttons! 
I need to know your peroxide method, but I asked you that in another message.

What I would like to know now is what is Aluminum Jelly or Naval Jelly? 
I guess those are products you can buy in the USA, maybe I could find them here if I have more information.  Are their brands that I should look for?

A brand of Aluminum Jelly is "Duro" and it is a gel that contains Phosphoric acid.  (I'm not sure what percent concentration...)

I hope this helps,
Buckleboy

Thanks for the info, will look around, if I can't find it my relatives in the USA will send it to me....

Here is another example of cleaning a gilded button with Aluminum Jelly.  I may do a video and post it on this thread in the future.



Before:




After:




Regards,


Buckleboy

Here is another example of cleaning a gilded button with Aluminum Jelly.  I may do a video and post it on this thread in the future.



Before:

[ ERROR: SPECIFIED ATTACHMENT MISSING ]


After:

[ ERROR: SPECIFIED ATTACHMENT MISSING ]


Regards,


Buckleboy

Dang BB.    That button came out great. 
You sure this wasn't you back in the 80's? 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/c0iYrJwqNrM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/c0iYrJwqNrM</a>
-MM-

Dang BB.    That button came out great. 
You sure this wasn't you back in the 80's? 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/c0iYrJwqNrM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/c0iYrJwqNrM</a>
-MM-

LOL, MM!


You got me.  I'm really using Tarn-X, but telling y'all to go through hours of painstaking work to get those buttons looking nice.   

I feel like I've been cleaning KY state seal buttons for Weeks now.     And still not done, but getting there.  Which reminds me--I have a post to make tonight.   


Best Wishes,


Buckles

SWEET .... Thanks for the tips  , it will help alot... WTG .

Great post! Now bookmarked. Thanks

I finally made it to the hardware store and purchased some aluminum jelly.  It works great on silver plated buttons too!!

Here is a mid to late 19th century plated button I found in August.   This one had most of the plating remaining.  I think I overdid it a bit on the button back.  I tried it with a Qtip to reach the recessed back and it may not be a good idea.  The picture of the front does not do it justice!!

Nice work, Neil!

Excellent job on the front of that button!  Did you use toothpick on the front and Q-tip on the back?  Cause if so, then the Q-tip was what took off a bit of the gold on the back, not the jelly.  It won't react with the gold.    But overall, a Fantastic job--and a nice display item now.  (I love a good button display.  Seeing that GOLD and SILVER glimmering in the case    )


Regards,


Buckles

Nice work, Neil!

Excellent job on the front of that button!  Did you use toothpick on the front and Q-tip on the back?  Cause if so, then the Q-tip was what took off a bit of the gold on the back, not the jelly.  It won't react with the gold.    But overall, a Fantastic job--and a nice display item now.  (I love a good button display.  Seeing that GOLD and SILVER glimmering in the case    )


Regards,


Buckles

I did use a Qtip on the front as well as the back, but I barely had to touch the front of the button.  The dirt came loose very easily.  I don't recommend leaving the jelly on for longer than a minute.  I may have left it on for as long as 2 minutes on the back, which may have been the problem.

I agree that this will make a nice display piece now!

Thanks BB,

 I am going to try a toothpick on mine tonight, just gonna go slow and easy on her. I will post the results for you. Again thanks for all the help you have given me in the past few weeks. Maybe sometime we'll get to hunt together. We are not that far from each other.

Mike

Amazing Buttons!
Thanks Buckleboy for sharing your knowledge with the group, fantastic instructions and nice presentation!
Now if I could only find some buttons here in Wisconsin...
LOL

J2

Amazing Buttons!
Thanks Buckleboy for sharing your knowledge with the group, fantastic instructions and nice presentation!
Now if I could only find some buttons here in Wisconsin...
LOL

J2

Just hunt with low enough discrimination settings, and the buttons will come. 

Best wishes to you in 2009--and thanks to Everyone for the kind replies. 


-Buckles

Buckleboy, this is very informative.. thanks for the cleaning tips.. you could start a services business to clean/restore other peoples buttons.. You'll have to change your name to ButtonBoy thanks again!

Buckleboy, this is very informative.. thanks for the cleaning tips.. you could start a services business to clean/restore other peoples buttons.. You'll have to change your name to ButtonBoy thanks again!

ButtonBoy LOL!     I don't think I'd want the Liability of cleaning others' buttons.    

Thanks for the reply, my friend. 




 

BuckleBoy you do some great work on all your buttons i think you should make a video or just let me send you my buttons either way that works best for you.. well keep up the great work and i'm looking forward to the day you make it down here to Nc to hunt with us

BuckleBoy you do some great work on all your buttons i think you should make a video or just let me send you my buttons either way that works best for you.. well keep up the great work and i'm looking forward to the day you make it down here to Nc to hunt with us

One day, my friend.   


Drop me a line anytime. 



-Buckles

Wow Buckleboy
 I am running to my cabinet now collcting buttons and tooth picks ! I will try the alum jelly on a couple that I also thought were to far gone.Thanks for taking the time to educate.
Regards,
TnMountains

Wow Buckleboy
 I am running to my cabinet now collcting buttons and tooth picks ! I will try the alum jelly on a couple that I also thought were to far gone.Thanks for taking the time to educate.
Regards,
TnMountains

Cool!  Keep in mind that if you've washed them first with water, the toothpicking won't yield as good results.  Toothpicking keeps the dirt in the recessed parts so that you can read the designs and backmarks.  Likewise, if you wet the button or scrub it with water and a toothbrush after toothpicking, the backmark will disappear. 


Keep me posted--I'd love to know how they turn out.



Best Wishes,


Buckles

Thanks alott Buckle your techniques are wonderful and very easy to do.  thanks again

One question. I have looked at the composition of both naval and aluminum jelly and the naval jelly looks to be more harsh having more acid in it. I have not found a local supplier that carries aluminum jelly but naval jelly is readily available. How is this going to work for cleaning gold gilded relics? Should I be more careful with it or not use it at all? I have seen what it will do to rust and it is not something to play around with.
Randy

One question. I have looked at the composition of both naval and aluminum jelly and the naval jelly looks to be more harsh having more acid in it. I have not found a local supplier that carries aluminum jelly but naval jelly is readily available. How is this going to work for cleaning gold gilded relics? Should I be more careful with it or not use it at all? I have seen what it will do to rust and it is not something to play around with.
Randy

Randy,

I use aluminum jelly--and I can't speak to the effectiveness or danger of naval jelly.  But I think Don in SJ uses naval jelly on his buttons, as per his replies above.  I have heard that others use it as well, with good results.  Rust is a lot less stable of a compound than dirt or gold, so I'd say you'll be o.k.

If anything, experiment with a gilded flat button or some object of less value first.


Oh--feel free to post a good photo of the before and after.  I'd love to see how it goes. 


Best Wishes,



Buckles

One question. I have looked at the composition of both naval and aluminum jelly and the naval jelly looks to be more harsh having more acid in it. I have not found a local supplier that carries aluminum jelly but naval jelly is readily available. How is this going to work for cleaning gold gilded relics? Should I be more careful with it or not use it at all? I have seen what it will do to rust and it is not something to play around with.
Randy

Randy,

I use aluminum jelly--and I can't speak to the effectiveness or danger of naval jelly.  But I think Don in SJ uses naval jelly on his buttons, as per his replies above.  I have heard that others use it as well, with good results.  Rust is a lot less stable of a compound than dirt or gold, so I'd say you'll be o.k.

If anything, experiment with a gilded flat button or some object of less value first.


Oh--feel free to post a good photo of the before and after.  I'd love to see how it goes. 


Best Wishes,



Buckles

Will do BuckleBoy.
I will experiment with it this weekend and if it works I have a beautiful sash buckle I found this week to clean.
Some sort of bird with a lot of gilt left on it. I will post pics.
Randy

One question. I have looked at the composition of both naval and aluminum jelly and the naval jelly looks to be more harsh having more acid in it. I have not found a local supplier that carries aluminum jelly but naval jelly is readily available. How is this going to work for cleaning gold gilded relics? Should I be more careful with it or not use it at all? I have seen what it will do to rust and it is not something to play around with.
Randy

Randy,

 That naval jelly is very strong. I would go with what Buckleboy uses. My buttons were to far gone. No gilt or very little left. Guess I could gold leaf them back to new?? I think I am kidding,,,still thinking about it. Nahhh
Great post I keep watching it.
TnMountains

I use aluminum jelly--and I can't speak to the effectiveness or danger of naval jelly.  But I think Don in SJ uses naval jelly on his buttons, as per his replies above.  I have heard that others use it as well, with good results.  Rust is a lot less stable of a compound than dirt or gold, so I'd say you'll be o.k.

If anything, experiment with a gilded flat button or some object of less value first.


Oh--feel free to post a good photo of the before and after.  I'd love to see how it goes. 


Best Wishes,



Buckles

Will do BuckleBoy.
I will experiment with it this weekend and if it works I have a beautiful sash buckle I found this week to clean.
Some sort of bird with a lot of gilt left on it. I will post pics.
Randy

FYI,

I found a nice tombac yesterday.  I tried aluminum jelly on it and here are the results.  I would give it the green light!

BEFORE CLEANING:


AFTER CLEANING:

FYI,

I found a nice tombac yesterday.  I tried aluminum jelly on it and here are the results.  I would give it the green light!

BEFORE CLEANING:


AFTER CLEANING:

I was just writing you a PM to ask you to please post that to this thread.  Those are some Great results.  It had me fishing around in my display cases for my tombacs to try it on. 


Wonderful cleaning job!



Regards,



Buckles

I know this is a button thread but had to show this one off since The cleaning method is the same. I was finaly able to find some aluminum jelly. See results below.
Randy

Sweet Jesus, that's a BEAUTIFUL piece!  Thanks for posting that, RPG.     Is it a civilian sash buckle?

Sweet Jesus, that's a BEAUTIFUL piece!  Thanks for posting that, RPG.     Is it a civilian sash buckle?

Yes, that would be my guess. It had the wire loop on the back that fell off as soon as I dug it.
I was really surprised at the amount of gilt left on it.

Good Luck
Randy

Sweet Jesus, that's a BEAUTIFUL piece!  Thanks for posting that, RPG.     Is it a civilian sash buckle?

Yes, that would be my guess. It had the wire loop on the back that fell off as soon as I dug it.
I was really surprised at the amount of gilt left on it.

Good Luck
Randy

That is incredible.  My display case is Jealous!  Fantastic find in beautiful condition. 


Best Wishes to you,


Buckles

I found this one today.  It is my second one this week.  My instincts are telling me to leave it as is.

I found this one today.  It is my second one this week.  My instincts are telling me to leave it as is.

Yes, I would agree with you.  At most, I might take a wet Q-tip and gently roll it over the surface to remove the dirt before putting it in the display case.

will this work on copper buttons and bronze button's... i usally used olive oil... now i am stopping that....
u think mineral oil is safe?? i am using that now with 2 buttons... it takes the dirt of good....

will this work on copper buttons and bronze button's... i usally used olive oil... now i am stopping that....
u think mineral oil is safe?? i am using that now with 2 buttons... it takes the dirt of good....

Except for the pewter and tombac buttons, every single pre-1900 button that I've ever found is brass.  Some may look more copper colored, but unless it's newer I'd bet your buttons are brass too.  In my experience, any oil is a messy thing to use to clean, especially with 2-piece buttons. 

Best Wishes,


Buckles

Absolutely awesome post Buckles,thanks I printed it and is now in the front of my PRESERVATION file.I use very similar techniques on buckles.Water is a no no on them too.Thanks!!!!

Absolutely awesome post Buckles,thanks I printed it and is now in the front of my PRESERVATION file.I use very similar techniques on buckles.Water is a no no on them too.Thanks!!!!

Yes, too few people realize that water is a no-no on a lot of dug brass or copper items.  Glad you found this helpful.

Best Wishes,



Buckles

Absolutely awesome post Buckles,thanks I printed it and is now in the front of my PRESERVATION file.I use very similar techniques on buckles.Water is a no no on them too.Thanks!!!!

Yes, too few people realize that water is a no-no on a lot of dug brass or copper items.  Glad you found this helpful.

Best Wishes,



Buckles

BB...and I am one of those....have always intially rinsed my buttons with water then taken a toothbrush to them lightly cleaning them. With your post and pics of your results, I will in the future use your methods and cure myself of improper cleaning.
Thanks for a great informative and VERY useful post...much appreciated!! 

BB...and I am one of those....have always intially rinsed my buttons with water then taken a toothbrush to them lightly cleaning them. With your post and pics of your results, I will in the future use your methods and cure myself of improper cleaning.
Thanks for a great informative and VERY useful post...much appreciated!! 

You're welcome my friend.  Thanks for reading. 


Feel free to post some results on this thread.



Regards,



Buckles

Yea copper too,I ruined my first large cent with water!!

Dug this one today. Tried the toothpick but couldn't see a thing. I saw one little spot of gilt so decided to use aluminum jelly. I really thought this one was toast.  

Very nice, RPG 

It's surprising what is underneath the crust sometimes.



 

I wish I could nominate this post for the Banner!!

I wish I could nominate this post for the Banner!!

Thank you for the kind words.  It makes me happy to know that this post was helpful to you.


Best Wishes and Happy Hunting,



Buckles

I wish I could nominate this post for the Banner!!

I have a handful of posts bookmarked for future reference.  Needless to say this is one of them.  I have referred back many times.

Ditto you the man, I am saving this one.

Awesome post, thanks so much.  Here are my results with a button I didn't know had any gilt until I read this post and took a closer look at it.  could see something shining through on one of the stars and decided to give it a try.  Pic does not do it justice, it looks much better in person.  Unfortunatly removing the crud on top did reveal more degradation of the button.

Awesome post, thanks so much.  Here are my results with a button I didn't know had any gilt until I read this post and took a closer look at it.  could see something shining through on one of the stars and decided to give it a try.  Pic does not do it justice, it looks much better in person.  Unfortunatly removing the crud on top did reveal more degradation of the button.

That is a Beautiful button, and a great restoration job.  Thank you for sharing this one--Well Done!   

Thanks for the detailed information and sharing you knowledge.  I never really found many old button until the last two years (especially '09).  I know I wish I could have a couple buttons back.....

Bob

Thanks for the detailed information and sharing you knowledge.  I never really found many old button until the last two years (especially '09).  I know I wish I could have a couple buttons back.....

Bob

Just curious, Bob.  Did you get a new detector around the same time you started finding buttons?

One thing I see overlooked many times is the ability for a detector to find small items.  Everyone focuses on Depth but not sensitivity.  I did not find many buttons until I got a DFX.  I went back to a site I thought I cleaned up pretty good after finding 6 buttons with my old detector and found about 100 more that I had missed.  Many were just too deep for my early 1990's detectors, but others were not deep, but very small.

Thanks for the detailed information and sharing you knowledge.  I never really found many old button until the last two years (especially '09).  I know I wish I could have a couple buttons back.....

Bob

Just curious, Bob.  Did you get a new detector around the same time you started finding buttons?

One thing I see overlooked many times is the ability for a detector to find small items.  Everyone focuses on Depth but not sensitivity.  I did not find many buttons until I got a DFX.  I went back to a site I thought I cleaned up pretty good after finding 6 buttons with my old detector and found about 100 more that I had missed.  Many were just too deep for my early 1990's detectors, but others were not deep, but very small.

Bob,

Good to hear from you.  The more of these types of buttons you start finding, the older your finds will be.  That fact by itself is exciting.  My buddy Rodeo Recon was cleaning a normal looking flat button this past spring and realized that he had an 1808-ish 1st Regt. Artillery button.  Looked like a normal flat button before cleaning. 

In response to Neil--I agree that finding the small cuff sized buttons (much smaller than a half dime), some detectors seem to work better than others.  Such signals are not great ones on my old 1266--but my Tesoro works quite well at picking them up at depths less than 4 or 5 inches.  I found a tombac cuff this year that was tiny (total size of the button was not much wider than the width of the shank).  But I was in a Very good site that was not trashy, digging everything that read above iron nail.

Best Wishes to you both for 2010 


Buckles

Thanks for the detailed information and sharing you knowledge.  I never really found many old button until the last two years (especially '09).  I know I wish I could have a couple buttons back.....

Bob

Just curious, Bob.  Did you get a new detector around the same time you started finding buttons?

One thing I see overlooked many times is the ability for a detector to find small items.  Everyone focuses on Depth but not sensitivity.  I did not find many buttons until I got a DFX.  I went back to a site I thought I cleaned up pretty good after finding 6 buttons with my old detector and found about 100 more that I had missed.  Many were just too deep for my early 1990's detectors, but others were not deep, but very small.

No, part of finding more buttons is just hunting old sites and digging "everything".  It's so easy and enjoyable to hunt that way.  Minimal decisions about signals - if it ain't iron it gets dug!   

Thanks Buckles.  I've always known buttons were a good sign.  Just never found them consistently like others did.  Most likely because we focused more on the high percentage yielding silver sites like early 1900's schools.

Bob

Thanks Buckles.  I've always known buttons were a good sign.  Just never found them consistently like others did.  Most likely because we focused more on the high percentage yielding silver sites like early 1900's schools.

Bob

It's hard to argue with the sheer numbers of old silver coins you and your crew have dug.  I have enjoyed every one of your posts, my friend.


-Buckles

This is the most interesting of threads. I will try your techniques.

THANKS BUCKLE BOY..having found my first colonial war tunic button a few weeks ago..I didnt want to stuff it, so after your great info I can have a lil play..thanks mate..

THANKS BUCKLE BOY..having found my first colonial war tunic button a few weeks ago..I didnt want to stuff it, so after your great info I can have a lil play..thanks mate..

I remember that post.     Let me know how it turns out.


Best Wishes,


Buckles

THANKS BUCKLE BOY..having found my first colonial war tunic button a few weeks ago..I didnt want to stuff it, so after your great info I can have a lil play..thanks mate..

I remember that post.     Let me know how it turns out.


Best Wishes,


Buckles

I will thanks mate.....

Thanks for the detailed information and sharing you knowledge.  I never really found many old button until the last two years (especially '09).  I know I wish I could have a couple buttons back.....

Bob

Just curious, Bob.  Did you get a new detector around the same time you started finding buttons?

One thing I see overlooked many times is the ability for a detector to find small items.  Everyone focuses on Depth but not sensitivity.  I did not find many buttons until I got a DFX.  I went back to a site I thought I cleaned up pretty good after finding 6 buttons with my old detector and found about 100 more that I had missed.  Many were just too deep for my early 1990's detectors, but others were not deep, but very small.

  For a couple of years I had two friends who lived 2 hours away argue with me that their early sites had more coppers than buttons.  I said it was either them, or their Bounty hunters, but there was no way buttons would out number the coppers on average at the Colonial sites in our part of the world.  Finally both bought explorers and guess who was right. 

  For a couple of years I had two friends who lived 2 hours away argue with me that their early sites had more coppers than buttons.  I said it was either them, or their Bounty hunters, but there was no way buttons would out number the coppers on average at the Colonial sites in our part of the world.  Finally both bought explorers and guess who was right. 

I am not sure if I have this straight.  Is your argument that coppers should outnumber buttons, or vice versa?  I would say I find 10 buttons to every copper on average.

  For a couple of years I had two friends who lived 2 hours away argue with me that their early sites had more coppers than buttons. I said it was either them, or their Bounty hunters, but there was no way buttons would out number the coppers on average at the Colonial sites in our part of the world. Finally both bought explorers and guess who was right. 

I am not sure if I have this straight.  Is your argument that coppers should outnumber buttons, or vice versa?  I would say I find 10 buttons to every copper on average.

   They were finding more coppers than buttons and I said that was crazy.  Yes,  definitely more buttons than early coppers at Colonial era sites.

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? 

 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.

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

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.

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

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











Best Wishes,


Buckles

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.

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

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!   

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

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?

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.

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

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!

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

[Copper Coin Verdigris]

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. 

[Copper Coin Verdigris]

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. 

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

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

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

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.