How can I preserve thin brass CW era hat pin and buttons?

[bigfootokie]

I have a Jefferson Davis Eagle Hat Pin, plus some Eagle Buttons I found and I need to preserve them. The hat pin has a bad crack so I need to restore the metal to help it stay whole. I'm not going to clean the pin any more due to it's fragile state but I'm hoping someone can give me some ideas to improve the quality of the brass before I put it in a display case. Don't want to make any mistakes with this piece.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[huntcav65]

I would use a toothpick and Gorilla super glue. just put a very small amount on the toothpick and drag it along the crack from the back, you don't want so much the it bleeds through the crack to the front. as far as cleaning plain eagles I would not clean them nor put anything on them, if it is a eagle letter button or state button the best way to clean them is with peroxide, enough to cover the button then add maybe 1/2 teaspoon or a little less of ammonia, if it has plating it will usually start showin in a couple minutes, use a soft toothbrush, brush the button some, lightly, let soak some more. this mixture will not hurt the button or finish. after you have cleaned soak in water maybe overnight pat dry then put it in a small container of mineral oil and let soak anywhere from a couple hrs to overnight. then I set on a paper towel to dry, maybe a day or 2. I will post a couple pictures in a little while to show you some buttons and a eagle I that I dug yesterday

 

[bigfootokie]

Thanks Richard, good info. Looking forward to seeing your results.

 

[huntcav65]

here are 3 staff coat button I recently dug, the 1st one that has all of the gold came from a field / yard, the second one came from a cow pasture from a area that had the cleared and burnt. I was pretty sure the button was going to be black when I dug it. it came out of the ground with a light green pretty patinia and a lot of detail, that is why I thought it was burnt, it is like the ground doesn't stick to the button. the 3rd button was also from the cow pasture but a higher area not where the burn piles would have been but it has ground action from the cows urine and patties. the eagle I vest I just dug and will clean tonight, you can see traces of gold around the edges of the wings but most of the button I think is worn off of plating whether from the cows or ground or button use.
the staff buttons still have mineral oil on them, that will dry up and leave a pretty button. I will post some follow ups tomorrow

Richard

 

[bigfootokie]

here are 3 staff coat button I recently dug, the 1st one that has all of the gold came from a field / yard, the second one came from a cow pasture from a area that had the cleared and burnt. I was pretty sure the button was going to be black when I dug it. it came out of the ground with a light green pretty patinia and a lot of detail, that is why I thought it was burnt, it is like the ground doesn't stick to the button. the 3rd button was also from the cow pasture but a higher area not where the burn piles would have been but it has ground action from the cows urine and patties. the eagle I vest I just dug and will clean tonight, you can see traces of gold around the edges of the wings but most of the button I think is worn off of plating whether from the cows or ground or button use.
the staff buttons still have mineral oil on them, that will dry up and leave a pretty button. I will post some follow ups tomorrow

Richard

Those are really nice Richard. I have a couple dozen Eagles that look just like the 4th button. All I have done is rinse them with plain water and lightly brush them with a toothbrush. They still look pretty much like I found them with a tiny bit more detail exposed. Have you ever used Olive Oil to preserve old thin Brass?

 

[Cajuncoinhunter]

Good advice. Model glue will do the trick too.

 

[huntcav65]

I would NOT use olive oil, use mineral oil. olive oil does things after time, mineral oil doesn't

Richard

 

[huntcav65]

here is the I after cleaning, I left it in the solution all day but had looked at it after about 20 minutes. leaving it all day did not hurt the finish at all. the second picture is after spending the night in mineral oil, I wiped it off some but still need to dry out. the staff cuff I dug in the same part of the field as the heavy plated staff coat.

Richard

 

[bigfootokie]

Some great advice guys.

Those buttons turned out really nice Richard! Can't wait to give your method a shot.

Do you think it would be wise, or unwise, to soak the hat pin in mineral oil to condition the metal? Was thinking it might help the brass to be less brittle, stop oxidation, and protect the metal over time. I've seen thin brass that has been dug just fall apart years after exposure to air.

 

[huntcav65]

the only thing I would do to the Jeff Davis is the toothpick Gorillia glue very thin line on the back then you may take a toothbrush and lightly brush the face will the glue is wet and see if the doesn't fill the crack from the front.

I think most people clean plain eagle buttons should leave them alone, it is hard to beat the soft green patinia and the red you get after rubbing them clean is no where near as pretty.

Richard

 

[Cajuncoinhunter]

Richard offers good advice. Too many hunters try and clean up newly found relics both too much and also too quickly for the display case. Most times less is best. CCH





quote=huntcav65]
the only thing I would do to the Jeff Davis is the toothpick Gorillia glue very thin line on the back then you may take a toothbrush and lightly brush the face will the glue is wet and see if the doesn't fill the crack from the front.

I think most people clean plain eagle buttons should leave them alone, it is hard to beat the soft green patinia and the red you get after rubbing them clean is no where near as pretty.

Richard[/quote]

 

[knack4iron]

That's a nice hatpin.Be very proud of it From an old digger I'd clean it with a soft toothbrush and use a toothpick and a tad of super glue on the back. Less is better. Then put it in a nice a walnut case and display it. Our belief is its thin stamped and its the ground that freezes and refreezes for 150+ years that causes thin brass items to crack depending on where they are located. Like in a low area or any flats where water stands or runs over it periodically. After its in your display then its no longer subjected to the outside enviorment and won't crack anymore unless you handle it and bend it.I'm sure theres a few that will disagree but that's what me and the old digers figured out. I've dug a few from Vicksburg. We found a hill where they camped and they folded a bunch of them up and tossed them down a hill.Probably dug a dozen hatpins off that hill and everyone was folded in some manner. Just don't over clean it.
A good Jeff Davis Hatpin today is worth a alot more than in the 80;s and 90's when I did shows.