Experimental Archeology?

[navyman]

Hello Zeller,
Have you any pictures, preferably before and after, and if any further change occurs?
Cheers,
navyman.

[Zeller]

hi navyman, of one item in particular yes. I will post them here.

[navyman]

try covering it with yogurth and let it rest for a while in a bowl with some dirt. You will be amazed how bacteria will make it look older.

Hello,
I tried Zeller's suggestion and buried the mug after covering it with natural yoghurt on 23/09/09. I dug it up again yesterday 22/02/10. The first pic is how it looked before burial, and the next three show; as dug, lightly rinsed with cold water, and rinsed under tap. There is definitely more staining around the holes. I'm wondering what I should try next, acid perhaps, or something that attacks enamel, any ideas? Let's not go down the dentist route!
Cheers,
navyman.

[Panzer 3]

Hi Guy,
That is a nice result it is interesting to see if anymore come through. you crack me up with the coversation with her in doors
with the yogert, this could teac us something more about looking out for fakes.
regards dave.

[big ned]

Strangely enough, yogurt is brushed onto new masonry that has replaced perished stone in old buildings etc. It quickly encourages the growth of lichens and moss that blend the new stone to a similar appearance of the original.

Regards, Ned.

[Digger]

Really good thread. If you wanted to try it with a cheap repro helmet, try 1944 Militaria or ebay - about £35-40 now for a reasonable copy. Could help us learn alot about faked items.

Tom.

[navyman]

Hello,
Thanks all for your comments. I will continue this as soon as I'm able, I have several conservation jobs on at present and as you know these things take time and patience, that's why I have more than one project on the go !

Dave, good to hear from you again. I'm a bit housebound at the moment as my electric trike has a broken wheel bearing so I have to use the wheelchair which I don't like. My partner is very good and is going to take me out tomorrow and push me to the pub and supermarket, no yoghurt this time!
Hope all well with you, have you got any work in progress?
Cheers all,
Guy.

[klokhoane]

I don't know if u knew the fact that "coke" (coca cola) is a great way to clean things you've found and are durty... Just leaf it for a night or so in the coke and the next day the dirt will come off quite easily... I'm now using a ultrasound cleaning machine but i'm not very impressed by it.. back to the coke i believe

cheers,

[Matt L]

It's because phosphoric acid is an ingredient in Coke- that's what cleans iron and other things

[sitges1990]

It's depressing to see how easy it is to make these "relics". I thought they probably just buried them in the back yard and then dug them up when they wanted some pocket change. I never would have realized you can get that technical to make fakes. I'm gonna have to go check my relic pieces and see if any smell like strawberry yogurt. Great thread Guy , sorry to hear about your trike. Hope you get back under power soon. Matt, the coke method is how I learned to safely clean old tarnished coins.

Jay