What does "blacklighting" a medal show??

[curio bill]

Another newbie question = What does "blacklighting" a medal show. I saw a dealer's site that mentioned doing this to the ribbons of several EK2's & Russian Front medals. Thanks, Bill

[roger9344]

Bill, the purpose of the black light is to attempt to determine if a fabric item is original pre-1945 or postwar. You would use it to check the ribbon of a medal, for instance. Typically original fabric will not 'glow' under the black light, as do modern fabrics. It is my understanding that some original items will glow if they have been washed using a detergent containing phosphorus, and that some fake items will not have the glow, as the fakers have learned to adapt to the technology used to detect their attempts to fool the unwary.
It is therefore one of several tools that should be in your arsenal, but cannot be used by itself to provide a definitive answer as to the authenticity of a particular item.

[curio bill]

Thank you!, I did not know that.

[don_kihotis7]

Hi guys. You can't rely on this method Bill. It's not safe at all. I used to do it but then i got a fake ribbon that wasn't glowing and an original that was. So i realized that it's completely inaccurate. How i knew which one was the fake and which the original? I did the burning test. Pull a thread off your ribbon and burn it. If it's burning leaving behind carbon that when you touch it becomes ashes it's original. If it's melting, it's fake as it contains petroleum, meaning it's made from nylon.
Hope these helps.
Regards