Rusty the German DD relic project

[BlackBox]

Sorry I’ll have to go for the real strong cheap and nasty Lidl own brand ..... 5000 bags for a quid.
They’ll strip anything they come into contact with.

Good idea...Lidl or Aldi visit tomorrow

[BlackBox]

Tea party is over!

Drowned the M42 in about 30 liter of black tea for about 6 hrs
Came out a touch darker, but with a surprisingly smooth and soft finish.
Pretty happy with the result.

For the statistics... I was Earl grey, got it at the Aldi.

Next up is the oxalic acid test on the DD relic

/Peter

a Before and after

[Stevade]

Try leaving it in Coca Cola for 24hrs .....

[LeonardoL]

Try leaving it in Coca Cola for 24hrs .....

Ill try this this weekend. Have some lids laying around

[BlackBox]

Hi again,

First time for me, using oxalic acid on a German relic and it looks ok!
Gave it about 50 min, dried it, heated it a little and finished with beewax ( tip I got from an antique guy)
It'll be less shiny when the stuff dries in. ( couldn't wait to get it on photo, sorry ! )

But the result is satisfying. looking forward to handle another one.

Any thoughts?

A before and after...

Bottom picture shows how much of the original paint comes out afterwards.

[Irish1965]

Also very nice is Renaissance Wax. It's not organic but gives an mineral coating (micro-crystalline) to seal the item airtight. It's used and developed by the British Museum for restoration and conservation.

[Davidscrbnr]

I’ve used renaissance wax on my helmets, rifles, edged weapons which has worked for me in the past. I’ve never tried it on relics though: Does anyone have experience with doing so?

[AndyM35]

Hi David,

I've used Renaissance Wax on relics before and find that it brings out a little bit more colour.

It certainly helps to assist in sealing the object from being exposed to the air.

Having said that I would never apply it to a piece in anything other than relic condition.

Cheers,
Andrew

[Davidscrbnr]

Thanks AndyM35, I will keep the in mind whenever I come across a relic

[BlackBox]

Final result!

Took some test pics in my 20€ Aliexpress photo studio :-)