Argh zinc pest on my tk. Please help

[davejb]

Unfortunately Zinc pest is irreversible and no matter what you do , eventually the piece will deteriorate to a point that it will crumble away, however there are a few things you can do to slow the process down, high humidty of 65% or more will have an adverse effect, also varying temperatures, therefore place in an area that avoids these effects, the idea of putting wax or vaseline on is a stop gap because you are restricting the outside atmosphere from getting to the piece, but zinc pest is already in the internal metal and can still be active underneath any coating and the causes of the pest was in the piece from the first day of manufacture because of the type of alloys used, the 30s 40s 50s eras are infamous for zinc pest but it can still be present in more modern items

[rusted180]

Thanks for the info fellas! By the way, besides simichrome polish how do you guys clean off zinc pest? I was told warm water with a little soap and brushing it would clean it. I used this method, and the tk was completely clean! But a month later it became white again..... Davejb is right, the zinc pest can still be active. Oh yeah, and to clear things up, I used an excto knife to chisel away pest areas deep in the pits. I was very careful and used a magnified glass to get this done. I didn't ruin it or scratched it, I just carefully picked at white areas in the pits.

[rusted180]

One last thought I had was, how come vaseline is preferred over renwax? I thought renwax was the best barrier? I'm just afraid that after I clean it up and apply vaseline, the tk will go white again in a month..... is my tk cursed??
I really wonder how long it'll take for a zinc skull to deteriorate even if stored in a desirable environment... makes me sad knowing one day my skull is gonna crumble..... argh!

[rusted180]

I'm starting to wonder whats the point of collecting zinc items when we all know it'll deteriorate into thin air....sorry, I'm just ranting.... its frustrating knowing I spent several hundred on an item that won't last. ): (

[Glenn66]

It will still last longer than your lifetime so don't worry about it too much. The vaseline or renwax will be fine and even if it does go a little white looking, just think of it as 'character'.

[rusted180]

Just had one last question, do you guys think simichrome polish can get rid of the zinc pest in the pores? The pores where the deterioration process occured?

[Wagriff]

I'd try the method that Sam used-it worked good for him, as you can see. But, as we said before, Nothing will totally kill the zinc pest, but it's not like a year or 2 down the road that your TK will crumble to dust. We're talking Decades and more...

[rbminis]

I would say that if you wipe the whole thing down with a Q-tip with acetone, not too much, you should be okay. Then take a Q-tip with vaseline and wipe the whole thing down and leave it over night or two and then wipe the excess off with a soft cloth that should be it.
Ralph.

I still suggest that you try this method. You may have to dwell a little longer over the areas that have pitting, (pores), then apply vaseline with a Q-tip liberally, let sit and wipe off later with a soft cloth. You will not have to apply simi chrome.
Ralph.