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04-14-2021 07:05 AM
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Hey Goeff
Your cross is made of zinc. One of the ways to tell is that the little ring for the ribbon ring is part of the cross ie it was cast along when the cross was made
Tombac crosses have the little ring applied separately when they were die struck.
Another pointer towards zinc is the fact that the base metal has absorbed some of the bronze finish which was applied, hence the dull appearance of the bronze colour.
Cheers
Jamie
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Zink ... Carl Poellath / Schrobenhausen
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Thank you kindly Michael! I appreciate the help
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A classic example. You may also notice that some "zinc pest" has chipped away at the wreath. Not much to be done about that. Here is a short explanation from Wikipedia. "Zinc pest (from German Zinkpest), also known as zinc rot and zamak rot, is a destructive, intercrystalline corrosion process of zinc alloys containing lead impurities.[1] While impurities of the alloy are the primary cause of the problem, environmental conditions such as high humidity (greater than 65%) may accelerate the process." So keep this in a cool, dry place and out of humidity and sunlight. Neil
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Thank you Neil, Living in Louisiana we definitely deal with high humidity around here, Would it be safer to store zinc pieces in zip-loc plastic bags rather than in a Riker style case?
Regards, Geoff
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Geoff, Not sure about a zip-oc. Maybe keep it in your Riker case but no attic or basement storage. If you keep the riker box in a tote or some such thing then you can always pop in desiccant packs. Been to New Orleans several times - family lives near Tulane. We love the Audubon park. NH
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There's not much hope of beating the zinc rot now Geoff. It's been doing its thing for over 80 years so you won't stop it now.
You can however, slow the process and prevent it getting much worse. Apparently a thin film of vaseline over the item and then carefully wipe off with a cotton bud or microfibre cloth will do.
This is just a piece of advice I was given when I started collecting, I'm sure there will be other ways to do the same thing.
Cheers
Jamie
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All of my zinc badges get the vaseline treatment, but you must control the humidity for the sake of ALL of your items.
Todd
Former U.S. Army Tanker.
"Best job I ever had."
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