EK 2 Rust Removing and preserving

[MiriamTool]

Good day, dear collectors.

I do believe that there were topics and discussions of the same kind but I couldn't find any, I will appreciate if anyone could give me the links or directly answer the questions that I am about to deliver. Thanks in advance.

Recently I got EK 2 as a gift from my father and there I decided to start my little collection.
I've spotted some rust marks on the outer line of the cross (I don't know what it's called) and a big chunk of it on the inner black part.
So here are my questions:
1) How do you clean them off, and is it even possible?
2) How do you stop rust from appearing? (guess there should be no water and the air needs to be dry)
3) How do you preserve the piece so it maintains its condition throughout years?

P.S. Sorry for bad quality of some pictures, my phone camera leaves much to be desired.
P.P.S. I do believe that material is "non-magnetic" as my dad described it.
Thanks for your attention!

[BrodieBartfast]

For an item in his condition, any rust removal treatments are likely to do far more harm than good. The rust in this case is far from terrible, and doesn’t detract from the cross’s appeal. The cores of these medals are made of iron, and it’s very common to see rust spots form on them.

The rust will not get any worse if the award is kept in a stable environment. As a good rule of thumb, if the room is comfortable for you, it’s fine for your collection. I live in the UK, where summers are very humid, and my room is not climate controlled. I have a great many items exhibiting rust, and none of them have gotten any worse over the past five years.

You could add a coating of something like Renaissance Wax to help preserve it. That will protect it from further oxidation and wear from handling. Display it, enjoy it, don’t handle it too much, and it’ll be just fine.

Regards, B.B.