Look at your finds closely !!!! Cleaning Relics--------...

[tonyaz]

I've been detecting a little over 3 yrs now and have found some cool things. Some of the stuff you find that's been in the ground a long time comes out of the ground un-recognizable-it's will be completely encrusted in a hard crust that will not rub off or wash off. I'm pretty sure I've thrown away some good finds that I thought were trash. To avoid this look thru your trash when you get home- if the piece of metal has a shape to it round- oval- triangular- etc it might be something good hiding in there. Pictured is a good example of a recent find i made-a totally encrusted piece of metal triangle shaped. When I dug this up I was pretty sure it was something good!! And after cleaning this is what I got!! Here's how I clean my stuff. A heavaly encrusted item will usually need to be soaked for several hours-sometimes overnight- in vinegar then turned over to the other side. During the soaking process you can remove the item and gently brush or rub the item between your fingers to help remove the crust on it---CAUTION!! gentle here --after being in the ground so long metal can become brittle and I have broken some of my finds by just rubbing them between my fingers!!!!!! After the item is cleaned--- rinse and dry i usually use distilled water. The next thing I do will put a patina back on the found item--this is most effective on brass items-buttons tokens medals badges etc. Purchase some Sulfur powder online--(Sulfur powded is a skin irritant you might want to wear some disposable gloves!!!) it will be a yellow powder-Mix 1 part sulfur powder to 5 parts vaseilene -mix well. After your item is cleaned-rinsed and dry- apply a coating of this mixture to the surface of your find. Watch it closely as it will usually start to darken as you hold it in your hands- and sometimes it takes a while - but this will really make it look nice!! When you think it looks good -gently rub it clean with a soft towel. As a final touch I will wax the item--with RENAISSANCE WAX. This is a trial and error thing-you can practice on junk items to get some idea of the results. I actually love finding these unknown items--- and watching them reveal themselves as they are soaking!! Now go outside and look thru your junk and start soaking some things--and maybe you will find a treasure!!!!