This wappen came off a scrapper helmet that I recently traded/bought. The shell and sweatband were in tatters and the silk was missing. however I did get a set of scales, kokarden, spike etc. Anyway, I decided to clean the wappen as it was too oxidized for my taste. Here are the before and after photos:
Originally the left screw post was missing but fortunately I had an original replacement so this was soldered on. The threads match but the post on the replacement is slightly longer. New solder can be darkened with gun blue or some sort of antiquing chemical.
After 15 min. in the sonic cleaner then Hagerty Silver Foam, soft toothbrush and water. You could go at this with just the Hagerty if you want to limit the "clean". The sonic cleaner produces a "like new" appearance but this will calm down after a few months. The photo does show how our wappen looked originally.
You must time the sonic process, as too much can cause a pinkish tinge to the metal. However, the Hagerty removes this after some brushing. Again, many collectors like to leave this as is and that is their choice. I do not clean everything in my collection. For example the fittings on my avatar Dragoner 19 officer are silver plated. I cleaned them by hand 40 years ago and they are turning black now. They will not be cleaned again as long as I own it. Why the first owner chose "silver plating" is beyond me as the plating shows bare metal in some spots due to polishing.
Originally the left screw post was missing but fortunately I had an original replacement so this was soldered on. The threads match but the post on the replacement is slightly longer. New solder can be darkened with gun blue or some sort of antiquing chemical.
After 15 min. in the sonic cleaner then Hagerty Silver Foam, soft toothbrush and water. You could go at this with just the Hagerty if you want to limit the "clean". The sonic cleaner produces a "like new" appearance but this will calm down after a few months. The photo does show how our wappen looked originally.
You must time the sonic process, as too much can cause a pinkish tinge to the metal. However, the Hagerty removes this after some brushing. Again, many collectors like to leave this as is and that is their choice. I do not clean everything in my collection. For example the fittings on my avatar Dragoner 19 officer are silver plated. I cleaned them by hand 40 years ago and they are turning black now. They will not be cleaned again as long as I own it. Why the first owner chose "silver plating" is beyond me as the plating shows bare metal in some spots due to polishing.
