What is the best way to clean an army badge and how to do it correctly?

Surely a couple of months ago you didn’t even think about how to clean the plaque, but the harsh reality of everyday life in the army taught you that this piece of metal should shine with its pristine shine. What methods have soldiers used to do this over the years, and can they be used for non-military belt buckles? Let's find out!

How do they clean plaques in the army?

There is no special time, desire, or even opportunity to use sophisticated methods of cleaning plaques in the army using folk remedies or expensive specialized chemicals, so you can clean the plaque either with what they give you or with what is at hand.

The leader in popularity - also because the army usually gives it out for free - is GOI paste, developed back in the 40s, which is based on abrasive chromium oxide powder. The paste is very dense and green in color. It is used not only for cleaning plaques, but also for polishing any other metal surfaces, depending on the size of the abrasive.

Also popular is the “Asidol M” product, which is now often used by numismatists to clean found coins. This product is already whitish in color, is a petroleum product and works rather by corroding the oxide layer than by scraping it off with an abrasive.

Well, the most popular material at hand is tooth powder or toothpaste, which also contain abrasive particles.True, polishing with paste will take a little more time: the abrasive in it is very fine, so now it will take longer and harder.

Advice

To thoroughly clean the space inside the star, the army usually uses a used toothbrush or even a needle for particularly difficult places.

How to properly clean a plaque with GOI paste?

Since GOI paste is the most popular of all products, let's start with it. To begin with, we note that if there are deep scratches on the plaque, the green dense paste will clog into them, making the plaque, although shiny, but with green stripes.

If there are no scratches, then do the following:

• take a piece of felt or felt and paste;
• apply the paste to the fabric;
• polish the plaque for a couple of minutes

The cleanliness of GOI paste lasts a long time, and the shine is dazzling, just as you wanted!

By the way

Now they sell ready-made felt polishing wheels with GOI paste, which is very convenient, but more expensive.

How to clean a soldier's badge?

If you are not in the army and GOI paste is not at hand, you will have to look for alternative methods of giving the plaque its original appearance.

• "Asidol." Traditionally, it is applied to the same felt and used like GOI paste, but now you won’t find Soviet-style “Asidol” during the day, and “Asidol M” should be used a little differently: apply the paste in a thin layer on the plaque, wait about a minute, polish , while simultaneously washing the paste with lint-free material: felt, felt, or even lint-free cleaning wipes. The surface after this treatment becomes noble-matte, but the cleanliness, judging by the reviews, does not last as long as we would like.
• Toothpaste and tooth powder.The principle with them is the same as with GOI paste, but in the absence of felt on hand, you can use a regular toothbrush.
• A paste of soda and vinegar can also help get rid of plaque; it will simultaneously work as an abrasive and due to the corrosive ability of vinegar.
• You can wipe the plaque with acetone or ammonia. The main thing is not to leave the metal under their influence for too long, otherwise the product may deteriorate.
• If the oxide layer is practically absent, but the plaque lacks freshness and shine, you can clean the buckle with ordinary alcohol or peroxide. Of course, you won’t be able to polish the plaque with them, but they will work as an express remedy.
• You can also write down the recipe for the solution: mix water and peroxide 1:1, add a little ammonia to the mixture and soak the plaque in the solution for about 10 hours. Wipe, rinse - and it will be as good as new!
• In addition, help can be found in household chemicals. Suitable products for washing sinks, both in the form of cream and powder, or liquids to add shine to the stove.
• They say that boiling the plaque in potato broth or a saturated solution of citric acid for about an hour helps a lot.
• If you don’t mind the money at all, then you can use a liquid for cleaning precious metals or even take the product to a jewelry workshop, where the plaque will certainly be cleaned perfectly.

Advice

In fact, any product with an abrasive will help you properly polish the plaque and give it shine. It is only advisable to use industrial products: if you want to use, for example, an abrasive made from sugar, salt or sand, scratches on the plaque cannot be avoided.

Is it possible to clean a regular belt buckle using these methods?

But it's not just soldiers in the military who have to clean plaques on belts: what happens if you try one of these methods on your belt buckle?

If the buckle is made entirely of metal, then any of these products will really help remove the oxide layer and restore its former shine. But most belt buckles are now simply chrome-plated or coated with multi-colored enamel. It is impossible to clean such products using the above methods due to the risk of scratches and damage to the enamel, and it is unlikely to be necessary: ​​enamel and chrome will not become victims of oxide deposits. At most, ordinary dirt can accumulate on them.

Now that you are fully armed, cleaning an army badge will seem like a trifle, and you certainly won’t be sent to the outfit because of a dull piece of brass that smells green.