Replaced Enamel

[Eryk]

So, I bought a Bravery Medal and upon arrival I find that the enamel has been replaced. In person it's too pinkish, though in the photos (and in certain light) it looks very red. It also wasn't visible in the photos and, but there are traces of the enamel outside the letters - not real globs, more of a sheen or stain appearance.

Not that big a deal - I want the medal and it's in great shape except for the replaced enamel. My question is removing the new enamel. Anyone familiar with if it can be done, and if so how to do it? Not even all of it, just the 'sheen' outside the letters. Don't want to scrub, obviously. Anyway, any word would be appreciated.

[Eryk]

Amazing.

So, being the impatient SOB that I am I couldn't wait for a response. Looking under my 10x lens it appears that the original enamel is still there. Badly cracked, missing in a lot of places. But most importantly where it's missing the sickly pink stuff is in its place. So I get out a Q-Tip, dip it in water, and ever so gently rub the obverse of the award.

The Q-Tip turns pink, and the "sheen" is gone, or at least greatly reduced, in the area rubbed!

Water based paint? What the heck is this stuff? Anyway, no matter. A bid more rubbing, with only a Q-Tip, takes off more. It appears to be adhereing to the patina most of all. I wonder if, in shipping, it got hot and ran out of the letters? Again, no matter. I'll just going to work on this puppy with water and Q-Tips and see if I can't clean it up to its nice "salty" reality.

Cracked and missing enamel is fine, any would be "improvers" out there. For gosh sakes, don't paint anything!

[Lapa]

Erik,

Most likely, the original was not enamel, but lacquer. Enamel was used only on very early and very late medals.

Marc

[EricFG]

I've got one where sombody (ahem) took a red magic marker to the letters. Looks very pink like you're describing.

[ANZAC]

Don't be surprised if it's nail polish. I have had a couple where the enamel was replaced by obvious nail polish. It's no big deal and easily removed.

Brendan

[Nota Bene]

Personally, I'd rather just leave it be. It may have been done by the recipient, in which case your duty as a collector is to preserve it. Just my IMHO ...

Alexei

[Bogdan]

I once had an Order of Merit of Hungary 2nd cl. and on the reverse of the neck badge there was a place where the enamel had chipped out and a previous owner had put some latex enamel, not even the same shade of white as the order. I used a toothpick and gently coaxed it out as it was still soft. Knowing that it was not the awardee who "repaired" it, I wanted it to be back to the condition it was in before this stupid repair. The paint didn't even remove the fuzz and dirt in the chipped place so the piece looked as it did before. But I certainly agree with Alexei that in some cases, the awardee could have made the repair and should be preserved as well as the piece itself.