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

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

How do they clean the badges in the army?

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

The leader in popularity - including because in the army they usually give it out for free - was developed in the 1940s by GOI paste, which is based on abrasive powder of chromium oxide. The paste is very dense and has a green color. It is used not only for cleaning badges, but also for polishing any other metal surfaces, depending on the size of the abrasive.

Also popular is the tool "Acidol M", which is now often used by numismatists to clean the coins found. This tool has already a whitish color, is a petroleum product and works more due to erosion of the oxide layer than due to its scraping with an abrasive.

Well, the most popular material at hand is toothpowder or toothpaste, which also have abrasive particles. True, the time for polishing the paste will take a little longer: the abrasive in it is very small, and therefore it will now take longer and harder.

Tip

In order 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 clean a badge with GOI paste?

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

If there are no scratches, then do the following:

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

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

By the way

Ready-made felt polishing wheels with GOI paste are now sold, which is very convenient, but costs more.

How to clean a soldier's badge?

If you are not in the army and the GOI paste was not at hand, you will have to look for alternative methods to give the badge its original appearance.

• "Acidol." It is traditionally applied to the same felt and used as GOI paste, but now you won’t find Soviet-style “Acidol” in the afternoon with fire, and “Acidol M” is correctly used in a slightly different way: apply the paste with a thin layer on the plate, wait about a minute, polish it while washing the paste with lint-free material: felt, felt, and even lint-free napkins for cleaning. The surface after such processing becomes noble-matte, but cleanliness, judging by the reviews, does not last as long as we would like.
• Toothpaste and tooth powder. With them, the principle is the same as with GOI paste, but for lack of felt, you can use a regular toothbrush.
• Also, a slurry of soda and vinegar can help get rid of plaque, which will simultaneously work due to the abrasive and due to the corrosive ability of vinegar.
• You can wipe the badge 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 badge lacks freshness and shine, you can clean the buckle with ordinary alcohol or peroxide. To polish them, of course, the badge will not work, but they will do.
• And you can write down the recipe for the solution: mix water and peroxide 1: 1, add a little ammonia to the mixture and soak the plate in the solution for about 10 hours. Wipe, rinse - and it will be like new!
• In addition, help can be found in household cleaning products. Suitable means for washing sinks, both in the form of a cream, and powder, or liquids to give shine to the stove.
• They say that boiling badges in a potato broth or saturated citric acid solution for about an hour helps a lot.
• If money is not at all a pity, then you can use a liquid to clean the precious metals or even take the product to a jewelry workshop, where the plaque will be cleaned perfectly.

Tip

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

Can I clean a regular belt buckle in these ways?

But not only soldiers in the army have to clean the plaques on their belts: what will happen if you try one of these methods on the buckle of your belt?

If the buckle is made entirely of metal, then any of these tools 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 by the above methods because of the risk of scratches and damage to the enamel, and it is unlikely to be required: enamel and chrome will not become victims of oxide plaque. Maximum dirt can accumulate on them.

Now that you are fully equipped, cleaning an army badge will seem like a trifle, and you certainly will not be sent to the outfit because of a dull piece of brass that gives green stuff.