Water marks on Gold

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OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by John Grenier on August 20, 2003

A sign I made about a year ago with some gilded Gemini Letters has water marks from a sprinkler with hard water, dolomite to be exact.
It's pretty stubborn just buffing with cotton doesn't quite get it off. Fear I may just rub the gold off. I thought maybe a very dilluted CLR (calcium lime rust remover) mixture may work but havn't tried.
So before I mess it up, any ideas.

Thanks
John Grenier

Kent Smith

I have used vineagar with some success. Lime away might work in dilluted form but that often has an abrasive such as pumice in it. Check first but basically you want to avoid a solvent that will lift the gold from the size or an abrasive.

Robare M. Novou

According to Charles Wagner...he recommends cleaning old gold with a mixture of oxalic acid in vinegar and water. And to wash the gold carefully. He further states that the metamorphosis from dirty discolored leaf to bright gleaming gold by using this concoction is surprising!

I have seen oxalic acid crystals in the kits of old time gilders...now I know why they had it, and so do you.

I have a few of these crystals...and I believe you can get them at the hardware store.

RMN

Tony Segale

The "Old Pro", as he was called in my area, who laid all the gold in this area in the 30's, 40's and 50's, told me once, the secret way to clean any first surface gild. Dip a ball of cotton into a coffee can containing your own urine.
Now, I haven't had to clean any first surface gilds yet, so, I haven't tested this technique.
Though, I was always concerned with a few things, like, how would it react if I had to much red wine last night? or a couple extra pure ales? or to much coffee this morning. Someday, I hope to try those three ingredients seperately, and maybe a few others...

Roderick

I have no idea how to clean your gold but if your looking for urine I'll sell mine just let me know what you want in it.
Cheers Roderick

Up North Studio

Great suggestions all.
I think I would like to stock-up on this product. We would like to order a 55gal drum, one of those big blue plastic ones.

John

Roderick

Filling your 55 gal drum order.
Your order will be shipped on Jan 1 2010.It must be paid up front cash.Let me know .

Roderick

Danny Busselle

used vineagar John.

Rick Sacks

Sounds like time to send your friend to sell a filtration system for their water. The vinegar sounds best to me. We've had that problem, and found that most of it was resulting from electrolisis. The water running across the gold that was over cast aluminum letters with only two coats of size as a barrier (insulator) between metals.