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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

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Help with German WW1 belt buckle


Sarge53rd

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Hello everyone -

I have recently acquired a WWI German belt buckle with the leather belt loop attached and marked with the maker's (?) name - partial and difficult to read - and "1916". It's overall in pretty good shape but some previous owner (because I assume it was definitely not original?) has chosen to apply what looks like a light brown enamel paint to the buckle. Most of it no longer remains but what does is mainly in between the letters in "Gott Mit Uns". Other than that it's in nice shape.

I normally leave well alone on items I acquire and don't clean or try and restore them unless there's something threatening the item (mold etc), as I prefer an aged "patina" but it seems like this may be a good one to try and clean - aka remove the paint.

Does anyone have any tips about how what I might use to remove the paint without damaging the finish of the buckle? Any help would be appreciated!

Kind regards,

Paul Jerram

Roswell, GA USA

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The only way to remove paint without damaging the article below is to use a paint stripper. Any other means, ie abrasive brushes or pads or even bead blasting risk damage. Use a gentle craftsman's stripper solution (try your wife's nail polish remover first) sparingly with an artists brush or a tooth brush, a bit at a time.

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The only way to remove paint without damaging the article below is to use a paint stripper.  Any other means, ie abrasive brushes or pads or even bead blasting risk damage.  Use a gentle craftsman's stripper solution (try your wife's nail polish remover first) sparingly with an artists brush or a tooth brush, a bit at a time.

Thanks you, Giles. I had thought about a gentle paint stripper but was hesitant about even doing that, for fear of damaging the item, at least until I got some advice. I'll give it a try ... I still can't figure out why anyone would have painted over it in the first place!

Thank you again! Kind regards,

Paul

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