Button Cleaned Up Nicely!

[Full Metal Digger]

Hey Diggers,
Yesterday I found a button I been wanting to find for a couple years now. It's from the Illinois Institution for the Education of the Deaf & Dumb. The school has a great history and back story. The button was heavily corroded when I dug it up. I initially only cleaned it with a toothbrush and warm water. Today I used a toothbrush and a little CLR. I brushed it for about 10 seconds and couldn't believe how much cleaner the button became! I was also able to see the back mark quite clearly and it shows the button was made between 1850 and 1865! WOW! I knew it was earlier than 1903 because that is when they dropped the "dumb" part of their name. Anyway, here is some pics. Thanks for looking! Dave.

[Digger Don]

Great job on the cleaning Dave. It looks like a totaly different button.

[BTV Digger]

Nice cleanup job. Yeah, diluted CLR can work well on gold gilt buttons and looks like you were careful with it. Some of those methods can ruin relics if you don't pay close attention.

John