Cleaning/Hanging Medals

[Justin Alvarez]

Hi everyone,

I must say I love reading everyones posts and all the comments that go on! I am still a framer who is slowly learning the ropes been doing this for about 2 years, parents have been doing it a lot longer. Well now that I am running our shop full time I have come across a little pickle. I had a client come in with his dads medals from World War II as well as other various items. He would like the medals framed with everything else. I have looked at the other websites with the examples of shadow boxes and they do look absolutely amazing. My question is though. How do you hinge the medals? The ones that I have are on the bar (not sure of the exact name) so I am not sure if i should hide that or keep it out(Its in rough shape) The other question I had was what would be the best way to clean the medals as they are very very tarnished and my client would like them cleaned. Any suggestions?

Once again thanks for allowing me to be a part of this forum and absorbing as much information as possible!

Sincerely,

Justin Alvarez

[Danimal]

Can you describe the medals in more detail? Depending on how they were meant to be worn you can either just punch the posts through the mat board or cut a slit for the straight pin and wrap a hinge around the pin and secure it.

[Justin Alvarez]

Here I have attached an image of what they look like. I hope that this helps!

Thanks!

[RoboFramer]

Hide the 'bar' (clasp)

'Ribbons' are worn on the uniform - about 3/8" deep and the same width as the medal ribbons, but they are thick and strong - those lugs are slotted down into them, therefore the clasp is concealed by the ribbons wrapped over the top of it.

The clasp is a functional thing and if the person won/was awarded more - he would have to have them re-mounted onto a bigger one. So they could be framed without it, with customer's permission if it caused a problem, but it should not.

[Jim Miller]

Check the archives for instructions on clear film medal/coin mounting. That would support the metal parts individually, relieving stress of the old, fragile fabric ribbons. The bar could be hidden by pulling it through a slot neatly cut in the mount board. Or, perhaps it could be folded under the medals and attached by sewing.

I would not clean the medals beyond wiping and light brushing. If the customer insists on invasive cleaning, I would contract that work to a conservator. This is a once-in-a-lifetime task, so encourage the customer to have it done right.