Silver applied colonial shoe buckles

[60streeter]

Not sure if there is an layer of iron in between, or they are completely Iron backed? They are solid, so I am thinking they are probably layered.... Used a little clr on one, but way too scared to actually soak it... or electrolysis... Thoughts?

 

[Lodge Scent]

My buddy found a pair similar to your second pic. They were actually stacked together. The silver veneer would lift right off the iron base. I would not use electrolysis unless you can remove that silver layer. Even then I wouldn't. You might not have a lot iron left after electrolysis. Maybe a judicial use of or spot treatment with one of those chemical rust removers might work. That is a tough one.

 

[cellrdwellr]

I'd probably leave it as is, you will lose that silver plating if you get too aggressive. Great finds, always love finding shoe buckles!

 

[60streeter]

My buddy found a pair similar to your second pic. They were actually stacked together. The silver veneer would lift right off the iron base. I would not use electrolysis unless you can remove that silver layer. Even then I wouldn't. You might not have a lot iron left after electrolysis. Maybe a judicial use of or spot treatment with one of those chemical rust removers might work. That is a tough one.

I used a CLR on the cleaner one, and it worked well, but there are significant areas of rust on top of the silver. Maybe I will just take five minutes a night with the CLR, and see how it goes......