A commemorative plate made of brass that is delivered together with the baby ring.
After several months or years of delivery, we have received feedback from customers saying, "It has become a little tarnished," or "Because the whole family touched the plate, fingerprint-like marks have appeared."
Brass is a metal that naturally develops a unique texture as its surface oxidizes. Due to the nature of the material, it can develop an antique feel over time, which adds character, but excessive rust or blackening can also occur due to sebum, moisture, and oxidation. (Color unevenness or spot patterns may also appear from the time of delivery.)
To keep it in good condition until the child reaches adulthood, regular maintenance is necessary.
About six months ago, I received a commemorative plate from a friend’s family who ordered a baby ring (Thank you, Mr. T, for your cooperation).
After delivery, the family touched it with their hands and then put it back in the case. Over time, the parts touched by hand have become quite blackened. I will actually try to see how clean it can get.
What you need is baking soda or vinegar. Also, a toothbrush, a container, kitchen paper, etc., as needed. This time, I will try both baking soda and vinegar to see the actual effect.
If you search on the internet, you often find articles saying, "Use baking soda to remove brass dirt." Let's start with baking soda.
Put baking soda in a container.
Add a small amount of water and knead it a little with your fingers.
Put the kneaded baking soda on the plate and gently rub it with your finger as if tracing.
After polishing the whole surface to some extent, it’s time to use a toothbrush. It’s okay to use an old one.
Focus on polishing the grooves where the letters are engraved. It takes about 1-2 minutes. There is no need to polish for a long time. After polishing, rinse off the baking soda with water.
This is the plate after polishing with baking soda. How is it? The overall tarnish has been removed and it has become shiny, but the parts that were blackened by fingerprints from touching with hands still have some blackening left.
Now, let's try using vinegar.
Place the plate in a container and pour vinegar until the plate is submerged.
Leave it soaking for a few minutes in this state. (Adjust the soaking time depending on the degree of dirt. If soaked too long, corrosion from acetic acid may occur, causing blackening again.)
By the way, this time I took it out after about 1 minute.
While rinsing the vinegar with water, focus on polishing the parts with remaining blackening using a toothbrush to finish.
This completes the process. It has become shiny like when it was delivered.
The left is before polishing, and the right is after polishing.
For general tarnish, baking soda is sufficient, but for stubborn blackening caused by sebum, using vinegar to polish will remove a lot of dirt.
This time, I introduced a maintenance method using items available at home, but there are also brass polishing cloths. They can be found at 100-yen shops and the like, so it might be convenient to have one. Please maintain it in the way that is easiest for you.
[Caution]
○ Due to the nature of the material, brass plates may have color unevenness or spot patterns. Please understand this in advance.
○ Since the adhesive used to set the stones can become easily detached, always use room temperature water for maintenance (hot water or lukewarm water is not allowed). Also, avoid soaking it in water too much.
○ Leaving it wet can cause rust or discoloration. Be sure to dry it thoroughly before putting it back in the box.
○ Our commemorative plates have a matte finish on the surface. Excessive polishing may remove the matte finish, so please be careful.
○ Since September 2023, a special coating has been applied to the surface to prevent oxidation. Since the coating may peel off, please do not forcibly clean it if there is no noticeable discoloration or other issues.