UBB.threads Forums General Interest Restoration, Conservation, and Maintenance Forum should I clean?? please help!!

Hello,
I have 2 pieces that I am wondering if I should clean or not??
1-It appears to be a 2nd luftwaffe dagger, no mark on blade, but the blade is very dark in color. Might be tarnish? should I clean and with what. It has a metal scabbard.
2-Luftwaffe sword, blade has a nice shine but the top by the handle has different metal that appears dirty. ,Leather scabbard on this?
Thanks for any help I can get on these.
Also looking for hangers,and portepee.
Thanks again from the new kid on the block
K-

Ahhh the age old argument of to clean or not to clean. Pictures would help but some general advice. Are we talking patina or dirt? Patina is something imo I would not clean bcz it gives it that "been there look." Collectors usually like that. Patina is the aging process that occurs over time. You can't get that back. Now dirt is another story.

ok here is one i will put up more

Thanks for the help

akdawg, first let me welcome you to the forum!
In the pics shown here I cannot recognize the least reason for any cleaning or so.
Unless there are no serious problems like severe rust or comparable, ongoing problems let the item what it is.
Especially the grip of daggers and again especially the white grips are extreme fragile after 60+ years of their existance.
Generally there should be the rule "don�t clean or disassamble or mess around with anything". Patination is an honest thing to 60+ years old items, even some "dirt" might be legitime to age and wearing and is much much better than disassambling and cleaning which might cause damage to the item and also damage to patination which cannot be brought back for the next 60+ years....
If you don�t have pleasure with a certain item and it�s condition just buy(trade to) another one which does please you the way you like more.
Much too much items have already been ruined by cleaning, dissasambling and messing around so let us stop it.

Regards,

I cannot be absolutely certain & I hate to be the bearer of bad news. i also hope that in this case I am wrong but I suspect the dagger might be a reproduction. I had a piece that looked identical to that one which I got caught with on ebay after a member here had sold it on epier. Another member who is also a dealer got caught with one as well. Unfortunately those posts like so many others have disappeared in cyber space. The grip is wider than it should be & if I am correct is made of a hard plastic with a mould line on both sides. The cross guard eagle has a peculiar beak. More detailed pics of the cross guard & the inside of the pommel would be useful but I suspect I am correct. They are very convincing from a distance but do not bear close scrutiny.

I sold mine honestly - for what it was!- & cannot offer any images for you to compare. Please show some high res images if you are able.

Sorry

Thanks for the info. I will try to get some better images online soon. This dagger was given to me by my father I have started to do some research on this one, but as you know there is lots of inof out there. I cant find any mold lines, and the handle might be plastic I think there is wood under the handle?
Thanks again, and any help with this would be great, as I have a helmet and Luger also.

That is good news! If the grip is a trolon shell over wood then it is likely original. Of course a reproduction has to be copied from something & I hope that what I have had & previously seen is a copy of your model!

Good quality detailed images will sort it out in no time. When you have them please post them in the Army, Navy, Luftwaffe forum.
Good luck & ..welcome to the forum by the way