Once all the pieces were re-plated, we reassembled them back to their original place on the chain. Authentic to the WWII era, we believed that it is a perfect color of gold for this project. In fact if a soldier chose to wear a gold watch, it is highly likely that it was a 14kt Hamilton gold color as it was used by numerous watch companies. This paler color of gold was widely used by the Hamilton watch company throughout the 1940’s and into the 1960’s. For the gold plating we selected a 14kt “Hamilton gold” color. For the final step each piece was pre-plated in a metal suitable to seal the base metal and to improve the adhesion of the new gold plating. It is important practice for our team to avoid needless “over restoration” of vintage and heritage pieces. A careful balance between brightening and preserving the “battle scars” was required. After cleaning a gentle polishing process was used designed specifically to bring out the design detail and to brighten the appearance. Since each piece is made from a different metal, each required a completely different cleaning steps and de-oxidation processes. This is an important step as we are interested in preserving all surface detail and contours of the dog tags, chain, and religious pendant. We began the restoration process by removing all oxidation and surface grits. We started by disassembling the dog tags and pendant from the chain. A respectful and loving restoration in gold After: Dog tag, pendant and chain plated with 14kt Hamilton gold. The dog tag is stainless steel, deeply oxidized but in good shape. The religious pendant is made of brass and was plated with silver. The brass chain is original from that era, of good construction, but highly corroded. Through good, bad and horrific they were worn if only these heirlooms could talk. According to him, they saw all 4 years in the Pacific Theater of WWII. This WWII dog tag, religious pendant and brass chain belonged to the owner’s father. For those who grew up during the depression and fought in WWII and Korea, they were probably also the first pair of jewelry that they had ever owned. Dog tags embody that experience and transition. The person they were before boot camp was definitely not the same person they were before. More than just identificationĪnyone who has served or has family that has served knows that dog tags are more than just an identification, they are a source of identity. Before: Stainless steel dog tag with religious pendant. The notch was a simply a by product of the stamping machine process used to make them. Contrary to popular belief, this notch was not intended to be placed between the front and lower teeth of a dead soldier. WWII dog tags were made from stainless steel, rectangular in shape with a notch at one end. If killed in battle, one tag remained with the body, while one tag remained with the record keeper. Army began issuing a pair of aluminum tags to each soldier. tags until the end of World War I, when the U.S. Manufacturers took note of this and began selling custom made circular i.d. They were afraid that if they were killed in action, their families wouldn’t know what happened to them. tags, so soldiers would write their name and other personal info on a handkerchief and pin it to their jackets before battle. Dog tags go back as early at the American Civil War. Military identification tags, or “dog tags” as they are known, contain important information about the soldier such as name, spouse, social security number, address and religious preference.
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