Thread: Cleaning & Fixing Coin bedlah?

Hi ladies, I just picked up a coin bedlah that has been shimmied in. ADDED: it's a gold American Icon.

The coins are a bit more tarnished than expected, however, not too much coin loss and it makes great noise. Two questions:

1) What is the best and easiest/fastest way to reinforce the coins?

2) Could I wash this? If yes, how?

Thanks in advance.

How are the coins attached? Sewn on or with jump rings? If with jump rings, just go through with a pair of needle nose pliers and make sure all the jump rings are tight. Replace them with split rings if you want. If they are sewn, go through and double check the threads and take a few stitches as necessary. Use heavy thread.

As for polishing, you might simply want to try a tarnish cloth which has polish embedded into it. this is one of those fairly mindless things which you can do while watching a TV show.

Have fun with your cha-ching!

{{{HUGS}}}

I can't give any personal advice but this thread has some advice and links to other threads that can help!

http://www.bhuz.com/showthread.php?5...ht=clean+coins

If you do polish the coins one at a time while still attached, be careful not to get the cleaning product on the base, and wipe off/rinse carefully per the product directions. Tarnish removers are not intended for textiles and may leave a noticeable residue or discolor some fabrics. Alternatively, if the coins are attached to a metal base, and that is attached to the fabric base, you could detach it and clean it like regular jewelry. The third possibility is to leave it tarnished. A lot of dancers actually prefer coins with a well-worn patina to shiny ones.

If the coins are firmly attached and the base is washable, you can wash the costume by hand, or even put it in the washing machine. There are a couple of ideas I've encountered for why washing a costume this way might not be a good idea. (1) If the base is one of the older, buckram-reinforced bras, it is likely to lose some of its firmness or shape, especially if it gets run through a washer. Between the water and the weight of the coins, that's a lot of stress on a hard-cup bra. (2) If the coins are aluminum or brass, they may get discolored if they chemically interact with the detergent. Per the standard advice, always test any cleaning method in an inconspicuous spot before attacking the whole costume. (3) If it's a coin set with glued-on stones or mirrors, test to make sure that glue can withstand getting wet.

If you want to try the washing machine method, put the pieces in a couple of old pillowcases and tie them shut first, so if anything falls off, it won't get caught in the washer, then wash on gentle with mild detergent. It is possible that the pillowcases will get permanently discolored during the process, but they're better than laundry bags that have holes big enough for renegade jump rings or beads to slip through. After washing, block the costume and let it air dry, then give it a final check to tighten up anything that may have worked loose, and it should be ready to wear.