Thread: Coin Costume Care

I tried searching for this topic (here and on Google), but not much is coming up. Does anyone have advice, tips, or instructions for how to clean and care for real-coin costumes?

I'm specifically interested in cleaning the bra base. Do I need to remove the coin cover and wash the bra, then reattach?

I know rust could be an issue. Is there a way to protect against this beyond drying? Could I use shellac or some other coating to protect against sweat?

I like the antique look, so I probably won't do the baking soda cleaning for the actual coins.

Any general tips are welcome! Thank you!

Originally Posted by LeylaFahada

I tried searching for this topic (here and on Google), but not much is coming up. Does anyone have advice, tips, or instructions for how to clean and care for real-coin costumes?

I think this was the last time the subject came up. There are more links in it. How do I Polish a coin set?

I'm specifically interested in cleaning the bra base. Do I need to remove the coin cover and wash the bra, then reattach?

In theory, you can wash them together, but how much of a mess that could make depends on how the base is made, how dirty the coin part is, etc. My concerns are: (1) the water could substantially weaken/warp/ruin the base if the weight of the coins are still on it while it's being cleaned, and (2) if dirt or some sort of chemical reaction transfers from the coins, it could make the bra look worse. Your safest bet is to remove, clean separately, and reattach, but it depends on the construction. An aluminum set on a dark cotton choli would probably fare better than a heavy set of mixed metals on a vintage, hard-cup bra with a light-colored base.

I know rust could be an issue. Is there a way to protect against this beyond drying?

Drying promptly helps, but if you have metal that is prone to rusting, you have metal that you don't want to get wet without an intervention.

Could I use shellac or some other coating to protect against sweat?

You could, but how easy it would be to do this depends on what parts of the pieces you're talking about. Applying a sealant to a few coins? Pretty straightforward. Applying a sealant to a chain that needs to be flexible or 200 jump rings? Probably a better long-term solution is to replace the hardware with something that won't rust, rather than carefully brushing clear nail polish on each link one side at a time, or doing some elaborate masking job so you could use an aerosol sealant.