Maintenance Tips and Tricks for Etched Plaques and Commemorative Tablets

Keeping etched plaques and your commemorative plates clean is one of the many challenges you will face when you order such metal nameplates. While these are indeed very durable and can withstand the variations in the weather day in and day out, you will still need to do something to help keep these plaques and tablets clean and presentable. Here are a few tips and tricks that may be useful for when you will need to do some maintenance work on your etched or engraved plaques and nameplates:

Find out what metal your etched plaques are made of first.

Different kinds of metals require different methods of cleaning, and this is due to the fact that some metals are more prone to scratching than others, and a few other metals are not as corrosion resistant or chemical resistant as others are. You need to know what metal your etched plates or commemorative plaques are before you can effectively clean or maintain these.

Don’t use harsh chemicals for cleaning even when these metals are purported to be resistant to chemicals.

Even when you are told that a specific metal is impervious to damage brought about by chemicals, it is advisable that you avoid chemicals when cleaning these. There are other methods that can be used to clean these etched plaques and plates that do not require the use of such harsh cleaning agents, although some people may say that it is faster and more effective if you do use such chemical cleaners.

Wear gloves when cleaning to not only protect your hands but also to protect the metal.

When cleaning your metal etched plaques, it is a good idea for you to wear gloves when doing so. This is to protect your hands from the dirt and grime that may come from doing such a chore as well as to protect the metal from the ill-effects of natural oils on your hands. Natural oils that come from your skin come with acids, sugars and lipids that can actually corrode metal slowly. While constant cleaning of these plaques and plates will help prevent such a thing from occurring, it is still a good idea to wear gloves to ensure that none of these corrosive oils do get on these metal plates in the first place.
How to Clean Etched Brass and Bronze Plates

While this method is for brass and bronze plaques and plates, you can still use this same cleaning method when you are doing maintenance work on stainless steel as well as aluminum plates. Just make sure that none of your cleaning materials and equipment are abrasive or have a tendency to create scratches on the surface of these plates. Also, make sure that the grooves in these plaques and plates are cleaned as well with non-abrasive tools like cotton swabs and wooden cuticle sticks.

You start off by wiping down the surface dust off of these metal plates with the use of a dry, soft rag. Next thing you need to do is to mix a mild dishwashing liquid with half a bucket of warm water. Using dishwashing liquid ensures that greasy dirt is effectively removed from your plaques while ensuring that it is mild enough to not damage the surface of these plates.

Soak a clean, soft rag in the warm water and wipe down the plaque. For dirt caught in the crevices of these plates, use the wooden cuticle stick or a cotton swab to gouge this out slowly. Wipe down the surface again after you do this and repeat if necessary. Once you are done with this step, wipe the plate with a soft, clean rag that is dipped in clean warm water. Follow this with a dry, soft rag to remove any moisture from your plates.

If you want to restore the polish of your etched plaque, a metal polish and a soft rag should do the trick. If some of the dirt in the cracks and grooves of your plate is hard to remove, opt to use a soft baby’s toothbrush and the same water and dishwashing liquid mix to clean these off.

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