How to clean a vintage cigarette case

Yesterday I went to an amazing local antique shop and got my sister two birthdays presents... vintage sheet music (she sings and plays piano) and a vintage cigarette case (not encouraging her bad habit, it fits credit cards so she can use it as a wallet).

The case, according to the seller, is made from nickel with a "W. Germany" stamp inside and beautiful filigree etching on both sides. The inside however is tarnished on one side with what I believe is tobacco tar. I looked around online and washed it first in a mild, warm soapy water... then I proceed to polish it with toothpaste (which works amazingly well on silver btw). The outside is shiny and pretty but no matter how hard I tried I could only get about 50% of the tar off. I used a soft cloth (the kind meant for cleaning screens and such) to "scrub" it, I didn't want to use anything rougher because apparently nickel scratches easy...

Does anyone have any idea how I can clean the tar rest off without damaging the metal?

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7 replies since 22nd July 2012 • Last reply 22nd July 2012

Reply #1:

Here are some pics...

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=fon978" target="_blank"><img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/fon978.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=303ke9j" target="_blank"><img src="http://i45.tinypic.com/303ke9j.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2yy1nc1" target="_blank"><img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/2yy1nc1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=303ictw" target="_blank"><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/303ictw.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=kb8x77" target="_blank"><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/kb8x77.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

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Reply #2:

I would try cleaning it with rubbing alcohol on a qtip. Thats all I can think of.

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Reply #3:

yeah I looked around and tried vinegar with no change, maybe stepping up the solvent will help... if anything it will be disinfected Tongue

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Reply #4:

Try scrubbing at it with Cameo metal polish or baking soda paste.

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Reply #5:

http://justsomethingimade.com/2008/10/more-vintage-repurposed/

Hey I just say this, maybe if you can't get it clean you can redo the inside with some cute fabric!

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Reply #6:

@monika - I should try that next, baking soda is supposed to work well

@Pamala - thats so cute! I love the idea of the fabric pocket but the case is so thin I don't know if it could hold very many cards...

The removable elastic strips inside were so brittle and stretched they broke almost immediately. Fortunately I found some ribbon crimps and had the right size elastic to replace them. If I can't get it clean I think lining it with some pretty fabric is the next step Happy

Thanks you guys!

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Reply #7:

You could also line it with a printed contact paper, since those are self-adhesive and usually smooth, thin, and waterproof.

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