Thank you... I've been using coca cola the last few days and it's slowly but surely removing oxidization. I've also used tooth paste and WD-40. I think the yellow inlays are actually gold, as the coke doesn't seem to tarnish it. I think the steel has oxidized and rusted over the gold inlay, but it's still in there underneath all the gunk. I've decided to not worry about removing too much patina if that's what I have to do to see the details underneath.
I used to collect cheap Roman coins where you'd get 30 or 40 of them but they were fresh out of ground and uncleaned, and one thing you learn very quickly is to clean as sloooowly and gently as possible. You can easily destroy the object or remove details if you're too aggressive. Once something's removed you can't put it back.
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