Hello, all. I'm rather new to this forum, so if I make any mistakes in terminology, or if this topic has indeed been discussed already, then please don't hesitate to correct me!

Now to "cut to the quick," I recently acquired a 1940 Remington DeLuxe Noiseless (one of the "1941 Line" machines) that is in pretty good condition. I cleaned it up, threw a new ribbon in it, and it types like a dream. However, I noticed that the gloss black paint on the keyrings appears to be rubbing off. Now, I knew this was a potential issue with these '41 Line machines, I've seen many pictures where the original keyring paint has almost entirely worn off. And one of the specific reasons why I bought this particular specimen is because the keyring paint is in such good condition -comparably few keys have any wear on them at all.

In response to this, I thought of applying a clear coat of some kind to give a protective layer to stop the paint from wearing off, and this is where I'm stuck. I'm not entirely sure about what the specific "composition" of the keys are. So, I pose my questions: does anyone know what type of paint Remington would have used on the keys back in 1940? Is it enamel paint? Oil based or water based? Finally, if I put on a clear coat, do I have to worry about damaging the key itself? For example, does anyone know if it is a paper insert covered by a glass (or celluloid) top?

If anyone has an idea on the makeup of these keys, or other suggestions on how to limit their wearing away, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you all in advance!