Cleaning Maximianus - Partial Success

I think Pish went too long in the soup also. In her desire to see all the green vanish she has exceeded the recommended time. I personally try to keep things under 10 minutes ! Unless there is some very good reason the possibility of stripping off 'good' stuff is to be avoided.
Enthusiasm can be a liability !

Hi. I'm really glad I checked the contents of this message. Some great info folks.
I tend to use a needle in one hand and the coin in the other like 'Ben' but magnified, with a short time in Olive oil but I've never used DW so I will try that.
I think the most important thing is that some coins are NEVER going to be cleanable and no amout of hard work will change that. You will also not know this until you have tried, so some initial expertise is required before the attempt is made. That's what I find the most difficult-which one to clean the most. How does one tell?

Yeah I understand, but there are so many different ways a coin can go. Sometimes as the goo comes off you find that it looks like it's got lots of small holes in the bronze. They are the most annoying as it can take a long time to discover how bad that is. Then you get the green ones that don't look too bad except round the edges where layers are coming away. I have ended up scrapping some of these as the thicker the green is then the worse the distortion of the coins detail is.
Then you get Oricalchum where some of it has a rust on it and it just won't come off.
It's very frustrating.
Sorry to waffle so. I am still fairly new to this so am still learning. Someone mentioned some soup in this thread but not what the goo contained. I could really do with some of this knowledge.
I wish my coins came out this good as well.
I will have to keep on reading these pages, I guess.

Best advice I can give to rookie cleaners, start off with really bad coins where it won't matter if you make a mess of thins. If you are new to cleaning and have a coin with really good potential, put it aside until you have had some practice.

I prefer distilled water over olive oil, it takes longer. If you want to try both, DW before OO, not the other way round.

Start working with toothpicks and/or bamboo before working your way up to needles and blades. You will eventually learn what types of surfaces and crud need what.

I couldn't afford a microscope that would allow me to work on a coin so I got this instead.


I put a box or a book under the viewer to bring up the coin to working height and I have a table halogen light at the side. (Oh for Ben's youthful eyes.)

I also have a USB microscope which is utterly useless for cleaning coins. It is OK for reading legends but that is all.

You have to learn the basics before you progress to more advanced stuff, your best friend at the beginning is patience.

Stay away from electrolysis, it will ruin your coin.

If you are not sure, stop. Ask questions here and you will get help.

I wouldnt touch either of those. The green on the top one is its patina, the bottom one maaay be dirt, but the only method to remove that would be to soak in oil.

Its not recommended, but you could smooth it off. That would require great knowledge of the design and excellent skill with a fine point to make anything close to acceptable, and even then it will be clear whats happened.

Hey Pish, what would one call that pseudo-microscope in the picture, in order to purchase it from ebay or wherever? I'm thinking that might a tool for me, but I want to see the price range on the microscopes as well.

As for starting off with the junk coins, at least the really bad coins are plentiful and cheap. Thanks again!