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 Replies: 21 / Views: 5,983 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Its recommended all over the place so I bought some using my christmas money. Its set to arrive before thursday, but is there any prep I should do before application?
I might do some distilled water treatment, but any other ideas worth trying?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2044 Posts |
I asked the same question once but didn't get much advice on it.
What I do is clean the coin well enough. Don't want to put the wax over tons of dirt. Take a soft cotton cloth and use it to apply the wax. Let it set for about 10 minutes or so. Then take a clean part of the cloth and rub/buff it in circular motions.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
I haven't used any for a while, but I used to make sure the coin was as clean as I thought I could safely manage, ensure it was dry, applied a small amount of Renwax on the end of a qtip, and then polished with a soft cloth. Don't expect miracles. This is just a protective/preservative wax and will not buff your coins to some miracle appearance.
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Im definitely using a Q-tip but I dont wish to clean the coin much more - I lost a lot of patina last time. Perhaps acetone on a Q-tip could work for cleaning, much gentler.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
 that's about all you need to know, some coins look great with a bit of wax on them, some it doesn't suit, wont know which is which until the deed is done unfortunately. Don't over polish or be tempted to whack loads on, a tiny amount will do, I usually just dip my fingers then rub the coins with them. Not everyone likes wax but on lower value coins I cant see the problem, on some problem coins its certainly a good thing. Don't think I would put it on any thing valuable or that I intended to resell though. Make sure the coins and the wax are not cold, stick them on a radiator for a bit before applying it, makes it much easier. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Heat the wax? right you are. Its alright, I have no intention of selling any of my collection (except eudoxia which, to be honest, doesn't appear to have any chance of being fully cleaned whilst retaining its patina). How about this Hadrian, what do you think? Could it bring out detail?   |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Quote:
Heat the wax? right you are. Yep, just to say body temperature, makes it easier to manage. If you warm the coin slightly also it will mean any moisture will evaporate before it gets coated. I've put coins in the oven before coating them but would not recommend it unless the coin has had / has BD, again just go for body temperature (ish). Yes, wax could help with your Hadrian. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
I applied Renwax to a Aelius and a Domitian in very similar conditions to yours and it did bring out the details. I do not have the before images, but here are the after:   Edited by Bing
01/17/2013 5:37 pm
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
449 Posts |
Another little tip; if you want to give your coin a nice shine buff off the wax with a soft toothbrush(Tesco do good soft ones very cheap, something silly like 2 for 30p) if you want more of a matt finish buff off with a cloth. I find it also significantly enhances the detail of the coin. I'll dig out an old coin I have found MD'ing if you like and do a quick before and after.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
449 Posts |
Here, I have treated one side of this old penny with Ren wax and I have polished with toothbrush(using a cloth will not give give the strong shine the brush gives.) the other side I have left raw. I doubt you will want to give your ancients a shine like the penny, I just wanted to show the opposite sides of the scale, one side raw, the other polished to an extreme. Reverse: Untreated Obverse: Treated, polished with toothbrush. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Good post 123, a picture says a thousand words  Edited by bobbyhelmet
01/17/2013 7:02 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4971 Posts |
, cool comparison. i would absolutely wax that hadrian, I think it will almost certainly improve the appearance. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Renwax can be used to cover a multitude of sins. It can also be used to restore antique furniture.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
567 Posts |
I've never wanted to spring for it, maybe I'll try. That penny is what I think pushed me over the edge.
It's pricey though. Who has it cheapest?
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2100 Posts |
When I have used it in the past I have rubbed it between thumb and finger to raise the temperature before applying.
Make sure the coin is thoroughly dry otherwise you are sealing in the water.
Martin
Edited by maridvnvm
01/18/2013 09:24 am
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New Member
United States
31 Posts |
I agree make sure the coin is completely dry before applying for a couple of reasons. One if its wet the wax will not coat properly, and two you don't want to trap in moisture and have a BD issue.
I always applied and buffed with the same thing, a well worn out old white t shirt. They are 100% cotton, and very soft. I apply it first, let it sit and reharden, (the heat from your fingers will help melt the wax), and an hour later buff with the t shirt.
Its not a miracle worker, but does help see some more details, as well as creating a moisture barrier for the future. The nice part about the stuff is its reversible, so you aren't doing any long term damage.
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Replies: 21 / Views: 5,983 |
Posted 01/17/2013 5:04 pm
