Preserving Steel Coins - Page 2 - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 23 / Views: 7,806	Page: of 2

Spook67 New Member United States 3 Posts	Posted 03/26/2024 08:09 am Recently, I acquired a batch of neglected 1943 Steel cents, mostly P's with a few D's and S's thrown in. They arrived in a sorry state, haphazardly stored in a ziplock bag, showing signs of decay. Determined to revive them, I decided to try CLR lime and rust remover. After soaking a couple of coins and closely monitoring the process, I was delighted with the outcome—a clean coin free from rust. To preserve the steel surface and prevent further deterioration, I applied a drop of 3in1 oil, ensuring thorough coverage. Reflecting on the restoration process, I found myself wishing I had a YouTube channel to document the transformation. Currently, I'm about 80% through restoring the remaining coins. It's worth noting that the extent of restoration varies depending on the level of rust. Coins with minor surface rust now gleam like new, while those with deeper corrosion, though salvaged, bear the marks of their battle with the rust . Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187544 Posts	Posted 03/26/2024 08:25 am to the Community, Spook67! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
Dearborn Moderator United States 94666 Posts	Posted 03/26/2024 1:56 pm @Spook - Can you provide a 'before' and 'after' image of your process? Collecting since 1972. Learning from then on "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin 7070 type set coin count: 51/76 Uncirculated American Silver Eagles My American Silver Eagle Proof Collection Sacagawea Dollars Innovation Dollars Eisenhower-Dollars Kennedy-Half Dollars Washington-Quarters Roosevelt-Dimes Buffalo-Nickels 1938-2005 Jefferson-Nickels Lincoln-Cents Report this Post to the Staff
BadThad Bedrock of the Community United States 19930 Posts	Posted 03/26/2024 7:29 pm Probably best to start a new thread, this one is ancient. I suspect it will gain posts quickly. Nothing like another coin cleaning thread on CC! Lincoln Cent Lover! VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/ Edited by BadThad 03/26/2024 7:31 pm Report this Post to the Staff
HondoB Bedrock of the Community United States 24886 Posts	Posted 03/26/2024 7:39 pm CLR contains lactic acid, L-gluconic acid, lauramine oxide, and tripropylene glycol n-butyl ether. I may give it a shot on some crusty old steelies just to see what happens. Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures Report this Post to the Staff
Spook67 New Member United States 3 Posts	Posted 03/27/2024 2:12 pm I went back to my two cups of steel cents. The one on the left has what I believe related to zinc oxidation, the cup in the right is mostly rust. Pic 1 is the before front and back. The top row is the zinc oxidation, and the bottom is rust. I selected P, D, S from each type...just because. Pic 2 is the after pics. The two pics of the coins in the green solution show the cleaning action. NOTE--Rust will not bubble, the Zinc oxidation does. When the bubbling slows, you may have to scrub with a Q-Tip and resoak. I did one more steel cent with more rust, separately depicted. Upon extracting from the CLR bath, they are scrubbed with a Q-Tip, edges cleaned and then rinsed in water. One dried, rubbed in 3in1 oil and wiped dry. Most coins, IMO, can be left as is, but the 43 steel cents, minted in the billions, being consumed by rust will eventually succumb to crumbling dust. And no one wants cancerous rusty coins next to other healthily clean coins. Take away, vaccinate your rusty coins! Disclaimer. Cleaning coins is bad. I will likely be summoned to appear before the Numismatic Court and have to answer for my crimes. Report this Post to the Staff
Spook67 New Member United States 3 Posts	Posted 03/27/2024 2:18 pm Also, sorry about reviving an old thread. Google got me here. I was not a member until now and my intension was to answer the original thread's premise. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187544 Posts	Posted 03/28/2024 12:07 pm Quote: Also, sorry about reviving an old thread. Google got me here. I was not a member until now and my intension was to answer the original thread's premise. No problem. We would have split it out into its own if it were really necessary. Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
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