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Posted 08/01/2024 12:12 am
In today's society, which is both highly litigious and highly aware of allergens pathogens and the general nastiness of many chemicals, the age of selling "patented secret formulas" with unknown mystery ingredients is long gone. Every chemical-based substance sold in the US (and most other Western nations) requires the public publication of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), listing all the ingredients. The "trade secret" can now only be in the exact percentages of chemicals used in the mixture, rather than the chemicals themselves. So we know what's in coin cleaners, we just don't know precisely how much.
Here is the SDS for MS70: https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/im...DS-55050.pdf
Ingredients:
- "inert substance" - which is their euphemism for "water": 50-90%.
- potassium hydroxide - strong alkali. Percentage not stated, but given the "missing mass" of the other percentages, must logically be at least 5%.
- 2-butoxyethanol - industrial solvent and surfactant: 1-5%
The butoxyethanol and potassium hydroxide, together, effectively act as a detergent, for removing PVC goo. And the strong alkaline environment of the potassium hydroxide removes verdigris and similar corrosion by-products without affecting metal oxides and sulfides (toning), or unoxidized raw metal (lustre).
I don't know how good it is at removing PVC haze, but my theoretical understanding is that it shouldn't work. The haze is caused by the acids in the PVC goo etching the surface. Once it's been etched, it can't be dis-etched; the damage is done.
And for the curious, here's the SDS for E-Z-Est: https://aervoe.com/_files/msds/EzEs...S%20Bulk.pdf
Ingredients:
- sulfuric acid - also known as "battery acid": 1-5%
- thiourea: 3-7%
The chemical reaction between silver sulfide and thiourea in acidic solution to create a soluble silver-thiourea complex and hydrogen sulfide, is well documented, and is the basis for all silver dip cleaners like E-Z-Est. Note that this is acidic, so E-Z-Est will also dissolve corrosion spots, but also remove metal oxide layers (toning). The chemical reaction with a coin's surface is essentially identical to the one that put the haze there in the first place; it won't "remove the haze", but it might make the entire coin's surface equally hazy so it's less noticeable.
Here is the SDS for MS70: https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/im...DS-55050.pdf
Ingredients:
- "inert substance" - which is their euphemism for "water": 50-90%.
- potassium hydroxide - strong alkali. Percentage not stated, but given the "missing mass" of the other percentages, must logically be at least 5%.
- 2-butoxyethanol - industrial solvent and surfactant: 1-5%
The butoxyethanol and potassium hydroxide, together, effectively act as a detergent, for removing PVC goo. And the strong alkaline environment of the potassium hydroxide removes verdigris and similar corrosion by-products without affecting metal oxides and sulfides (toning), or unoxidized raw metal (lustre).
I don't know how good it is at removing PVC haze, but my theoretical understanding is that it shouldn't work. The haze is caused by the acids in the PVC goo etching the surface. Once it's been etched, it can't be dis-etched; the damage is done.
And for the curious, here's the SDS for E-Z-Est: https://aervoe.com/_files/msds/EzEs...S%20Bulk.pdf
Ingredients:
- sulfuric acid - also known as "battery acid": 1-5%
- thiourea: 3-7%
The chemical reaction between silver sulfide and thiourea in acidic solution to create a soluble silver-thiourea complex and hydrogen sulfide, is well documented, and is the basis for all silver dip cleaners like E-Z-Est. Note that this is acidic, so E-Z-Est will also dissolve corrosion spots, but also remove metal oxide layers (toning). The chemical reaction with a coin's surface is essentially identical to the one that put the haze there in the first place; it won't "remove the haze", but it might make the entire coin's surface equally hazy so it's less noticeable.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
