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 Replies: 39 / Views: 3,695 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Just forget the gloves if you do not mind dry skin, that is the worst side effect of it. Obviously, you do not want to get more potent organic solvents on your skin but short-term acetone exposure on skin is relatively harmless(just make sure you do not have a hangnail or a cut- it will burn like the dickens) and that is the method that I personally use. The first dip of your fingers in acetone will pretty much remove all of the essential oils on the surface of your skin. Of course, always dunk the coin in clean acetone after your initial soak. Once you are done with your work, slather on lotion as needed  |
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Rest in Peace
 United States
5375 Posts |
How long do I dip my fingers in it?
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New Member
United States
11 Posts |
I was always told you never clean a coin period. I have a unc. 1859 Indian that has a couple of green spots in the wreath or the reverse. Will this work without changing the coins color or affecting the luster? What are the long term affects on the coin after putting it in this chemical? Thanks
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
SLQS1916, using acetone is considered to be conservation, not cleaning- the distinction is important. Cleaning(in the numismatic sense) is considered to be damaging while conservation merely preserves the coin. Acetone is an organic solvent and will not react with metal, it simply removes any organic material that may be present on the surface of the coin. That may include PVC residue, finger grease, oils, etc. It will not remove toning or stains and it will not affect luster and patina unless the patina underneath the gunk is different that that of the exposed surfaces of the coin. Acetone will also not remove verdigris or corrosion so unless you think the green spot on your IHC is PVC residue, then acetone will probably do nothing to it. Acetone is fairly harmless to you if used properly. It is volatile so it cannot be used near any ignition sources and the fumes are intoxicating so make sure to have proper ventilation. ShadowCreator, the initial dunking of the coin into acetone with your fingers will remove the oils from your skin surface, you do not need to soak you hands in it or anything(I would not recommend that). Just make sure to give the coin a final rinse with clean acetone, otherwise you just succeeded in transferring more finger grease to your coin 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6394 Posts |
I use a small glass beaker for my acetone treatments, but any clean glass container is fine. I put the coin in first, then pour in enough acetone to cover it. If I want to soak the coin for awhile I cover the beaker tightly with aluminum foil which greatly slows down evaporation. When done, I pour off the used acetone, rinse with some fresh acetone, and finally tip the coin onto a clean paper towel. The remaining solvent evaporates within a few seconds. Since my hands never touch the acetone, I don't need to worry about gloves or skin drying! |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
Started the process, if this works, I have a few more coins that I think would benefit from it!
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New Member
United States
11 Posts |
When you get done, post another pic of the 1900-o, would like to see the after pic.
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
No significant results after 2 hours. Overnight soak?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10982 Posts |
I would let it soak overnight. Has anyone discussed Thad's Verdi-Gone yet?  I've got a 1925 Lincoln roll find soaking in Verdi-Gone now! Maybe an AU! Verdi-Gone works a lot better than acetone for me and should be safe on silver. Edited by BH1964
03/18/2009 5:41 pm
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
Good results with other coins even after 30 minutes. Some moron tried to clean a 1909-S dime in VF30+ instead of dipping it in acetone like its supposed to be. So, sadly, not the $200+ coin I hoped, but I paid $40 for it.
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
Dipped 3 other coins. One Barber half dollar in VG-10 with some staining, a VF half dollar with some gunk at the top, and a 1909-S dime with some gunk on the obverse. Results are: Reduced staining on VG-10 half Reduced gunk on VF half, but still dark in that area Reduced gunk on 1909-S dime, still dark on most of the coin On the 1900-O dime, there is still something left of the little green spots. However, less noticeable. |
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New Member
United States
3 Posts |
I agree with the first post about acetone. Acetone will not affect the toning; it will not react with the metal. It WILL react with PVC if that's the problem, and also will lift off oils and other potentially harmful chemicals without affecting the integrity of the coin, its toning, its surface, or any other thing important, but will get rid of a lot of other dirt, oil and crap that you don't want on the coin in the first place. Let the coin dry, which won't take long because acetone evaporates quickly.
As for rubber or plastic tongs, NO! Use your fingers, for God's sake. This coin isn't a virgin! If you want to use something between you and the coin (if it were BU), DON'T use rubber or anything plastic (one of my first high school chemistry experiments was destroying the plastic barrel of my prize Parker pen when it rolled into the acetone I spilled); silicon gloves will work.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Be careful! The acetone will breakdown most commercial rubber/plastic and you'll have a mess!
I speak from experience.
And he is not the only one. Do not use anything except glass. Use a glass dish, use a glass fork or spoon to handle the coin. Do not allow the Acetone to evaporate on the coin. Immediately rinse with distilled water. Blot or blow dry with a hair dryer on warm. Do not attempt to try metal, rubber, plastic types of items unless you first experiment that they will not be effected by the Acetone. AND do not breath in the Acetone. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
I was always told you never clean a coin period. I have a unc. 1859 Indian that has a couple of green spots in the wreath or the reverse. Will this work without changing the coins color or affecting the luster? What are the long term affects on the coin after putting it in this chemical? Thanks
All coins exposed to Acetone explode in 5 seconds.  JOKING of course. As noted already this is not considered cleaning. You could find out virtually many stories about the usage of Acetone by using the SEARCH thing at the top of the page. You would be amazed at how much this has been discussed. One last warning. Watch out for breathing those vapors. For information as to those possible problems you may want to try the ATSDR web site. Agency for Toxic Substnces & Disease Registry. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
Done, will post some results in a day or two.
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Replies: 39 / Views: 3,695 |
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Posted 03/17/2009 2:51 pm
