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 Replies: 15 / Views: 8,886 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1723 Posts |
Im curious if anyone here can tell me if there are any long term negative effects on silver or copper coinage if I gave them a soak in vinegar, followed by boiling water soapy bath and then serious rinse
This isn't a debate on if its a good idea to clean or not too or value changes, in someones opinion, if coins are cleaned.
This is just for my albums, wanting 1 of each date, just want to clean them up, not polish or scuff them up. Cheers!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1436 Posts |
Would recommend using Acetone instead of vinegar
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
1723 Posts |
Thanks dave. I know acetone would be best...but dont have any and dont really want to buy any for the amount that I need to use it. Thats why I was curious if vinegar would have a long term negative effect on the metals, like if I use it the coin will dissinegrate in 5 years or something like that.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
If they are only cruddy common coins then go for it, it will give you an instant reason not to do it on good coins. I would suggest trying it on a few common 1 cent copper coins first. The vinegar is an acid and will permanently remove any lustre left on the coin and give it an unnatural salmon color. As for long term effects, the coin will not rot away but it will forever be seen as a dipped coin.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3294 Posts |
They develop nasty looking pitting after a while.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1723 Posts |
Wow trout1105...came on strong there bud...but thank-you for the comments....i did try it out on a few coins that werent quite up to par to go in the album. The newer ones turned out great...clean and still lots of luster. Tried a 1920 and came out salmon color like you said, so with that I'm thinking dont touch the older ones but the newer ones really benefited from a 5 min dip.
Now with NOD2003 saying that getting pitting after a while, makes me think not a good idea at all regardless of short term gain.
So I guess now, researching acetones and all the good stuff related to that product. Thanks guys!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1436 Posts |
Make sure to use real Acetone and not nail polish remover. You should be able to buy a small can of Acetone at your local hardware store for around $5.00 or so
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1723 Posts |
Thanks for the tip dave....will checkout the hardware store tomorrow after I hit the flea market. Cheers
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
You could try simply soaking them in olive oil, this is used to clean ancients and is not that invasive.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1723 Posts |
Picked up the acetone....now just have to search on how to use properly. I think I read that I can dip the coin into it for about 10sec with needlenose plyers or something like that. guess I will search that out when I get a few min to spare.
Never heard of an olive oil bath!? Thats kind of weird. how would that work? (Just trying to wrap my head around the concept). I dont know this stuff because I'm not in the habbit of cleaning ANY coins that I have. Just these ones that are just for me forever. I dont mind cleaned (to a point) coins, I like to see them as close to original without damaging them any further than they already are from circulating.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1436 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Be aware that acetone is EXTREMELY flammable and that it easily forms explosive mixtures with air. Handle carefully and in an area that has plenty of ventilation. Do not use acetone in an enclosed area. Also note that acetone easily forms very unstable compounds with chlorine and many chlorinated compounds. "Unstable" is chemist talk for "may go BOOM! without warning". Be sure to download and carefully read the MSDS for this compound.
If I wanted to clean a few coins, I would use mineral spirits on a clean rag (such as an old T-shirt or diaper) to very gently wipe them to remove any grease, oils, fats, or waxes. After that, a gentle wash in mild soap and water and pat dry would be fine. A good silver cleaner / polish can also work well but rub very gently with a clean soft cloth or cotton swab.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Acetone is fine....just dont be an idiot! Do not let the acetone evaporate on the coin, rinse in distilled water and done. BTW, Acetone is a conservation method NOT cleaning. It has no reaction whatsoever with metals. It will only remove organic debris and dehydrate the surface of the coin.
Vinegar, on the other hand, is acid and will strip layer off the coin.
Edited by amida17
08/14/2012 7:21 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
4411 Posts |
I would use brief acetone bath for the silver and a VERY light rub with olive oil and a cotton bud on copper coins but making sure to remove all the oil. Vinegar will cut them up bad.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6394 Posts |
Guess I'm the only one who thinks vinegar has a valid role for cleaning silver coins. Over the years I've found many silver-clad Kennedy half dollars from roll searches. It is common to see these with greenish discoloration caused by superficial corrosion of the 80%-silver outer layer. This corrosion can often be completely removed by a brief soak in white vinegar. Many coins I've processed come out looking like lustrous, original BU examples. I have not seen any subsequent problems with these coins; at least, they do not develop pitting or new corrosion within a year or two. I found this coin yesterday at a local Bank of America. The obvious corrosion was much worse than the faint greenish patina that I often see. Nevertheless, 15 minutes in ordinary white vinegar at room temperature eliminated the green, revealing an EF or better coin with uneven toning but no other problems. I would not casually use vinegar on valuable collector coins but I think it's fine for low-value silver with corrosion issues. Before treatment:   After treatment:   |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1502 Posts |
nice example! ^^^
I've never cleaned circulating coinage but know that hot water + tin (aluminum) foil + baking soda works well with tarnished pure silver coins
wouldn't consider cleaning anything that isn't already scrap, but we've beaten that point flat already.
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Replies: 15 / Views: 8,886 |
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Posted 08/11/2012 2:51 pm
