| Author |
 Replies: 21 / Views: 3,354 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
521 Posts |
Hello,
I read many posts before trying out acetone and it seems to work pretty well. However, I find that some of the more difficult dirt won't come off with just a soak.
So, one thing I read was to roll a Q-tip over the coin. I have also read to gently brush the coin but only if it is wet on wet in order to avoid dry rubbing.
I find it that it works to remove the dirt while the coin is still wet. I am having trouble doing this because acetone evaporates so quickly. Do any of you have specific techniques for holding a coin steady while submerged in acetone so you can work it with a Q-tip or toothpick.
|
|
|
|
Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
Do a search here on CCF for using an air brush set up. I read about it and they also showed pics and it looked like it worked great and all without touching the coin. John1  |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
10625 Posts |
I haven't done the search for the previous post with the airbrush technique, but I would warn not to run out and use acetone with compressed air without using proper safety precautions.
|
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
but I would warn not to run out and use acetone with compressed air without using proper safety precautions. Yeah, that sounds like a serious eye hazard. Here's a thought for you, johnny676767: Drop the coin into a shotglass of water (leave room for expansion). Freeze and thaw it for a few cycles, leaving time for a good soak in between. That's been known to break stubborn dirt off a coin, if dirt it actually is. |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1354 Posts |
I've only soaked and used a Q-tip and I know what you are talking about. Lots of grime left, especially around the numbers. I tried using a toothpick but they were fancier expensive ones and ended up being to hard and scratched the coin. If I try toothpicks again I will get cheaper, softer ones. I also have read about people rinsing off in distilled water and re dipping in acetone to dry it off faster, if you feel you need more moisture to get grime off. Just a thought. I am new at this as well. I was wondering about a longer soak as well, as I only do a 10 min one.
|
|
Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
Quote:
If I try toothpicks again I will get cheaper, softer ones. I heard of using a thorn from a rose,they don't scratch. John1 |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1354 Posts |
John 1
That's good to know.... I just had a vision of plucking a thorn off a frozen bush buried under the snow and thawing it out. My neighbors would be wondering what the crazy neighbor was doing now. Lol.
|
|
Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
U B Funny Coin Chick  . John1 |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
618 Posts |
Hawthorn tree spikes also good---currently trying bramble bush thorns but they seem to loose their hardness quickly.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3079 Posts |
Here is a like to the long soaking of 6 ikes I did. https://goccf.com/t/147538&whichpage=1Quote:
Do a search here on CCF for using an air brush set up. I will also mention that using compressed air and acetone you basically are making a mixing chamber for fuel air ratio that can explode with the smallest spark. possible with static electricity. The most hazardous property of acetone is its extreme flammability. Air mixtures of between 2.5% and 12.8% acetone, by volume, may explode or cause a flash fire. Vapors can flow along surfaces to distant ignition sources and flash back. Static discharge may also ignite acetone vapors. Acetone has, however very high ignition initiation energy point, so accidental ignition is rare. In the liquid form. Not to mention the fire ball of the mixture of flammable gas mix hanging in the air in front of your head/face. Breathing moderate-to-high levels of acetone for short periods of time can cause nose, throat, lung, and eye irritation. It can also cause intoxication, headaches, fatigue, stupor, light-headedness, dizziness, confusion, increased pulse rate, nausea, vomiting, and shortening of the menstrual cycle in women. Breathing highly concentrated acetone vapors can irritate the respiratory tract and burn your eyes. Skin contact with acetone can irritate or damage your skin. Even with the possible side effects of using it as a solvent, it is still one of the safe ones out there to use. Use nitrile gloves, and a ventilation source, mask rated for organic vapors. If you are going to be using it for extended periods of time. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
567 Posts |
Acetone cleaning is generally not god for the coin long term. I use a brass wire brush on my ancients. God results and no chemicals. Soaking in DI water for a day or two will soften up most crusties, making them cleanable by mechanical means. Jusy use someting softer than the coin to clean it with (i.e. don't use steel picks on silver coins) Toothpicks are fine, they're usually made of soft birch. I've used electrolysis on US coins as testers and get great results if there is only tarnish and no corosion. If there's corrosion it'll remove it and leave a pit. |
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
Acetone cleaning is generally not god for the coin long term. Acetone is physically incapable of reacting with any metal except copper. You can leave a silver coin in pure acetone for decades and it won't make a difference. Ever. If you want to manage a reaction with copper, you need also the presence of water vapor and bright light, and you'll need to devote hours to the effort. In the absence of water vapor, you can't manage it. In the dark, regardless of water vapor, you can't manage it. Further, you'll need to allow the acetone to completely evaporate during the process. Which is to say, as long as any coin is completely immersed in pure acetone, no chemical reaction of any sort will ever be possible for as long as you soak it. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10034 Posts |
@johnny676767 I use an antique glass coaster that went under furniture legs - identical to these (random web pic):  Pour enough acetone in to cover the coin - plus some more. So the coin does not slide around, use one Q-tip to hold it down and another to do your rolling/wiping. Since I usually have a number of coins to do at one time (rinsing with acetone before putting in 2X2s), and sometimes a few minutes between each rinse, I use a plastic peanut butter jar lid to cover the coaster and hinder the acetone's evaporation. I think the coaster was a .05 garage sale find. Also I have an antique glass canning jar lid w/ flat top - will therefore sit upside down without teetering. It is more shallow than the coaster but still will hold enough acetone so it won't evaporate for quite awhile (when I don't have the fan on!) I use this primarily for halves and find I can fit 3 or 4 at a time in the acetone. To remove the coins, a pen tip from one of those clear, plastic, one-piece BIC pens (make sure the pen tip has a flat end - not one of the blocky-ended types) works good getting under the edge of the coin and lifting so coin tweezers can then get on the edge to lift the coin out. @SsuperDdave - great idea with the ice - wish I had thought of it! Toothpicks: I know its not common for a lot of people to find - but I use a porcupine quill. Not on;y are the quills soft enough to get the grime and not scratch the coin, but the porcupines are kind enough to grow varying diameters (depending on which area of the critter they grow on) of quills so areas such as the inside of a D MM can be reached with the thinnest of these all natural coin-gunk-removal tools. @Coin Chick Quote:
My neighbors would be wondering what the crazy neighbor was doing now. Lol. I don't worry about this. My neighbors found out I was crazy the first time my dog got loose, and from the front porch I loudly called her... by name... "Here Kitty Kitty." Its good to keep them guessing. How much squash could a Sasquatch squash if a Sasquatch would squash squash? Download and read: Grading the graders Costly TPG ineptitude and No FG Kennedy halveshttps://ln5.sync.com/dl/7ca91bdd0/w...i3b-rbj9fir2 |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Some things to think about with using Acetone.
1. If you don't need it around the house for anything else, spending the money to buy it may be a waste.
2. With the high price of gasoline for a car, driving to a hardware or paint store to buy Acetone may cost more than you think.
3. Same may be true of distilled water.
4. Note that in most areas Acetone comes in Quart sized containers. Distilled water is usually in Gallon bottles.
Lots of stuff if only for a few coins.
5. Using anything to blow on Acetone may end up costing a lot of money at a hospital for eye treatments. And if made blind, collecting coins may well be over.
6. If the coins your attempting to clean are not valuable, spending a lot of money to clean them is sort of nutty.
7. If your coins are valuable, any cleaning with toothpicks, rose thornes, brushes, etc. may end up making them a lot less valuable.
And always remember that any flamable solution or substance laying around could be a real danger if the wrong person messes with that stuff.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Quote:
Acetone cleaning is generally not god for the coin long term. On what basis do you make that assertion?  Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10034 Posts |
Remember acetone is the main ingredient used in fingernail polish remover. The manufacturers switched to using acetone because it is safe to use, be around et cetera. 100% acetone is available at Wal-mart (where I get mine) and does not cost much. Our bodies produce acetone in small quantities and every time we eat a grape, we ingest very small amounts. So if you would be tempted to use fingernail polish for a coffee flavoring, eye wash, pet food, etc. - don't use acetone. As with all things acetone is safe if you use common sense. Google acetone household uses =- you will find it handy to have around. Edited by Earle42
05/01/2013 9:11 pm
|
| |
Replies: 21 / Views: 3,354 |
Posted 12/19/2012 12:30 pm
