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Replies: 10 / Views: 2,003 |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
216 Posts |
Whilst shopping earlier I purchased some pure acetone. What is the best way to ue it? Is it submerge the coin then rinse?
I know not to use it on anything of value.....
NB. If any one in the UK is interested, it was in Poundland, sold as artificial nail remover.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
797 Posts |
With acetone you will not have to rinse. Normally a quick soak will dislodge most material on a coin. The Acetone will evaporate from the coin rather quickly
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1476 Posts |
 Also, I'm sure you are already aware but, be sure you are in a well ventilated area when using it and protect your work are as it can do some strange things to a lot of materials other then metal.
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Valued Member
 United Kingdom
216 Posts |
Thanks.
What's the best way to hold the coin........tweezers?
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1351 Posts |
Don't forget to get a good Cuban smoke to reduce the smell....kidding it is a dangerous substance. Best to do outside. Dip,distilled water and patted dry. Each coin will require more or less.Try with some crap first.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2517 Posts |
Don't use tweezers, especially if they're metal! They can damage the coin. Artificial nail remover? That sounds the similar to nail polish remover. Double check if it's pure, sometimes marketing is sneaky and put 100% acetone on the label, even though it's not pure and they added things like fragrance.
I use my hands. Just don't keep in contact with acetone for too long because it dries skin. You can wear gloves if you want. Just make sure whatever you use isn't of organic origin (like plastic, paint, etc. so no plastic cups!) because acetone dissolves it too. I learnt that the hard way, the plastic bottle I kept the acetone in almost dissolved, and I peeled paint off when I accidentally spilled some on it. And also make sure the place you're working in is well ventilated and there is nothing that can start a fire (fire, sparks, those things) because acetone is flammable.
Edit: No need to rinse with water and pat dry I say, because acetone will evaporate off the coin in seconds.
Edited by Altaira 05/12/2014 5:44 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8904 Posts |
I recommend you do a search for "Acetone" on the CCF. You'll find lots of advice and how-to directions.
Good luck and be careful!
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Moderator
 Australia
16810 Posts |
Acetone does evaporate off the coin quickly. As others have said elsewhere, the best way to make sure that none of the stuff that just got washed off the coin by the acetone gets re-deposited back onto the coin when the acetone evaporates, it is best to have two or three cups or bowls of acetone, and submerge the coins into each in series: bowl 1, dry, bowl 2, dry, bowl 3, dry. Try to minimize dunking your fingers in the acetone, because it will suck the oil out of your fingertips and re-deposit that oil onto the coin or anything else if it allowed to evaporate away. Acetone does not "dissolve" plastic so much as depolymerize it, but the effect is similar. If you use gloves, use gloves made out of a material that is not affected by acetone (test the gloves first).
A water rinse is unnecessary but does no harm if it makes you feel more comfortable doing it, just remember to use distilled/deionized water rather than tap water (especially if you're in an area where the tap water is loaded with chemicals) and dry it thoroughly afterwards. If you don;t have access to DI water, I'd definitely recommend skipping the water wash because I'd trust the purity of the acetone over the purity of the water.
And, as others have said, treat acetone just as carefully as you would treat petrol/gasoline: poisonous, keep away from small children and animals; flammable, no smoking fires or sparks; highly volatile, keep well ventilated.
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
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Be really, really carefull of that stuff. It will disolve many things and some you may not like the end reults. As already noted you should do a Search on this forum for Acetone, coin cleaning, cleaning coins, etc. Remember that Acetone is highly flamable. DO NOT use near flames or sparks. Make sure the area you use it has good air circulation. Be carefull around painted items like a car, boat, bike, etc. If splashed on those services, may well creat excessive damage. Do not use it in metal containers or plastic ones. Try using it in glass containers. Yes you can use your fingers to add a coin to a container with Acetone and same to remove it. Best thing to use is a Glass type item for holding any coin. Do not use cigaretts, pipes or cigars while using Acetone. Wear safety glasses if possible.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5202 Posts |
Quote: Be carefull around painted items like a car, boat, bike, etc. . . . Do not use cigaretts, pipes or cigars while using Acetone If I was smoking cigars around my boats and cars and bikes I wouldn't be buying raw coins and soaking them in acetone  The only thing I am missing from that equation is the boats.
Edited by jack jeckel 05/12/2014 11:49 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
865 Posts |
What I usually do is get a 5 gallon bucket, fill that up with acetone and and seal it in an air tight closet. After about a half hour I'll go drop the coin in. After I wake up the coin usually looks pretty good. (Disclaimer: SARCASM!!)
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Replies: 10 / Views: 2,003 |
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