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 Replies: 16 / Views: 1,988 |
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Pillar of the Community
Italy
1790 Posts |
Hello! I would like to clean up these two common LRBs. The trouble is that I have never done this before  . I have some distilled water and a tooth pick but am not sure how to go about cleaning these. Any help would be greatly appreciated Sorry about the bad picture.  Edited by Augustus Maximus
02/27/2015 5:43 pm
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
I prefer using olive oil, I think it's cleans the coins much faster. The down side being that it does darken them a bit.
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Pillar of the Community
 Italy
1790 Posts |
Unfortunately Olive oil is out of the equation for now, all I have is distilled water.
Edited by Augustus Maximus
02/27/2015 5:52 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
3626 Posts |
Chuck 'em in a tub with the DW. Put a lid on to stop evaporation. Keep them in for a few days, shake the stub on a regular basis. If the water turns cloudy change it. After a few days, take out and pick. Toothpicks don't last long. If you have any bamboo in the garden, break it up and use that. It also doesn't last long. I got a bundle of sticks from the garden centre, they will probably last me my lifetime!
After picking, chuck 'em back in fresh DW. Keep going until you have the result you want.
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Pillar of the Community
Italy
1790 Posts |
Thank you Pish! If this works then drinks are on me!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
513 Posts |
If you have an old toothbrush those work well too. Soak a couple days, scrub it (this is to get the loose dirt off), then soak again for as long as your patience lasts, at least a week or two. Then scrub again, and then get to work with bamboo/toothpicks for the pesky stuff.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
3626 Posts |
You are welcome. Actually, I would start of with a toothbrush rather than a pick. You can get about 10 in a bag from Asda for about a quid. Get some scissors and cut down the bristles by about a half, that makes them a bit stiffer. Soak, brush, soak, brush until you are happy. Finish off with a pick or bamboo. I use a scalpel under magnification, but you need to walk before you run.
Some of the guys swear by olive oil, others DW or de-ionised water (cheaper). If you decide to try both, DW before OO not the other way round. DW is cleaner, I use warm OO on silver, rarely bronze.
Edit: Chuy beat me to it :)
Edited by pishpash
02/27/2015 6:07 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Italy
1790 Posts |
Just put them in to soak overnight. I will brush them off in the morning. Thanks guys and girl.
Edited by Augustus Maximus
02/27/2015 7:07 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
513 Posts |
PP, a question on olive oil and water soaking. I've noticed that when I pull the coins out of the olive oil they are hydrophobic and have a bit of a "fryer" smell. Does not soaking them in water to remove the oil not lead to them going rancid or anything? I haven't actually tried doing the oil without doing water after yet because I was worried about that.
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Pillar of the Community
Italy
1790 Posts |
Just brushed the first coin for a few minutes, it is working well. The reverse looks like it has a boat on it, I will keep you all posted on further developments.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
3626 Posts |
@chuy:
Water and oil do not mix. If you want to use DW on something that you have previously soaked in OO, then the OO has to be removed first. Use a toothbrush and washing up liquid (you might call it dish soap) to scrub away the OO (use warm water) dry thoroughly and then soak in acetone. Do not use "nail polish remover" but find 100% acetone.
Always use DW before resorting to OO.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4778 Posts |
Here's to hoping they are Theodosius and Arcadius  |
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Pillar of the Community
Italy
1790 Posts |
I have my fingers crossed it's Valentinian II |
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Pillar of the Community
Italy
1790 Posts |
On the revsere I can make out two figures on a ship.
So far so good. :)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4970 Posts |
AM, when you're done, you may want to bake them in the over to make certain they are very dry. in the summer, i'll stick them on the back deck on an aluminum pie pan in direct sunlight and bake for a few hours. if you do the over, try 110 F for 20 minutes (or something like that).
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
1194 Posts |
with two eggs please  |
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Replies: 16 / Views: 1,988 |
Posted 02/27/2015 5:51 pm
