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Replies: 23 / Views: 3,157 |
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Valued Member
 United States
127 Posts |
So I have some questions in reference to the acetone dip, and this Flying Eagle cent I posted will make a good example: The cent in that pvc flip actually DOES had a tiny dot of dark green on the rim. I know verdigris and the green stuff from pvc flips are different things. 1. How do I tell which is which (of course for this it looks like its caused by the holder but I have many lincoln wheat cents with gunk ranging from dark to bright green...and then theres natural patina to make it more confusing) 2. If a coin was in a pvc flip aaaand has verdigris growing on it, would you acetone it first, and then try some verdi-care on it if it doesn't look better, or do the opposite order?
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Moderator
 United States
189767 Posts |
Acetone is cheap and easy. It will remove PVC related residue, but do nothing for verdigris nor will it hurt a coin with verdigris.
So to answer question number two, yes, do acetone first and then Veri-Care if necessary.
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Valued Member
 United States
127 Posts |
So I've been looking into the modern ammo cans and they look like they could fit the bill for storing some coins. I wanted to get one for copper, one for 90% silver coins, and one for my silver eagles. They seem like a good deal ranging from $10-30 each are water although I read on some other forum the rubber gasket in the lid that keeps the seal could be problematic since rubber could be bad for coins. Anyone got any thoughts? I've heard pelican cases without the foam work for coins but those also have a rubber gasket (and cost a lot more than ammo boxes)
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Valued Member
 United States
127 Posts |
Got a couple topics goin on it here but hopefully i'll have a good idea of what I'mdoing when they are answered!
Anyway I got some Klean Strip acetone - could not confirm anywhere on the packaging that it's 100% but the klean strip product sheet describes it as "extremely pure"
Googled it and a few other people have said they used it to dip coins.
I was thinking of using wide-mouth, yet shallow mason jars since they will seal tightly and i'll be able to reach into the jars to retrieve the coin. Not sure what the rubbery red ring on the lid that creates the "seal" on the jar but I don't see how it could affect it. Maybe the worst that happens is the seal gets eaten by the acetone and you now are left with a less than air-tight jar that still cuts down on evaporation.
So theoretically I have this work flow kind of fleshed out but I don't know how to get the coin out of the jar. Do you guys use special wooden tongs or something to put the coin out of the bath? Chop sticks?
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
I use nothing larger than a jigger glass, and normally a shot glass. Anything else is a waste of acetone. A Quart should last you years. A small glass pane as a cover is sufficient to forestall evaporation overnight, which is enough because even if you end up in a multi-day soak situation you're still looking at the coin and refreshing the acetone daily anyway. Kleen Strip is fine. It is pure acetone with Denatonium Benzoate (sp?) in tiny quantity (drops per 55 gallons) to make it unpalatable to animals. That's not relevant to us. Any coin you need Verdi-Care for should get the acetone treatment first. Removing any organic contaminants - seen or not - enhances the Verdi-Care's ability to do its' job, and the acetone may surprise you and make the rest unnecessary. Sometimes we mistake the one for the other. And don't forget, PVC contamination is not visible until it's actively established. I have a pair of bespoke tongs with rubber tips ($5-ish from a coin supplier) to grab coins when required. Rinsed off immediately after that use, I've seen no deterioration in the tips but for $5, who cares if they only last a few years?  Their grip is deliberately weaker than hemostats but still up to the task.
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Valued Member
 United States
127 Posts |
I think I need jars with lids since I have two cats which have zero respect for personal space. If you don't want them somewhere, thats the only place they wanna be! Quote: Any coin you need Verdi-Care for should get the acetone treatment first. Removing any organic contaminants - seen or not - enhances the Verdi-Care's ability to do its' job, and the acetone may surprise you and make the rest unnecessary. Sometimes we mistake the one for the other. And don't forget, PVC contamination is not visible until it's actively established. This makes sense to me as there are varying sorts of gunk I've been finding on my pennies. The most prevalent stuff I find on most of them is gummy gunky stuff crammed into the lettering around the edge of the coin. Where does this rate in scale of damage to a coin? Better or worse than gunk in the fields or portrait area? More work to remove since it may have to me persuaded off the coin with a toothpick? Again, thanks a lot ssuperddave this is all very informative
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
When I allow him in the room, this is my usual competition for the keyboard. He's a big boy (that's a full-size folded newspaper), and easily covers the entire keyboardddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd:  "Gummy gunk," as opposed to the things we know will harm coins, is usually not a priority in terms of our commitment to the future. In fact, removing it is quite often contraindicated, as removal leaves obviously cleaned surfaces. Sometimes you have to accept that this is what the coin is, and simply arrest it in place. My usual location for acetone work is behind a closed bathroom door, on the windowsill with (weather depending) the window cracked. It best copes with acetone's extreme volatility, because even if it all blows straight into the house, one shot glass is insufficient to create a flammable atmosphere unless you confine it to a closet. If you have such a location available it can be cat-proofed. Others use baby food jars. This is an acceptable alternative which will also be catproof, but complicates maneuvering the coin within it since you don't want it laying flat.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1476 Posts |
I can relate to fighting with the cats. Every time I turn my back our new kitten will have what ever coin I have left on or near the keyboard. Not only that, but any tooth pick, cotton swab, 2x2, baggie, sheese. And she Has managed to knock over 1 batch of acetone. Scared us to death that she was going to lick it before we could get to her.  Lucky she didn't.  That's why we ended up naming her Penny. 
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Replies: 23 / Views: 3,157 |