I'm very disappointed. My previous thread led me to different things to try. None of them have worked thus far. I tried 9 variations and gave each a olive oil bath and a light brush afterwords. Here are my results.
I get that you're experimenting, but I wouldn't use any acids like vinegar or olive oil. Use mineral oil and a very soft toothbrush, very lightly (as coop has suggested). Also, you are experimenting on copper and zinc coins; for the sake of your experiment, stick to one or the other, as copper and zinc reacts differently, just fyi. Sill, the best advice is the standard, don't clean your coins unless you have something worthy of saving.
Hi merclover. I found various recipes on coin community. These are ones that I could test now. I got the suggestion from coop for the mineral oil. But I have to go to the store to get it. When I find one to keep and want to restore it I need to know how and how not to. I have now eliminated vinegar through my experiments. Acetone is ok for a 5 sec bath but it can only do so much. I posted these not for my benefit but for the good of the whole community. Please be a little more positive.
This is a good post to show what works and what does not. It is something to point to for newbies. The coins that the OP is experimenting on are clearly only worth face value to begin with, so guys, let's not worry about trying to identify the do's and don'ts right now.
You can put lipstick on a pig ,but it's still a pig . Your wasting your time and energy messing around with trash coins . Just stick to the basics : Acetone ,distilled water and Verdi-Care are the only solutions you need to know about . If you can't get the coins looking real decent with those 3 then use those coins to fill a hole or throw those nasty Lincolns in your cull box . The Peroxide and vinegar can be used only for bringing up the dates on worn dateless Buffalo nickels .
Threads like these indicate we're losing collective knowledge on many topics. There are loads of old threads on this topic that are good, and a few like this that are dross. T-Bop's advice is solid
FYI..I've soaked pre 82 cents in Acetone for up to 2 days with no negative effects and lets not forget Xylene (per BadThads polar ladder) So don't be afraid to lengthen your soak times....Guys remember, trying is on the way to learning and he is using junk cents..I say keep at it TwistedTrader....good luck
Most of you all don't get it. To restore a coin should not be a secret. I got many tips on the subject. Some worthy and some not so much. I want my little collection to look as nice as possible. I have always been the do it yourself type! I thought I would get a majority of support from the community. But support is in the minority. Thank you to those who support my efforts.
TT , It's not that we don't support your efforts . We disagree on the solutions your using on dead Lincoln Cents . Experiment , yes go right ahead but all we are saying is don't use any kind of acid on your coins to either clean them or conserve them .
Much depends on what the individual collector is after. I knew someone who happily used Brasso on a collection of circulated wheat cents. The individual was very happy with the resulting bright pink copper appearance after rubbing liberal dollops of Brasso on the coins using a coarse, well-used (dirty) rag. Several months later they'd begin to tarnish, so more Brasso.
When I attempt restoration of copper or copper-plated coins, I use acetone and/or mineral oil only. Verdicare occasionally. A few times I've soaked in acetone for many hours to remove stubborn material such as decades-old glue-like substances--with good results.
I am in full support of your experimentation, TT. I think pretty much everyone has good intentions here and at worst is trying to save you some time and energy. I always learn best from experience, too, and I have a natural tendency to question authority, so this is totally the kind of thing I might myself do just to figure out what I really think is the truth. It's only a waste if you don't learn from the experience, so do your thing.
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Posted 12/29/2019 6:32 pm
