| Author |
 Replies: 35 / Views: 6,088 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
733 Posts |
Anyone else use this?
Some of my commemorative dollars were hazy and some had light scratches
This cleaner seems to restore the condition of the coins
|
|
|
|
Moderator
 Australia
16806 Posts |
E-Z-Est has been around for ages; I remember buying a jar as a kid back in 1983. The formula has probably changed over the years, but at its heart it remains a "silver tarnish dip" - the main active ingredients are sulfuric acid and thiourea.
It will not reduce or remove scratches, nor have much effect on PVC haze.
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
|
|
Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
I have used it in the past. I dilute it with high quality distilled water for two reasons; less damage to the coin and it makes the product go further. I used to get it for under $5 a jar, the price sure has gone up. John1  Edited by John1
06/09/2022 06:13 am
|
|
Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
E-z-Est is not a coin cleaner . It's a dip for Silver , gold and I believe copper though I've never used it for that . With Silver it will remove any black tarnish on it . Gold , it will brighten it up . Problem is leaving the coins in E-Z-Est too long actually eats away some of the skin of a coin and leaving them with a half butt look . I only dip my Silver for 2-3 seconds . |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Handle with care, experience vital.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
362 Posts |
Can you say "altered coin"?   |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3848 Posts |
Quote:
Handle with care, experience vital.  Practice on common coins, this is dangerous stuff. Put the coin in for a few seconds too long and it is ruined. Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
600 Posts |
I agree with @John1 (dilute with distilled water) and the others (use caution). In my opinion, it is best used on non-rare AU/BU silver with ugly toning. Non-rare because you normally just shouldn't mess with valuable coins. Coins below AU/BU because toning hides some of the wear on coins and you may not end up liking how it looks underneath. Only ugly toning because I don't believe in removing toning unless it really detracts from a coin.
Honestly, whenever I see a blast white pre-1964 coin, I always assume it has been dipped (probably repeatedly over the years) and has likely lost some luster as a result. Many (most?) collectors see some level of toning as an indicator of a more "original" coin and appreciate it.
Caveat actor.
Edited by captaincoffee
06/09/2022 6:04 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
7613 Posts |
When we use it it's called "cleaning".
When a grading company uses it it's called "conservation and restoration".
The grading company guys are "professionals"; we are clueless smucks!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3634 Posts |
I keep a container around but never use it for collectible coins. For silver bullion coins, when I get one that has ugly tarnish from improper storage I may give it a quick dip to clean it up a bit - many folks don't like buying "ugly" bullion coins...
It doesn't restore anything - it's an acid which will remove tarnish from silver but will also damage the surfaces of the coin if not used properly. As T-BOP said, never immerse a coin in it for more than a few seconds.
It is also essential to follow the directions on rinsing immediately after dipping. If that's not done properly, you'll also end up with a damaged coin. I always carefully rinse the coins several times just to be completely sure no residue of the dip is left on the coin surfaces.
Edited by hokiefan_82
06/10/2022 02:00 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
733 Posts |
I just finished processing my modern commemorative dollar collection with E-Z-EST So I either "preserved" 24 coins or destroyed them I found the following process works the best 1-2 second dip on dry coin Neutralize acid in distilled water 3-4 additional 1 second dips while coins is still damp with distilled water Then a long rinse with warm running water on both sides Followed by using can compressed air to dry them IMO, the collection looks amazing but time with tell BTW - Here is my work space, which is in the den adjacent to my main computer which is still an old school PC  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3634 Posts |
I also usually follow the rinses with a soak in acetone, but that's probably overkill if you've rinsed properly.
I've never had issues using this on my bullion coins. In fact, I just pulled out a tube of silver eagles today to check; I'd dipped quite a few of them 6 months ago, all with really ugly tarnish, and they all still look just fine.
Just one caution - be careful using E-Z-Est in an enclosed space unless you have very good ventilation; the fumes can be a bit nasty.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
5391 Posts |
Over 45 years ..never use the stuff .
Much better restorative products .
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10982 Posts |
Are you dipping proofs? Your image looks like it has some proofs in it. Most modern commens are not high dollar coins. You probably didn't do much harm. Show us some close-ups if you want honest opinions.
|
|
Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
Boba Debt, I would only dip it one time in my diluted mixture, about 20% pure distilled water for no more than 2 seconds. Every time you dip a coin in it, it will remove microscopic layers of metal. I do not feel comfortable using it on proof coins at all. Practice on junk coins, a lot of them until you get the hang of it. There is a big difference between cleaning and conservation. User beware, always. John1 |
|
Valued Member
United States
362 Posts |
|
| |
Replies: 35 / Views: 6,088 |
Posted 06/09/2022 01:53 am
