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 Replies: 19 / Views: 18,391 |
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Valued Member
United States
139 Posts |
How long should it take to get tape residue off of a coin? I have a coin with alot of tape residue or something on it. Do I have to rub it or anything to get off, or will it just come off on its own in the acetone?
Thanks
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1523 Posts |
Don't ever rub a coin. It can cause the debri to scratch the surface. Depending on what it is it shouldn't take long,5-10 minutes to loosen it up if it is going to.Be sure to use an airtight container as acetone evaporates very quickly.
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Valued Member
United States
141 Posts |
I've found that the GOOF-OFF and GOO-GONE works well for that type residue and it wont harm your coins. Sorta melts it off and makes it go away
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Always follow the polarity ladder:
1) Water
2) Acetone
3) Xylene
I've seen tape that was soluble in deionized water. For any conservation project, that's the first solvent you should try.
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Pillar of the Community
Philippines
1156 Posts |
residual tape glue on coin comes in two forms: after just having removed the tape, the glue is still soft and pliable. You can rub it off with your finger or use a soft plastic eraser, the one used in art classes. Both eraser and glue is softer than metal so no fear of scratches there
The second form is when the tape has long been removed and the residual glue on the coin has now dried to become a hard encrustation, this is the tricky one, dont do any scraping, do that and it will surely guarantee real big scratches. Just immerse the coin in an oil bath to soften the glue, when glue is softened, then use the plastic eraser
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Moderator
 Australia
16806 Posts |
I think it's best to avoid any kind of rubbing, unless the goo won't come off by any other means.
If acetone is going to work at all, it's going to work pretty quickly. If it hasn't at least started to work within a minute, I doubt a longer soak is going to do much good. For stubborn goo, I prefer to agitate the acetone - stir it up (preferably not by a means that could damage the coin). I usually use an eyedropper or pasteur pipette to squirt a jet of acetone repeatedly onto the affected area while the coin is submerged in the acetone bath.
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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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Quote:
I think it's best to avoid any kind of rubbing, unless the goo won't come off by any other means. I agree...and touching it with a finger could cause something much more annoying than a little goo: a permanent fingerprint. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
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Both eraser and glue is softer than metal so no fear of scratches there
Erasers contain abrasives, that is how they erase. Glue or tape residue can also have tiny bits of grit bound to it, any physical rubbing will create scratches/hairlines. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
If acetone is going to work at all, it's going to work pretty quickly. If it hasn't at least started to work within a minute, I doubt a longer soak is going to do much good. For stubborn goo, I prefer to agitate the acetone - stir it up (preferably not by a means that could damage the coin). I usually use an eyedropper or pasteur pipette to squirt a jet of acetone repeatedly onto the affected area while the coin is submerged in the acetone bath.
Best advise. Just make sure the item used to agitate the Acetone is Glass and clean. And don't forget to flip the coin occationally. |
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Valued Member
 United States
139 Posts |
thanks for the replies. I have had a coins soaking in acetone for a couple of days now. Some of the stuff came off, but not all of it. What is next GOO GONE, oil, xylene?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
thanks for the replies. I have had a coins soaking in acetone for a couple of days now. Some of the stuff came off, but not all of it. What is next GOO GONE, oil, xylene?
It may well be worth time to start figuring out the value of the coin versus the cost of all the stuff attempting to clean it. Also, your time doing this. If such coins are not worth a lot, continuous purchasing of chemicals just to clean a coin or two may not be a good idea. Also, note that as you progress in this cleaning process, you may also demimish the coins actual value if the cleaning becomes excssive. Some tapes also dissolve in Alcohol. Note you can also purchse this from Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc. Also, note the different strengths of that solution so if you want to try that, purchase the minimum of 70%. Soak the coin in this similar to Acetone for a period of time and then don't forget to rinse with distilled water. Of course a Butane torch is sort of a sure method to remove sticky stuff on coins.  Smalll arc welder torches work too but the coins tend to become a lump.  On Copper coins battery Acid works too.  Just kidding you know. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Quote:
thanks for the replies. I have had a coins soaking in acetone for a couple of days now. Some of the stuff came off, but not all of it. What is next GOO GONE, oil, xylene? Water, which should have been your first step. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
anything that does not come off in a few seconds in acetone will not come off with acetone.
time has no effect on the outcome.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
I should have mentioned that thads approach and recommendations align with mine.
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New Member
United States
16 Posts |
Lighter fluid works well and is similar to GooGone.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Sorry Tom, that is incorrect. Lighter fluid is a lipophilic hydrocarbon, namely butane (CH3CH2CH2CH3). It's mostly a mixture of the two butane isomers n-butane and isobutane. Whereas GooGone is cyclic, xylene based. They are NOTHING alike.
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Replies: 19 / Views: 18,391 |
Posted 02/09/2010 5:22 pm
