How to?....Remove coins from an acrylic toilet seat

Okay...so I have a relative (my grandma) who has these acrylic toilet seats with coins similar to this one:
http://www.bedbathstore.com/cocuactose.html

but the seat actually has a CC morgan as well as some other cool coins some in great condition

How can I remove them without damaging them?

 

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Could I melt the toilet?

 

Soak in MEK for a few hours. The coins should just fall to bottom of can as plastic dissolves. It will not hurt the coins, MEK- Methyl Ethel Kloride, be careful with this stuff. follow use directions. Traci

 

More than likely this stuff will damage the coins (as far as luster is concerned at least) but if it is in a toilet seat, it probably doesn't matter much anyways.


stainless

 

Hm..I wonder is there any other option because the coins are in such a pristine condition encased in the acrylic..and THANKS

 

If they are encased like that, they are already damaged. It would be hard to remove them without damaging them further...but they aren't in pristine condition.

But, let me be the first to say...that is sweet. I would love a coin encrusted toilet seat. Too bad my birthday isn't near.

 

Personally I would contact SGS. They'll slab anything. Any inadvertent "stains" would be noted as toning.

Have them slab said toilet seat in a really big all over MS70 holder and let them sell it for you on a commision basis.

You could be a gazillionaire or end up with.....?

 

You really don't think the rarer coins are genuine do you?

Jim

 

Well yeah, its old its been in her house for over 60 years...Though it is possible I highly doubt it...Also I wont have it for a little bit of time until she sells her house, but it is mine! and definitely going to get is slabbed MS70 lol, who knows they could somehow be PR70 lol

 

only in america, :kewl: mike.

 

Acetone melts some plastics. If it works on your seat, it won't harm the coins.

 

IF those coins are/were real and not fakes embedded in there, I feel that the acrylic-resin casting process itself would have done the damage to the coins and that extracting them will reveal what is not presently visible through the cast acrylic. That is, no matter what method you go by to remove them, once separated from the bulk of the acrylic you will be left with coins that have bonded residue to them. Any chemical treatment to remove this will further effect the surface patina / toning that the coins may have had prior to encasement.

ALSO, beware of using chemicals to melt other resins, polymers and plastics... they give off serious noxious and toxic odors which are repiratory irritants. If you go this route, do it outside, away from your home/property for safety and know how to properly extinguish fires caused by chemicals. Wear a proper graded respirator for working with any chemical solvents. With that said, it might be easier to just crack the acrylic with force and see what you can do without chemicals.

Did they actually make acrylic coin embedded toilet seats in 1949? since you mentioned it being like 60 years old... Thought these were more modern kitschy home gag decor. Lucite and PlexiGlas were invented by DuPont in the early 1930s so I suppose it could be that old. At any rate, I did some further Googling and found a thread about Extracting embedded coins from Lucite, read on, it may help:
http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v09n04a22.html

Please note that the above link stresses the flammable nature of solvents and the necessity for ventilation when using these materials.

 

MEK = Methyl Ethyl Ketone

It should dew the job! :thumb:

Ribbit

 

Read the Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK):
www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Methyl_ethyl_ketone-9927358 [PDF]

Hazards Identification

Potential Acute Health Effects: Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, permeator), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation (lung
irritant.

The stuff is serious, so know what you are playing with before conducting your experiment. And know how to dispose of the waste, it's ecologically toxic, don't dump it in the water supply or sewer.

 

That doesn't necessarily mean it's a rare coin. There are a couple CC dates that are pretty common...plus, since you can see the reverse the obverse must be embedded in the seat. Who knows what the condition could be. I still think the process of making the seat ruined the coins and makes this endeavor probably not worth it. But, if you do remove them...it wouldn't surprise me if you find the CC Morgan (if real) looking like this:

​

 

I like the method suggested in the last part of krispy's link:

So -

• Cut out a piece containing the coin
• Freeze it
• Perhaps add to the blanket a few pillows surrounding the frozen piece on the garage floor

With that process there's zero danger of either surface alteration or toxic fume inhalation.

 

Esp when stimulated with a little heat....just make sure NOT TOO MUCH heat.

You might want to start with a SawzAll and work with little clumps, not the whole Pot inna Pot at once.

And after all that chance to call inna hazmat team you will most likely find out~

WoW!~ They looked like almost like the real thing!

 

HOW TO: Cast embedments in Clear Resin (demonstrated on Lincoln cents):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Wp9CmSKFY&feature=related

 

MEK is some nasty, nasty stuff. If you can even get it, make sure if you try using it that you do it outside on a day when there's a breeze and stay upwind of it.

 

MEK is a bit fragrant, but it is not that wild. However, it is that flamable.

Butanone is another name for MEK