Standing Time for Acetone ?

I've tried acetone before but have never had much luck. Maybe I left the coins in to long. So what is your recommendation for minimum and maximum standing time ? Should I process more than one coin at a time ? Do I need to use distilled water to end chemical action ? Is this method good for all coin material such as copper, silver, nickel clads, brass or aluminum ?

Dave

 

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An hour or two is long enough. Too long can't hurt anything. More than one bath with fresh acetone may be needed. I don't use water at the end but some do.

 

BTW, there is no chemical reaction with acetone. That is why it is safe to use. It dissolves grease allowing the dirt to come off and it dissolves many organic chemicals. Most of that occurs in the first couple minutes. If nothing happens in that time frame, it is doubtful anything will happen. Verdigris and set in stains will not be affected.

That makes it good for any metal coin, although less than pure acetone can discolor copper and acetone can degrade with time (and oxygen).

 

Meaning it has a shelf life after opening the original can ?

 

Probably not. In a metal can, no light will get in, and there will be practically no reaction with the air that gets into the container.

 

Probably not after opening, but leaving it open might degrade it. Light and/or heat will assist the degradation.

 

This is good info because I bought my first can of acetone yesterday and experimented with some coins. It did remove old tape residue off my Buffalo's. It did no good on removing old dirt/grime off several of my circulated silver coins. Tried it on one toned dime and it didn't affect it, as stated in the previous post. Not really sure when I will use it.

 

Nah, it will just make it disappear. (and if it is indoors and not sufficiently ventilated it make your house disappear as well.)

 

Open does not necessarily mean without a cap. Since acetone vapors are heavier than air, they will stick to the liquid side while the oxygen gets replenished on the top due to the temperature changes. The reaction then takes place in the vapor space at the interface.

 

It'll make you high as a kite if your breathing it too and is absorbed through the skin too worst problem is most gloves dissolve in it too some quicker then others

 

Since it is naturally produce by everyone living, it is also released though the skin - at least as long as you are alive.

 

This review of Acetone biological effects is well established, and RLM is correct, their findings show that yes acetone is passed through the skin rapidly, but it also passes out of the skin rapidly as well. Experiments noted in this paper indicates that volunteers had cotton balls soaked in acetone on their skin for 2 hrs /day for 4 days, and measurements showed the increase in body acetone jumped rapidly as the cotton was replenished with acetone, but dropped rapidly when the cotton was removed after the 2 hrs.

http://www.epa.gov/iris/toxreviews/0128tr.pdf

Butyl gloves are expensive, but the best, latex gloves are good for 10-30 minutes depending on the quality. Nitrile and PVC gloves are not. But the permeated acetone with latex gloves is low.

 

I just reach in with my fingers and grab the coin and immediately rinse it off. Hope I am not killing myself...

 

I have not heard of too many mothers who died removing their nail polish with nail polish remover (i.e.acetone). I think you will survive for quite some time despite the acetone.

 

Is not the coins I get much exposure from I buy acetone by the gallon frequently I use it for removal of later paint on furniture while saving the original and to remove gold radiator paint from gold leaf mirrors and picture frames That and it's the only thing that gets gorilla glue and ca glue off my hands

 

I dop gemstone rough with CA glue to facet it, and then use it or heat to release the gemstone. You are correct about cleaning hands. It is also good at cleaning epoxy resin off of things before it hardens. Back in the 40s, experiment were done with humans ingesting acetone with no "apparent" permanent damage and effects similar to ingesting high proof ethanol. But please do not try this at home

 

I've been known to ingest high proof ethanol before came in a mason jar my grandfather went to college with a guy that used to drink straight lab alcohol! Was a chemist he ended up working on the Manhattan project

 

So when we stop releasing acetone through our skin, we should go to the doctor because we might be dead?

 

Back to the op post I've soaked coins for a week or more when they were super crusty or I just plain forgot about them with no Ill effects most of the coins I soak are circulated early silver it removes some of the surface crud without affecting the color and surfaces just don't rub the coin after. Just soak and rins