Let's remove some verdigris, shall we?

It's my visualization that the tools, materials and procedures involved are as much part of the topic as the coin itself, so this little "aside" is firmly in-scope.

So, the result of a 24 hour soak. I rinsed the coin by pouring fresh acetone over each face over the original container; quart-size acetone cans have a narrow mouth which lends itself to this efficiently. Here's the coin now:











Absolutely no change, factoring the minor differences in the images caused by the first set being shot at night and the new set during the day with more ambient light. Some of the areas of green color are thin enough so that a simple soak - were they PVC plasticizer - would have removed them. Therefore, we know what we're up against.

I'm going to keep the coin in acetone until the Verdi-Care arrives, 24 hour soaks, just because I can and in the hope of dessicating the verdigris somewhat. And start looking for the nearest hawthorn tree/bush.

 

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I use and recommend ( when as a last resort, a mechanical process is needed) is to use a pointed bamboo skewer. I buy a package of 100 at the 99 cent stores . I cut off the pointed end to a few inches and ( here is the key), soak the tip in what ever fluid you are going to use ( from water to acetone, verdigone, verdi-care, etc) for a few minutes. The internal structure of the xylem draws up and hold this fluid like an old fashion fountain pen. The longer you soak it, the weaker the point becomes and the less problematic it becomes. Eventually it will get soft like fibers. Normal wood has a more compact xylem and doesn't do this and can lead to scratching. Believe it or not, the hardness of cellulose structures is more than coin metals so rigidity is dangerous . I have tried the various thorns and plastics, and the bamboo ( although not completely harmless, some thought is needed) is superior in my estimation. Jim

 

Should add, practice a lot with discards, even trying to scratch them to get an idea of pressure and movement of the point needed whatever you use.

 

After a 24 hour soak, the OP posted: "Absolutely no change." That was my first reaction to the "new" image and I'm glad the OP confirmed what I saw.

You can soak that coin until the cows ...DIE; rather than do the two minute job it takes a professional coin doctor/conservation "specialist"/Brian Silliman ANA Seminar student!

The following post is on the right track:

Suggestion. I have learned that proper conservation (less chance of leaving evidence of cleaning ) on a coin like this (when using any type of tool such as a bamboo stick) is done USING A STEREO MICROSCOPE and florescent light.

BTW, the coin is corroded. When the green is removed, the coin will have dark spots in many of the places where its surface was eaten away.

 

Here's a question: when you "go to work" on a coin with acetone-soaked bamboo, do you just hold the coin in your other hand, or do you put it on a working surface? If the latter, what do you use?

 

I can't tell what I'm seeing. What is that black truncated cone in the center with the coin on top?

 

It bears mentioning that I've a lifetime of experience playing with "small motor skills" things, many of which require magnification (like soldering components onto a PCB), which informs my technique.

I use a flat (nonslip when possible) surface under the exact same camera I'm using to shoot these images, looking not at the subject coin but at the greatly-magnified image on the monitor in front of me. Practice has taught me the coordination to work in a direction away from my eyes.

 

I always use my B&L stereo7, I have eyepieces and reducer objective to cover from smallest to largest coins I have. I originally used a fluorescent light, but I prefer a single bright LED light as it shows details and problems more sharply than the Fl. or a Incand. light. Just preference perhaps.

When my lab converted from glass petri plates to plastic disposables for the new autoclaves, I retrieved the glass ones. I use one of those with the 'fluid' on the coin. Sometimes, I actually cover the coin, if it is a small flat coin and doesn't partition the fluid where I want it ( drains away from the area). It is quite easy to move the plate to the stage of the microscope and use it there. I use a small fan when working with the acetone. I use acetone as part of dopping with A/C glue in faceting, so I always have it around Jim

 

That's the "trade secret chemical source" I'm sworn by its inventor never to reveal.

 

It's poo, isn't it?

 

Very Close. I can reveal that I've been told Pee is used on coins. Hope you cannot see what I wrote.

 

And when I was an undergrad, we used to clean up with benzene which is now an exposed carcinogen...

 

Looks like a split rubber stopper to me...

 

Usually a good source of sulfur~~

 

yup

 

Looks like dehydrated verdigris, ready for the next step.

 

I'm working through their hours tomorrow, and my PO isn't open on Sunday, so it'll be Monday before I can get some Verdi-Care onto the coin. Have the day off, so I can concentrate.

 

"Secrets" is why I lurk here at Coin Talk, Doug.

Now, tell us some more of yours... I know the "rinse with distilled water and lean coin against backsplash on a towel" secret.