Proper acetone procedure

Just like coins, it will dissolve grease/oil. i.e. large quantities with longer exposure will defat your skin. Fingers will have next to no affect, arms will burn if exposed for a period of time, but more sensitive areas will burn like hell. (Been there, done that, got the tee shirt, but I took everything off until it dried.) If you ever carried a lighter, it does the same thing when it leaks onto your skin.

 

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Surely they "literally" dissolve...?

 

I think it's somewhat amusing in that this whole 'cleaning' thing gathers so much momentum. MOST collectible coins are 'cleaned' to some degree. I guess the goal is to not have someone ruin a coin at the outset and that's a good thing but 'conservation' means cleaning. Cracks me up.

 

I guess if the company put it into a plastic bottle it was the right kind of plastic. Keep in mind that the best use for acetone is to remove PVC residue, again, it has no effect on metal, (the coin) it will not remove toning or add to the luster of the coin. If your coin is just dirty, such as a coin found in the ground, then just rinse it in running water and pat it dry with a soft cloth, If the coin is extremely dirty, then soak it in water or if you must, acetone, overnight, to soften the dirt, then rinse. DO NOT rub, scrub, brush, etc. the coin, that will leave hairline scratches on the coin and definitely reduce its value.

 

There is one thing about using acetone. Tiny hits may show more after a bath. Junk on the coin can be hiding these hits. I have had coins that looked better before a bath in acetone. Because of this, I'm really careful with AU silver coins. I need a good reason to even mess with the coin.

 

It's really a matter of custom. In the 19th Century it was very common to clean a coin. That's why collectors of those coins bang their heads against the wall when they submit them to TPGS and they come back altered surfaces. I really think the TPGS should take that into consideration, until them I personally won't submit a coin from the 1800's to them or just ask for them to authenticate the coin, not grade it if I'm unsure if it's real or an era reproduction.

 

All coins were cleaned. Call them conserved, cleaned, or any other 'conditioning' adjective but it's cleaning. Has been since the beginning of time. By the way, your coin isn't totally ruined and has plenty of the original value. I think the 'oh no don't clean them' proponents could use a drink to mellow out. Cleaning is bad. Conserving is good. They're both the same. We should label all coins cleaned but we don't, do we? They should all have labels 'badly cleaned' or 'well cleaned', or 'properly cleaned, or 'improperly cleaned'. The whole topic is deceptive and ridiculous. Next time you go into your local coin shop, listen for them using compressed air in the back. Guess what? They're 'cleaning' coins.

 

You're safe unless you're made out of styrofoam or you try to take a bath in it.

 

Well, I tried xylene and it smells like paint or marker, and it has an oily feel to it. But then it evaporates fast but not as fast acetone. Interesting stuff.

 

Here in Calif. they won't let anybody sell xylene to the public. We can still buy acetone, for now.

 

I've also read about toluene on the forums here. Is it practically the same as xylene, or does it target different organic matter that xylene and/or acetone does not?

And, for distilled water... if I boil tap water instead of buying water at the store, does it matter when and at what temperature the coin comes in contact with the newly distilled water? In other words, would boiled water harm the coin, or do I need to wait until it gets to room temperature, or somewhere in between where it's warm water?

 

I thought I remembered toluene being slightly safer than xylene, but I can't find evidence for that with a quick search. Neither is particularly hazardous in occasional low-level exposure.

I remember seeing cans of toluene in the hardware store right next to the xylene and acetone, but no more. I think it's because there's a roundabout way to use it as a meth precursor. (Meth cooks: driving useful compounds off the market since the 1990s).

You'd be really hard pressed to find any difference between xylene and toluene when it comes to dissolving stuff.

 

The problem with toluene is some of these young people sniff the stuff to get high. Same problem with spray paint and model airplane glue.

 

The same as xylene, but acetone probably does a bit more.

Boiling water does not remove any dissolved salts/acids. I have no idea what you water is like, but in 99%+ of the country, the salts/acids will damage the coin.

 

You can make your own distilled water. First make a still. Use your search engine of choice to find plans for a still. In it's down time you can make liquor!

 

Most water, untreated, has calcium and lime in it. It is better know as "hard water". It is okay for rinsing acetone, dip, etc. off of coins, but I, as a preference use distilled water for coins, coffee makers, humidifiers, etc., we have very hard water where I live.

 

So you try to clean all the dirt off with acetone (which is as or more salt free than distilled water) and then you pour salt and acid on the coin. Sorry, but that does not compute to me. Especially since there is absolutely no reason to rinse of the acetone which has long ago evaporated before you get it to the water.

 

If only we could discover NGC's proprietary cleaning methods, we could put this whole cleaning thing to rest once and for all. (scuse me I meant 'conserving', assuming of course that they are the only ones that clean coins, I mean conserve).

 

I clean dirt off of coins by rinsing them with distilled water. I only use acetone to remove PVC residue from older flips. It does not hurt a coin to rinse it, after using acetone, with distilled water. It may evaporate, as you stated, but I believe it still leaves traces of it behind.

 

I have submitted coins to NGC and PCGS that I have used acetone on and none of them have been rejected. On the other hand I once submitted 5 toned coins from a roll I purchased, submitted them to NGC and two of them came back with labeled with altered surfaces. You go figure, three they accepted two they rejected and all five were natural toning from the same roll.