Using acetone

I just pluck the coin out of the acetone with my fingers, then quickly rinse it with fresh acetone and let it evaporate.

 

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Yes, I have seen that too. And, it is due to the temperature change from evaporation. Basically, now the coin is colder than surrounding air, and so humidity will condense on the surface. It's the exact same process when you have a sweaty glass on a hot day. Rinsing it in distilled water helps to bring the temperature up and remove the condensation.

 

Xylene, is it better than Acetone on coins ?

 

For everyone besides Doug - go get a few modern coins out of your change jar. *Closely* examine the surfaces. Apply acetone in your preferred method as described above. *Gently* use a cotton swab on the surface of a few of the coins (but not all - you need a control). Do not press down hard.

Now, compare the surfaces of the swabbed to the unswabbed coins. Tell me what you see. I've done it hundreds of times and never noticed any damage.

And, @John Skelton , if you are concerned or nervous about damaging your collectible or valuable coins, I highly suggest you experiment with a few from your pocket change. There is absolutely no harm in acetoning a half dozen circulated State Quarters to get a feel for it before you try your collectible coins.

 

I use q-tips for applying light machine oil to iron, steel, and zinc coins, and also for spot treating with verdicare. I carefully roll the head of the q-tip across the surface like a wheel to do the application, and there is no rubbing. Basically this just boils down to technique. Many of the coins I treat in this way are already problem coins and just extremely rare in any condition, but I've never had a coin get hairlined from a q-tip using this method.

 

I knew you had something on this topic, but I guess I didn't use the right search words to find it. Thanks!

And thanks to all who replied. I got what I needed, as I knew I would, and will refer back to these answers as I begin experimenting.

 

For the coins I soak in acetone, I use a flat bottom glass container with a cover. Obviously, the upper face is well exposed to the acetone. On the other hand, the high points of the surface of the downside face are flush with the glass. Is the acetone able to penetrate adequately the downside face? Should I be turning the item halfway through the soak? I apologize if this was answered and I missed it.

 

Shot glasses and only drink red wine from a goblet when washing things with acetone/xylene. Except for bigger medals I have some bowls that are unlike anything we have for food.

And I still found one in the dishwasher and hubs about to unload and put it in the cupboard. I have no idea how he nabbed it as they usually don't leave the basement lair.

And no issues with splashing acetone on your skin or even dropping your fingers in. It IS nail polish remover after all. Not that I'd soak in it, but I don't fuss if it touches me.

Otherwise, read and digest the threads. Excellent.

 

Probably a good idea.

 

Or whiskey.

 

Pure? Not from a hardware store. Maybe 99%, but still has other chemicals in it. You need chemical grade solvents if you want them pure, which can only be purchased from laboratory supply vendors.

 

Somebody is going to point out that "Acetone harms coins". It doesn't, except in exceptional circumstances.

There is ONE paper that documented some problems with hydrochloric acid damage. To make this happen they sat the acetone container (covered) in a water bath, under bright lights and let it totally evaporate. This created a few microscopic crystals of HCl which would create an acidic solution when they reacted with atmospheric moisture.

If you don't leave it sitting covered in a water bath under bright lights until it totally evaporates, you have nothing to worry about.

 

I'm one of those that won't touch the surfaces of the coin with anything. I'll give coins a bath or a dip but have never needed Q-tips. Using anything mechanical is just ask for problems.

 

So do you use pure acetone, and do you get it from a lab vendor? And are you saying that we should stay away from acetone we get from a hardware store? It just seems the acetone would evaporate and take any other chemicals with it.

 

No. Virtually all of us use acetone from the hardware store. There might be a couple chemists on here with access to the ultra-pure stuff, but there is no need for that.

 

Hardware store, Home Depot or Lowes in the paint department. If you go the xylene route make sure you use plenty of ventilation as that's some nasty stuff.

 

I think solvent squirt bottles are made of polyethylene with a polypropylene cap.
The acetone doesn't do anything to them. We used them in chem lab all the time.
Here's one on Amazon, for example. Not that you'd need one for coin cleaning,
but they're handy for dispensing small amounts or cleaning out nooks and crannies
of glassware.

 

No, I use Methylene chloride. It is chemically inactive to metals, and is the best for pvc. I work in a lab where I can get pure chemicals, even Acetone, but I wouldn't treat my coins with Acetone - especially copper.