http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Pure-Acetone-Nail-Polish-Remover-16oz-by-Onyx-Professional-/170926715837?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cc06b3bd Just wondering if this acetone will be ok to clean my coins off with
Acetone is good for a quick dip, but I understand, not on copper. You can buy pure acetone at any hardware store and get a quart (32 ounces) for that same price or less and not pay shipping. Acetone is acetone. Why would you want to pay extra for a fancy container? BTW, don't dip your coins unless you know what you are doing. It's most likely best to leave your coins as they are.
Doug and his copper minions believe acetone shouldn't be used on copper. Bad Thad and I are in the group that says it causes no harm on copper if used and rinsed with acetone only and air dried. There are many epic copper battles in the archive, but Pure acetone is required. My Home Depot can doesn't list the emetic. Take your pick
I've ruined two perfectly good copper coins with acetone. 100% pure sunnyside acetone. One was a nice XF large cent with original surfaces. Made it look pale. Acetone may be ok for a newer BU Red cent (like a BU wheat penny), but don't use it on anything dark, or your taking a chance.
I don't think that I am a Doug minion, but I do mostly agree with him with regard to the use of acetone on coppers. For me, if it is simple quick bath before I put it in an album, acetone is fine. But if I am trying to remove anything from the surface of the coin like verdigris or that mystery black tar that seems to be attracted to otherwise nice coins, I would stay away from acetone. In my opinion, it leaves coppers with an unnatural appearance after a long soak.
i never clean coins myself.do you folks feel cleaning coins is ok.i recently returnded a 7/8 buffalo back because it was restored even though it only cost like $220.my understanding is that once a coin is cleaned it's grade is considered good or very good.so what are the facts here.if i sold a coin that i knew was cleaned i would want the person to know.
Cleaning a coin does not necessarily change it's grade, depending on harshness, but it will lower it's value dramatically.
A properly cleaned coin is perfectly acceptable. A harshly cleaned coin should be thrown in the melting pot so that it could never offend the eyes of another coin collector again.
Acetone dissolves certain organic substances, such as PVC and puts it into solution. If this is not rinsed off completely with acetone and allowed to dry, or used with the successive baths of acetone as Doug described in other posts, you WILL get a whitish, gray are when the acetone dries. Many proofs have thin films of organic material on them due to living with humans, dogs, cats, parrots, etc., so due to the reflective surfaces, you can see the whitish film easily. It may take several fresh rinses before this comes off. Some think that the acetone has altered the metal itself, but chemists do not believe this. Some coins have been darkened with organic substances such as Deller's darkener to hide the surface of coins, acetone dissolves this substance, so the coin looks lighter and abused ( not Acetone). If any one doesn't feel comfortable with using it, that's OK with me, but I do not believe acetone can damage metal itself! But again this is my opinion.
From a science website: Copper reacts photochemically with acetone and water vapor to form acetic acid. The acetic acid then reacts with copper to form copper acetate. Here is what Doug said in a post: Well, I'm no chemist. But I know what my eyes tell me when they see something. And I've seen copper coins dipped in acetone for anywhere from 5 seconds to 60 seconds in ordinary room lighting turn just about every color of the rainbow. No they don't all turn colors right away, in fact they don't all turn colors - but the vast majority of them do - some sooner and some later. So, I don't recommend dipping copper coins in acetone. Take it for what's it worth. Read more: http://www.cointalk.com/t23550/#ixzz29njJXDgW
Thank you for stepping in for BadThad. I took his advice and used acetone on wheat cents with good results. But again, only on copper.
