EZest contains Sulfuric Acid. I don't like mixing ammonia and acids so i would stay from that (I'm too lazy to work through the chemistry and I don't know how it reacts with the other active ingredients). A baking soda solution should neutralize any remaining acid, but is probably overkill. If you use a baking oda solution, make sure that is rinsed well also. JeffB mentioned rinsing in 3 separate jars of distilled water. I really like this technique (wish I would have remembered this and included it my earlier posts ) The concentration of acid in EZest shouldn't be too high so 3 rinse jars should work well. If you're doing more than a few coins at one time and really want to be safe, change the rinse jars often. And Like I said in a previous post, my personal preference is to use distilled water, not tap water. Not a huge risk, but why take a chance
Matt uses a pickle jar. I would recommend using any container that you can fit your entire hand into. I use latex gloves when I dip. Just remember that whatever dip you use is contaminated and may spot future coins if re-used, so pour what you need into the jar and keep the rest fresh.
NO AMMONIA...that can cause some odd stuff to happen with metals. A baking soda dip/rinse isn't a bad idea, just that if the rinsing is sufficient, it isn't necessary. That is why I start with hot tap water, I can let a couple of gallons of hot tap water wash over the coin quickly and at VERY little cost, and a rinse with distilled water takes off any ions. So...Wash hands...hot water coin rinse...quick dip (or two)... hot water rinse...neutralizing dip (if desired)...hot water rinse...distilled water rinse... blot dry with soft cloth.
Here is what I use...the jewelry cleaner had the little dip tray and I use it with the eZest. A piece of a plastic net like this yellow one would also allow you to dip the coin and not get your fingers in the stuff. I have gotten lots of stuff on my hands, but this is one I would stay away from!
I'm at it again with the acetone. This time on a Copper Nickel Clad 71D Ike. There was some film like substance on it that I am trying to get off. Hopefully I can. On the eZest I have it but just haven't gotten around to putting that 71S Silver Proof into it yet. Will Post results on both experiments.
Dipped it for 1 second and blue haze is gone! I don't have good light but here's some pictures. @Kentucky @mikenoodle View attachment 639678
The white haze is due to the light the coin does not have that. Also some of the shots the coin was in a flip. I'll try and get a good shot when I have good light.
Yes, it was dipped for 1/2 a second, changed finger positioning then another half second. All blue haze, which was a lot is gone. Their are marks that I can only describe as flecks on the coin. That's what it looked like come out of the original package. I am on the hunt to find one that does not have these flecks.
I dipped in eZest, then baking soda, then under faucet in sink, then dipped in distilled water then on cloth to pat dry. Is that the way to do it?
I was told the baking soda helps neutralize the acid from the eZest. I have one more 71S Proof to experiment on! Unfortunately this means getting another $6 thing of eZest and time.
I'm thinking that the baking soda might put the brakes on a bit quicker than a simple rinse. I'd look at it this way: if your rinsing isn't good enough to get rid of the baking soda solution, it wouldn't have been good enough to get rid of the EZest, either. If I ever open the bottle of EZest that I bought years ago, I'll probably use an active neutralizer (like baking soda) as a first rinse. But since I've just said that I've never used the stuff yet, you probably shouldn't be paying any attention to my advice!
here's my advice: dump about 1/2 of the jar of E-Z-Est into another jar. use the dip that's left over. At the first notice of any color change, toss the dip, and use the reserve. the old dip is ok for experimenting, so keep it.