A bit ago I had posted a pretty sick coin (that's sick as in sad, not bro talk sick, bruh). And I was given good advice from some of my CT friends on treating bronze disease. And what a difference a couple weeks can make! Shout outs to @TIF, @ominus1, @gsimonel and @Sallent for the advice. I treated my heavily BD'd coin by soaking (in distilled water for a couple days at a time), scraping (with a toothpick) and scrubbing (with a cut down toothbrush). Then repeating. Finally once I could no longer spot any BD to annihilate I baked her for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Here is the before... Here is where I am at now... Sicily, Kamarina AE Tetras C 420-405 BCE Obverse: Gorgon facing, tongue protruding. Reverse: KAMA, Owl standing right on one leg, clucking lizard with other claw; in exergue, three pellets. 17 MM, 4.04 g And now, as Tom Petty warned us, the waiting is the hardest part. If after 3 months time there is no sign of BD then I will apply the Verdicare I ordered from, "Good ol' Wizard Coin Supply" (thanks again @TIF. I ordered the big bottle and will be going over all my bronzes real soon). At that point I will be out of the woods! For now it's pins and needles hoping no green is seen. Any other tips pointers or you just have a really rad Gorgon/medusa, Sicilian, Tetras or whatever, please share!
I hope for the best, it looks like you got it. How long did you end up soaking it for? Also, does Verdicare change the patina any?
Thanks! I soaked for about 2 days then cleaned. I did that 4 times until all the nastiness was gone. Funny you'd ask about patina. Idk. So I emailed them and asked that and also if it will stop toning from accuring. I'll let you know what they say.
Wow! Looks great. Congratulations. Let's hope it's all gone. Three months is probably safe, but it wouldn't hurt to wait as long as 6 months before sealing the coin. Also, if you decide not to go with Verdicare, I know a lot of collectors use Ren Wax to seal their coins: https://www.archivalmethods.com/pro...MImM3UjdKO2QIVjrjACh3_HAkmEAAYASAAEgLgyfD_BwE
Good job!! Looks great I don’t think you need to wait to apply the Verdicare. It’s not like Ren Wax; it doesn’t seal the coin. Upon initial application the coin will look darker, like it’s wet... because it will be wet with Verdicare . Put enough VC on the coin to cover and penetrate all surfaces, let it sit a while (~15 minutes for coins with no BD, longer for those with heavy verdigris or which underwent prior BD treatment), adding a bit more when needed and flipping the coin over a time or two, then dab off the excess and let it dry. I doubt it will significantly change the patina of this particular coin. I’ve only observed darkening on areas of coins which have porous verdigris (darkens the green) or similar other types of porous light-colored patina.
I hope the pestilence won't return. I'm also surprised that you got such good results w/o chemical care.
Looks like you got rid of the BD. Nice work. Did the Verdicare turn the coin darker, or is it just the lighting?
Yeah, Ryro. What happened to your photography? The images in your first post are well lit and the first two are well focused. The post-Verdicare images are indecipherable .
Bad pic for sure. I don't know why I didn't retake that other than it was at the end of long day. I'll have to take a better one when time permits...
I recommend (and have) a hospital ward tray in a cabinet not used for coins where I keep treated coins and check every so often (monthly or so). That includes every time someone posts on BD here so I just checked and found the two current occupants are still clear. I consider about five years to be reasonable for this watch. I do recommend placing a note in the regular box mentioning where the coin is currently found. I have a way of 'losing' coins that I don't put where they belong. Usually they turn up and I remember why I moved them. Currently I am missing a Trajan Decius / DACIA ant. Did I sell it to someone? If I did I forgot to remove it from my catalog. This getting forgetful is for the birds! Anyone think ghosts are worth saving? I need to reshoot the first to update its current look. I wish I would remember to take before and after photos but I often forget.
That's some good advice. Thanks Doug! I need to to put together something better then the random pieces of paper towel I have them on in their section of the cupboard. And, to your question, the ghost of a hero is better than a pile of green dust.
