Hello all, I’ve been letting a pile of coins just sit on my desk as I help my baby learn to crawl and stuff. But enough of that. I was wondering if anyone here had any luck using Andre’s Pencils to clean ancient coins? I was debating buying the $20 set of four tools. It is not the money I am so concerned about. It’s more of whether I will destroy a bunch of otherwise salvageable coins in the process. Any advice heeded. Thanks
I would consider it a 100% sure thing that you, or any new user, will destroy a bunch of coins while learning to use such tools. It is completely unreasonable to expect to pick up any new tool and use it like a practiced master. If you are a dentist or some other fine motor skill superstar, you won't ruin as many as the rest of us but the fault of the imperfections will not be as much the tools as much as the hands that hold them and the brain that guides those hands.
If you do, use carefully, sparingly and only on coins that you couldn't clean using the tried and true soak n scrub method. To Doug's point, you will be doing good and at some point you will slip and scrape your coin. And that scrape will haunt you Trust me
My advice would be get some education on the tools you want to use (the erasers) and test what you learned on some scrappy coins or like metals. In my profession I use what is a test plate to get used to a tool or set a tool up before I go and use it on a multi thousand dollar airplane part. It is really the same concept here just not the monetary value.
Huh. I had never heard of these. Here's an explanatory link, for those who were as clueless as I was.
Well I do have a pile of 20 crappy coins that I soaked and posted on here about a year ago. Nothing good is going to happen with them like identifying them unless I try and get further gunk off of them. Soaking only took off the topmost layer. I think I paid an average of under $1 per coin. My main thought for me is if I don’t do anything to them they are worthless to me and everyone.
Those pencils are pretty good, especially the really soft brush. It just doesn't last that long. Practice on one of your $1 coins. Don't scrub back and forth in a straight line, go in circles. The pointed pencils are good for cleaning between letters etc. John
@Theodosius Thanks John. I am looking at these coins as a salvage project not a get rich quick project. I also will leave my fancy coins out of it.
