Using acetone

When I began collecting coins I asked a dealer what is a good way to clean coins. His answer was quick and to the point, NEVER! He continued on to say, anything used to clean coins will alter it and that is what you want to avoid. Through the years I have heard it over and over, do not clean your coins. But I did and paid the price of devaluing the coins. Lesson learned...

 

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That is what I've always heard. But I've got a roll of severely corroded V nickels and a multitude of 'environmental' (unearthed) coins that don't have much value at all. So should I clean them anyway?

 

As has been said before, cleaning a coin is an issue when done harshly and needlessly. Otherwise, acetone use is acceptable.

 

Depends on the rating. For anything below UC where the frosting effect has already been worn away or damaged, I use Blue Magic Metal Cream which cleans better than Acetone. For any coin at or above MS, I would only do what this guy on youtube does because I was told soaking in Acetone (or even using a towel or earwax swabs) will ruin the frosting effect.

 

Wow, that's 9 minutes of my life I'll never get back. The only comment about the video I'll make is that he showed the coin after he treated it but didn't show it before! Negates anything he did!

 

Pipe-smokin' pooch is probably more hazard from static electricity twixt that coat and the carpet, than pipe sparks :O

 

Handsome pooch!

 

So, has Fido weighed in on Acetone usage?

(betcha' he'd let us know about kibbles n bits vs. purina dog chow ? )

In an atmosphere with low / no humidity, there would be no 'fogging' [condensation]

 

The acetone does not interact with metal, however the Blue Magic Metal creme contains 25% Ammonium hydroxide and one of the longest MSDS I have seen. Blue magic would certainly take off any frosting effects on a Unc. coin or proof. The coin may look shiny when finished, but have you ever sent one to a TPG such as NGC, ANAC, PCGS , or ICG it would probably come back cleaned details. IMO

Jim

https://www.bluemagicusa.com/content/products/sds/500-06.pdf

 

No, it will not "burn" anything, but like many chemicals, including acetone, it can de-fat tissue and that can cause irritation and "burning". If it happens, rinse your hands and, if you want to, put some skin lotion on.

 

6 ozs of water can kill you. It isn't that bad for short periods of time (30 min) in a room with some ventilation. Gloves won't do you that much good because it is such a great solvent and penetrates like crazy, smells good too (it is a sibling to chloroform).

 

The unearthed coins - certainly. Just don't go crazy and dump them into the rock tumbler . A good start for unearthed coins is hot water and soap. The main thing you want to be VERY careful with is wiping or scrubbing. For the V-nics, I've never found anything much good.

 

don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't

 

Pure solvents, water, acetone, alcohol, xylene, even toluene. No harm. Wiping, brushing, scrubbing almost certain damage (then there are ancients...)

 

I live in South Carolina. Round here, we call an 85% humidity day "low humidity."

Especially in the summer. This time a year, we consider anything less than 95% straight-up parched.

 

Thanks for making the sacrifice so I didn't have to. A great illustration of why I hate videos as an information source.

Instead of spending 9 minutes watching a commercial, er, "video", I spent 30 seconds Googling "Blue Magic Metal Cream" to verify that, yep, it's actually "Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream".

DON'T. POLISH. COINS.

 

I thought the same thing. I am a newb, and the only thing I could possibly relate to is seeing a before/after of the coin. I have no idea what PVC looks like on a coin.
I just found 3 Merc dimes in very old flips that have what looks like blue/green ink on the coins and the flips. I will post photos on a new thread. No idea what the blue is except it is inside the flip.
I have bought 4000 unplasticized (uPVC) flips for my coins. I hope these are good.

 

With regard to acetone, your dealer was misinformed and did you a disservice by telling you that.

 

As a blanket statement, I don't think the dealer was wrong - even using acetone can damage your coins if you do it improperly (the acetone won't harm it of course, but handling the coin, wiping it afterward, etc could). I would never recommend an inexperienced person use even acetone, because the chance of accidentally imparting hairlines or scratches is real.

 

I think the dealer was very wrong. Acetone, as you acknowledge, won't harm the coin. "Wiping it afterward, etc." might, but that has nothing to do with acetone.