Steel cents and being bored

you know, it would be real interesting to send a couple in for grading to NGC and PCGS to see if they flag it for anything. They look pretty good to me.

 

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On monday, I will post pic of of the hole process......I just picked up another bottle
It takes alittle attention to detail to do this.....I brought a few down to a friend in the business for 30 years and he said several look mint state,,,then I told him what I did...he just couldn't believe it....CYA Monday
Neal

 

interesting...

it'll also be interesting to see if any develop problems over time.

 

Same thing I was wondering. For now might look great but in a few weeks or months??

 

I agree. I wonder what will happen to these coins as time passes.

Also, if the coin has seen any circulation and has wear and appears new and shiny...it is obvious that something has been done to it.

 

Or in a few years wonder: "Why did I do that?" What we do to coins today can affect their future.

 

The acids in Tarn-X may effect zinc. I would not suggest using it on a primo steelie. If you remove the zinc coating that protects the steel, the coin will be worse off in 10 yrs., as the zinc coating protects it. Tarn-X is not recommended for use on steel.

http://www.insight360.com/jelmar/tarnx/Xbasic.html

Is Tarn-X safe to use on brass?
No, Tarn-X is not safe to use on brass. This is because brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and the acids in Tarn-X effect zinc.

Warningso not use Tarn-X in a stainless steel sink.
Do not use Tarn-X on silver knives with stainless steel blades.
Do not use Tarn-X on stainless steel flatware.
Tarn-X should not be left on an item longer than the recommended two minutes.
ALWAYS test a small area before using Tarn-X.
Do not use Tarn-X on poorly plated silver or silver that have scratched or marred surfaces.
Prior to using Tarn-X, use a hot-soap-and water wash to remove any dirt or grime. Rinse with cold water and wipe dry before using Tarn-X.
Immediately after using Tarn-X, rinse the item thoroughly with cold water and hand dry with a soft cloth.
Clean spills immediately. Some laminated surfaces (counter tops) are coated with a synthetic material which may be affected by Tarn-X.
When cleaning more than one item, thoroughly rinse each piece with cold water and towel dry before continuing to the next item.
Make sure the item you are cleaning is in good condition.
Only use Tarn-X on recommended metals (see product information).
Do not mix gold and silver items together when cleaning with Tarn-X.
Always use full strength

 

hey harryj...look at the warnings not to use...stainless steel.....hhmmmm...what is stainless steel????....

 

Stainless steel has chromium which prevents the steel from rusting.

The steel wheaties don't have chromium, and are zinc coated steel. The zinc helps the steel cent from corroding.

The tarn-x may affect the zinc coating so I wouldn't use it on a nice steel cent.

However using it on already corroded ones like you have is fine because more than likely the zinc coating has worn off the cent.

 

You forgot:

Do not taunt Tarn-X.
Tarn-X will defend itself if threatened.

 

you said it... harryj.....the ones to use are junk anyway....and try to increase the grade....thanks,
Neal

 

Houston3204, they do look great, but just a caveat, and I'm not trying to knock them by bringing this up. The 43 cents I've seen in the higher grades all have one thing these don't have, and that's "cartwheel effect," which is a result, for the most part, as I understand it, of the state of preservation of the mint flow lines. These, by contrast, look great, but for the most part "flat." I'm not saying, "dull." They're certainly reflective. But you have them in-hand, and you just showed us some before-and-after photos, and I'm going to bet they don't reflect the way the higher mint state grades reflect (in that characteristic circular, "cartwheel" pattern). Bottom-line, no dipping is going to restore mint flow lines. These are shiny, and they may even trick a TPG and slab MS, but, if so, I kind of doubt any of them are going to grade over, I'll be generous, Choice.

That said, let me put this into context, I think I'm going to try this on some of my junker 43s, just, if anything, to see it for myself. But, a couple of things. One, I'm not going to try it on anything that "cartwheels" (however slightly); and, two, I'm not going to expect to end up with any Gems. If you could get us bigger, clearer photos of these, too (one of them, at least, front and back), I'd love to see them. To do that, just use your camera's largest size setting, and save the image as a JPEG at the lowest JPEG Quality Setting (in my photo suite, that's 25), and that should get the file under 250KB.

 

eddiespin...that is all i am using junkers......I agree never on primos....just junkers
Thanks

 

Scans are not going to show mint luster. You may be right, but from scans, there is no way to know.

 

Problem with these "cyclone fence" 43 cents is that being so hyper-sensitive to the elements so many of them have undergone similar treatments ranging from everything from simple chemical dipping to outright electroplating. Never going to restore those mint flow lines, though, if they weren't there when you started. And that's why that reflectivity is always key on these where any real money is concerned. Just compare some of yours to the ones on Heritage, and I'm sure you'll see what I mean. Still, like I said, I'm going to try this on some of mine, as your scans show, it is big improvement.

 

Aw, man! I was just scrolling down to put in a Happy Fun Ball reference, but you beat me to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I tried it on some of mine that looked uncirculated on the design but were dark, it worked really well at first, but maybe I did something wrong, I left them in a rinse for a long time to get all of the chemical off and they looked great in the water, but when I took them out to dry and they were exposed to the air they turned yellow and darker and real ugly. Also I noticed when they were first out of the tarnx that you could still see some of the dark stuff in the edges of the lettering and a bit on the rim, could have just been my coins but I doubt that anyone looking close at them even at that time would think that something wasn't done to them. I may try it again another time but it didn't turn out too well for me. Also, you don't know what you will uncover, one of them cleaned up well but then it revealed a nice etched thumbprint under the crud! And one coin that wasn't real dark actually turned black in the solution the longer I left it in! Only the high points looked like steel the rest looked like it had ink all on it.

 

Here are the results

After a few days later the cents look the same. I just photograghed outside under natural light....Here they are....Still look gr8...any questions please ask....and yes I have a few years under me to do coin restoration.....even though it is said it sould be done by professionals only.....what constitutes a professional...hmmmm

 

a few more....

a few more

 

hope pics look good

I hope the pics look ok for you all