Rose Thorns and Oil with Success

i have not commented here because i hate to advocate cleaning of any type on a forum like this with so many non experienced members.

there is a difference in professional conservation vs harsh cleaning

boss, you did a nice job, super macros pending

also, thats a sweet 12-s bud, a real looker

 

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Thanks AJ- I do completely understand the reservation. I hope others hear the part about practice on at least 50 low value wheats. How many people do a chemical cleaning method on a coin with dirt/grime out of ignorance and wanting to "shine up" their dirty coin. I do understand the hesitation. I would argue most newbies don't go and buy expensive coins and then clean them. They probably inherit them. Well, maybe I won't get too crazy. I will say had some of the cleaning posts been up and more clear or had I read them sooner, I would have personally damaged less coins myself with proper knowledge. Just MHO's

 

Very good job Boss. Just so you know... I read all your threads I just hardly post in them. I too spend time working on cheap Lincolns with softened toothpicks. And I feel I have been getting significantly better.
Thanks for sharing! you did a good job!

 

Thanks Snaz. I would definitely not use a toothpick. Scratched coins doing that. It is counterintuitive, but the sharper the point the better. A rose thorn does this best. A blunt point smashes the grime INTO the coin and does not lift away, and causes you to push too hard trying to remove. The second the GREEN based rose thorn gets blunted on the end throw it away. I use at least 5 per "session".

 

I think it's fair to say that oils do a very good job of protecting copper. They have been used for a long time and with fabulous results. Their major drawback in my eyes is they tend to dry over time and require re-application. Care and feeding, if you will. In addition, the coins have a "shiny" appearance that is plainly visible on the coin (and unnatural to my eye).

Personally, I'll take a nice original coin with a thick skin with a small piece of very inert verdigris that took 200+ years to form and as a result is very stable over a coin that has had its skin removed and now requires an oil change every few months or so. However, the former doesn't exactly grow on trees or come cheaply.

But that's just me, and what's cool about collecting is what I like doesn't necessarily have to be what you like, and vice versa....Mike

 

I betcha, on one coin, I work through 5 or 6 toothpicks, sharpening them everytime they get blunted. I sharpen them to a tip. Gets in all the crevices nicely. And I haven't yet scratched a coin.
I should pick up a rose thorn though, give it a shot.

 

Don't hurt yourself now!
I'm wearing gloves in this process, maybe two or three pairs, I hear those rose thorns, hurt..OUCH

 

Mike- why does the oil need to be reapplied. I have oiled coins 3 years ago and never oiled again and they look fine. What's the difference between oils of circulation (much more contaminated by dirty hands/environment, etc..) than from a more pure source of oil like mineral oil or Coin Care? If you slab a MS or AU coin that has some oils from 100 years of contact or exposure it will never collect any more oil in the slab and should be fine right? In other words, why do you need to reoil a stripped coin once oiling?