Acetone Cleaning -- Your thoughts?

A few days ago, I was at the bank, and the teller two 1964 Kennedy Halves, and one 1965 Half. Of course I snagged them for $1.50.

However, they were quite dirty. Figuring that since they were circulation finds, I would do something to clean them up. While I know cleaning collectible coins is a big no-no, I had a little experiment. I gave the three coins an acetone bath (just normal nail polish remover) for about 10-20 mins, then wiped them off with an old cotton sock. You should have seen the brown smears on the sock when i was done, but the coins looked a heck of a lot cleaner.

Since it worked so well, I was wondering what kind of damage it would do to an actual collectible coin?

Any thoughts on using acetone to clean coins?

 

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You already did a big no-no. Use PURE acetone, not nail-polish remover. The latter has chemicals in it that are not nice to coins.

 

Really?!? What else is in there (besides the stuff that makes it smell)

If it were pure acetone, then what would you think?

 

I really can't remember all that is in nail-polish remover, but it is not pure acetone. Pure acetone is what you want to use, it will not harm silver. Acetone usually comes in a metal container. You can buy it at any hardware store, or Wal-Mart.

 

I use acetone on everything except aluminum. I've never had a problem with it on copper like some people say. To me, it is a helpful and wonderful chemical. As byrd says, you must use 100% pure acetone - the additional perfumes and stuff in nail polish remover can be harmful to your coin.

 

Big no-no #2!

Cloth of any kind produces hairlines when rubbed on a coin.

For really dirty coins, after an initial acetone bath (in pure stuff as stated above) swirl the coin around and transfer it briefly to a glass dish with fresh acetone. Then put it through two or more baths in fresh distilled or deionized water.

As a last resort if there is caked-on dirt that won't swirl off, hold the coin by its edge under a cold water faucet, then finish with another distilled/deionized bath.

 

done that and am wereing the t shirt

i have give a cent a acetone bath but left it for 15 min result no cent

 

Wear a respirator and nitrile (not latex, they absord it and break down) gloves when handling acetone or xylene. These are really nasty products. Coin tongs might be a good tool if properly used, to help keep your fingers out of these chemicals -- but still wear the right kind of gloves. Also dispose of any rags or paper in a fire can to prevent spontaneous combustion. These are seriously flammable materials.

 

Yes, I believe telling any joe on here to use chemicals they are not familiar with would be No no#3. There should be a thread on here for that. I see it all the time. "use this chemical, use that". You must be educated on the hazards these chemicals present before you go running to Wal-Mart to buy them. You could harm others around you. Just food for thought.:whistle:

 

Please tell us more about this. I was thinking acetone was not an acid.

 

Acetone is a great product if used correctly.
It takes a very small amount for each bath the coin may need.
It's not something the young folks need to be messing with but it's safe if the right methods are used.

The search function here should bring up a boat load of information on acetone.

 

One of the typical ingredients is ethyl acetate, something you don't want on your nice coins.

 

It is not, it could never dissolve a coin.

 

That's true it cannot dissolve the coin itself as acetone is almost a neutral pH, only able to dissolve the organic matter on the coin.

Acetone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone

 

Twice in the last week online and on TV I've heard the recommendation to use vinegar for coins.

Anyone ever do that?

 

I was always told that any cleaning was a no=no ... are you saying that using acetone is not a no-no?

 

Vinegar is mostly water but it de-greases copper. I'd consider vinegar to be too harsh for collector coins as it will likely change the color of the copper, reddish to pink and can be spotty. overly shiny and leave deposits/residue on the coin or clog finer details.

 

My cousin used vinegar on his old wheaties, and they looked like they were dyed a much brighter color. It did not look right to me.

 

Precisely!

 

I got a can of pennies that were underneath a sink. There i s a bunch grime and grease all over them. I can't bring myself to throw them away, I'm guessing acetone is the best thing to use? They are a real mess!