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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TIF, post: 1928028, member: 56859&quot;]Well, &quot;conservation&quot; of the jewelry store Pontos went surprisingly well!&nbsp;&nbsp; Some of you may feel that it should have been left alone-- and part of me did like the colorful corrosion-- but I really wanted to see if the reverse details were preserved.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is now essentially stripped, but most Pontos coins have the same look.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]332104[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>After:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]332105[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>One mere scrape with a scalpel (obverse, in front of Athena&#039;s face) was enough to prove that it was the wrong approach.&nbsp;&nbsp; I exposed a tiny glint of shiny bronze (not even visible in the photo).&nbsp; None of those scratch marks are mine; most of those &quot;scrapes&quot; look like typical Pontos flan manufacturing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead of mechanical debridement, I soaked the coin in vinegar, occasionally wiping with a Q-tip and scrubbing with a toothbrush.&nbsp; Total soaking time was several hours and two changes of vinegar as the copper oxides saturated the solution.&nbsp; There are still a few green and blue warts on the reverse so I might do it again.</p><p><br /></p><p>After vinegar, a distilled water rinse and then a hot bath of sodium carbonate + sodium bicarbonate (just an hour), then another DI rinse.&nbsp; Dried with a hairdryer then treated with VerdiCare.</p><p><br /></p><p>I am very pleased with this unexpected and inexpensive find![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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