Curious

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Oldman4378, May 23, 2017.

  1. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

    Hey is there any way to safely clean just the light dirt off of these coins I made the mistake when I first started a guy on YouTube said you salt and vinegar while after I soak those I knew I made a mistake but some of these coins are just like dirt and grime that I've been told not to clean them at all and someone else had recommended using like a Q-tip and dishwashing liquid so I want to see if I get any thoughts or comments on that I'm sure i no the answer
     
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  3. kanga

    kanga 65 Year Collector

    For dirt, use acetone (not nail polish; use 100% acetone).
    After a soak if there's still debris on the coin a VERY light nudge with a Q-tip should solve that.
    Acetone will not leave a residue BUT if you want, a distilled water rinse with a PAT dry using a lint-free piece of cotton cloth is okay.
     
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  4. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

    And that doesn't hurt any value of the coin at all with 99.9% only worth face value anyway
     
  5. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Yes, and there have been many threads on the subject. This is just one of them -
    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/proper-acetone-procedure.193708/

    But if I recall most of what you need to know can be found in that thread. But if you do a search using the phrase "proper cleaning" or "properly cleaning" as the key words you can probably find most of the others.

    The thing you have to realize is when it comes to properly cleaning a coin, what you use depends on what is on the coin and what you are trying to do. There are 4 basic products to use:
    1 - distilled water
    2 - acetone
    3 - xylene
    4 - coin dip

    Each one of those will remove some things and not remove other things. Plain ordinary dirt and grime for example, your best choice is distilled water. That is because the only dirt & grime that say acetone will remove is that which would be removed by any liquid. But, distilled water will remove much of the dirt that acetone would leave behind. This is because distilled water will dissolve most ordinary dirt and grime whereas acetone will not dissolve it.

    Another example would be PVC residue. If you have PVC residue on a coin then acetone is your best choice because acetone does the best job of dissolving it.

    And you need to keep in mind that the order in which I listed the products above is the order in which you should use them when you are not quite sure what it is that is on the coin. Think of it like a ladder, distilled water is the first rung at the bottom and you work your way up.

    Also, each one of those products has a proper procedure that must be followed if you want them to work correctly. With distilled water it's mostly a matter of soaking and swishing the coin around, and proper drying. And patting dry or blotting dry is not proper drying ! The procedure for acetone and xylene is described by me in the thread I linked above. The procedure for using coin dip is extremely complicated and requires a great deal of experience, and should not be attempted by those who do not already know what they are doing.
     
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  6. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

    Hey I really appreciate that that's a lot of information that's helpful most of the time on here it's like if I show a picture of a coin you get nope save your money no explanation I always think what the hell thanks again
     
  7. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Well, not everybody has the information, nor does everybody have the time to type out lengthy posts, and not everybody is willing to do so. But most folks will do what they can to help ;)
     
  8. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

    Well it's like yesterday when I showed you the picture of that 2008 Lincoln penny about the double ear one of the response on it was nope save your money no explanation five other people said yeah liked it so I took your advice and contact that company and so I'm going to send it to them
     
  9. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Something you probably don't realize, I've been answering people's questions for 15 years on this forum. And in that time I've probably answered most questions you can think of, and answered each of them a hundred times. And that's just me. Many others have done the same thing. The point being, you'd be hard pressed to come up with a question that hasn't already been answered a hundred times. So just about any question you can think of, you can find the answer if you just take the time to look for it.

    Also realize that some people get tired of answering the same questions over and over and again. And ya can't blame 'em, everybody get's tired of doing the same thing over and over again. So sometimes, when a question comes up instead of taking time to do it all over again, you simply a get a fast and simple answer - like save your money.

    Now everything that needs said, is said, in those 4 simple words. That is the answer. They just didn't tell you why it's the answer - because they've probably already done it a hundred times. Or, for one of the other reasons I listed in the previous posts.
     
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  10. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

    And I totally agree with you I work for a company for 34 years before I retire and I answered many many many questions many many times but I guess what I don't understand is why they bother answering at all why do they bother even reading the post or responding if they're not interested in helping somebody then it makes no sense for them to respond to the post at all because it comes off like they're jerks and they're probably nice people and they don't mean to come off that way but for me people being new at this and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way that's how it comes across
     
  11. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    As I explained above -

    Throw that in with what else I have said in this thread and you cover most of the reasons.

    edit - and yeah, I know that's how it comes across sometimes. That's why I took the time to explain why. And not just for you, but for everybody else who will read this now, and in the coming years.
     
  12. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

    I agree I understand hey I appreciate your time thank you
     
  13. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

    Yeah, listen to what Doug (@GDJMSP) sez, BUT...whenever you can decide the coins are common ones, if you wish to clean them further, go ahead, they have little or no numismatic value, and they are yours. AND...in cleaning any coins that might have numismatic value, don't rub them with anything...cloth (even if soft), Q-tips, wire brushes, etc. The exception is in Ancient coins and then you are on the dark side.
     
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  14. mark_h

    mark_h Somewhere over the rainbow

    Agree - you might even want some modern ones to test things just to see what happens.
     
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  15. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    @Oldman4378

    Go to the search feature at the top right and put:

    1. acetone
    2. coin cleaning
    3. cleaning
    4. etc.

    You'll get a belly full of information.
     
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  16. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

  17. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    The response you get can also depend on exactly what your question was or how you asked it. I'm not familiar with the post on the 2008 cent you referenced, but all too often the question from new people run along the lines of "I found this, should I get it graded?" They may want to know more about what they have found, but the actual question related to grading, and people answer that with "Save your money." And in some cases people will ask a question and they will get a lot of responses with no one actually addressing the actual question being asked. You just have to wait awhile and maybe ask the question again but eventually someone will come along that will answer your question fully.
     
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  18. Oldman4378

    Oldman4378 Member

    Well I'm slowly catching on I preciate it
     
  19. ed wood 654

    ed wood 654 Grader & Entrepreneur /Aviation Executive

    If your issue is pvc stains your best bet would be to use a tiny bit of acetone, but if you want to just remove dirt and grime be sure to use distilled water only, tap water can leave mineral stains. Also when rinsing be sure to only pat dry and do not rub the coin.
     
    Oldhoopster likes this.
  20. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

    But also remember that tap water is essentially free and a distilled water rinse would remove any residue left from the tap water.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2017
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