Dime book from a smoker

I bought a book of Roosevelt dimes on eBay and when it arrived today it didn't take a bloodhound's nose to know the book came from a smoker's home. I rechecked the listing, and there was no mention of it coming from a non-smoker home (obviously) but also nothing to disclose that it clearly had an odor.

But on to my question. I don't intend to keep the book; I'm going to transfer the dimes that are filling holes or upgrading existing coins into my own book. I am assuming that any odor is in the book, only, and not going to be attached to the metal coins? I don't want to go down the "to clean or not to clean" route but if anyone has any advice or experience with coins extracted from a smoke-infused book, I would welcome your thoughts.

Thanks

 

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My advise, Give it a rest

 

I had a similar problem at Christmas last year. The smell went away after about a week.

 

If from a heavy smoker then there can be a residue if nicotine on the coins. the best thing to do is to treat each one to a bath in acetone, the type you can get at the hardware store, not nail polish remover. do not rub them with anything let them air dry on a paper towel and they will be fine.

 

@ziggy9 Do you use 100% strength acetone or do you dilute it?

 

use it straight out if the container, anything you use to dilute it won't evaporate at the same rate. Also, make sure you do this outdoors...VERY flammable.

 

So no smoking while working with acetone?

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

be very careful working with that acetone, very bad for your health, wear gloves too

 

I think I remember reading a few other topics here about working with acetone, so I will brush up on what techniques are appropriate if I decide to go that route. Thanks for the input.

 

Maybe that's why I'm addicted to collecting...

 

I'm going to have to disagree there. You'll be sad if you guzzle acetone, bathe in it, or use it to replace the water in your CPAP, but it's one of the least toxic common organic solvents.

It'll dissolve your skin oil, so yes, it's a good idea to avoid extended skin contact. Gloves may work, but be careful to choose a kind that won't dissolve in it. Latex is okay, but won't last indefinitely; avoid nitrile.

And, for heaven's sake, keep it away from sources of ignition! It evaporates very easily, and its vapor is extremely flammable. Best to work with it outside; if you can't, try a bathroom with a good outside-venting exhaust fan.

 

You might see some change in the appearance of the coin after using acetone in a case like this. The smoke particles and vapor components can leave a brownish tinge on the coin and this layer produces the odor. Remove it, you also remove some color that some may think as tone, ~ it isn't.

 

Some of the coins - those towards the outer edge of the page - do seem to have a more pronounced brownish tone than those further inside the book. I had assumed it was from the exposure. It won't bother me if the "tone" changes if that's what it really is.

This is going to be a fun experiment for us. It's just a bunch of Roosevelt dimes, so it's not like I'm experimenting with something particularly old or valuable.

 

Interestingly, you body is constantly producing acetone. When you are not producing acetone, you are dead. And, remember you mother removing her fingernail polish?

 

Post some before and after pictures please!

 

So long as you are using small quantities, there should be no problems. I will bet your mother used it often on her fingernails. I will add one caution that you mother did not worry about. Do not dump quantities down your drain. Acetone (in quantity) and PVC pipe do not get along well. Now a cap full with water will not hurt, but a cup+ without water might.

BTW, acetone forms an azeotrope with water (@ziggy9). It actually will evaporate faster when mixed with water. However, I doubt it will be as effective removing the nicotine/smoke.

 

I second this. I give every incoming raw coin an acetone bath whether it looks like it needs it or not, because I have no way of knowing how it's been stored and what it's come into contact with. At the very least, it will give you some peace of mind.

 

No, it doesn't; perhaps you're thinking of isopropanol. It's miscible in all proportions with water, but doesn't form an azeotrope -- the acetone will always be evaporating faster than the water.

 

Guarantee it does. And acetone evaporates faster than water, but acetone water mixture evaporates faster than pure acetone.
(Dang! I even remembered the percentages from college.)

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/...QR2dGlkA1ZJUDI4MV8x?qid=20080723130436AAwcocF

 

acetone can cause, soft tissue issues, which can lead to cancer. call up your local industrial hygiene, their located within your state, or federal OSHA.