Found 61 roosevelt with black crud, how to remove it

i understand the Junk Silver point but i dont consider any of my coins to be junk regardless of their condition, im not into them for premiums, not all

 

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Of course, but it must be understood that this common and very general term is in no way meant to be an insult to you or your coins.

 

No worries, no personal insult, although I think they should alter it to reflect upon coins that really should be considered junk. IMO i cant understand why they would add a junk label stigma on coins that still retain as much detail as they do, i can understand coins which have been worn down to a detail lacking silhouette.

 

As reflected in other threads, kind of like your children aren't they?

 

take some pics before you do it

 

With the xylene and acetone, do you use a q-tip to rub off the gunk or just soak it in the chemical? After you clean the coin do you run it under distilled water to remove any of the remaining chemicals?

 

Not being an expert at this, I would first try a xylene soak overnight and then if the gunk had not floated or dissolved off, I would LIGHTLY touch it with a q-tip (cotton applicator swab for those who don't know what a q-tip is) without scrubbing it. I would rinse it with xylene and let it dry before rinsing it with distilled water. As per Doug, I would probably forgo using acetone on copper.

 

I know nothing about cleaning coins..guns yes..coins no. If it is tar, my first instinct would be to use either a small amount of kerosene or gasoline on a Q-tip applied directly on to the tar. It will loosen it and then you may be able to take it off with a same soaked corner of a rag. Oh ****, just light it up man!

Serious question, will gasoline or kerosene harm the finish on the coin? I know about acetone and use on various surfaces but never had to clean coins. I thought cleaning a coin was the big sin to collectors...

In any event, I hope it works out well for your dime..Good luck

 

Cleaning is a big sin to many collectors, but then again, how many of us are free from sin. There is a big difference between harsh cleaning and cleaning. If you can clean and not leave any trace of damage from the cleaning, that is fine. usually immersing in a solvent can do this. Depending on the coin condition, very gentle use of a q-tip might be OK.

I have wondered too about the use of gasoline or kerosene. I would think gasoline would be an no-no because of the possible additives, whereas if the kerosene were pure, that should be no worse than xylene.

 

I think your are right on about gasoline. Kero, eh. maybe..I also forgot about denatured alcohol and alcohol itself. The latter being moonshine or pure grain, it is a strong solvent that likely leaves no residue.

 

Moonshine can contain almost anything from dead rats to sodium hydroxide. Denatured alcohol contains a "denaturant" that can be many things. Pure alcohol, be it methanol, ethanol or isopropanol is good, but many other things are better.

 

Semi-disagree. Any pure, non-reactive solvent should be OK - use 100% MEK - don't use 100% sulfuric acid. There are other solvents that would be OK, but in general (as usual) Doug is right.