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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;LostDutchman, post: 1887950, member: 16994&quot;]So I ordered several pounds of ancient coins a couple of years ago. I have tried every recommended cleaning method with varying levels of success. I had a group that no matter what I did I couldn&#039;t penetrate the shell. So I decided to experiment... and I think I may have stumbled onto something.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the lot that I could never get clean. keep in mind some of these coins soaked in oil for over a year.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]321356[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I chose this piece for demonstration purposes:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]321357[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]321358[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The first step... and this is going to sound crazy... was to heat and cool this piece several times carefully with a blowtorch... I theorized that this would help release the verdigris from the surface of the coin by expanding and contracting the metal. The coin was then placed in a bath of sodium hydroxide and water for several minutes.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is the product after that. The verdigris is noticeably loosened.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]321359[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]321360[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>A little CAREFUL picking with a metal pick and brushing with a plastic bristled brush....</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]321363[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This is a coin that normally would be discarded as I literally tried everything I could think of to get it cleaned. The final result.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]321361[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]321362[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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