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Message:: [QUOTE="hotwheelsearl, post: 4587488, member: 75143"]Lye is either sodium or potassium hydroxide. It is usually sold as household drain cleaner. In my neck of the woods, it was rather tough to find. I went to 2 Home Depot and 1 Ace Hardware in San Diego with no luck. Went to 2 Home Depot and 2 Ace Hardware in Irvine before I finally found a jar of the stuff for like 6 bucks. I believe the stuff is generally frowned upon for drain cleaning these days; perhaps that's why it was tough to find. It comes in crystal form. As dry crystals, there is no danger in handling with bare hands. It is a very strong base and therefore very dangerous WHEN WET/in solution and can cause major burns and blindness. But just be safe and smart and you'll be fine. Lye is basically the exact opposite of what you're using. Submerging copper-alloy metals into acid will often turn the water blue. If you use apple cider vinegar it turns the water green. Using a base will only give the faintest blue color, and more generally leave a whitish residue in the water, if anything at all. On metals like bronze and the like, both acids AND bases will have much the same effect - it will dissolve anything that isn't metal. I used a product once called Gringgott's Wizard Mix #2, which was marketed as generally safe for use without protective equipment. I determined that it was some kind of milder base solution mix. I have never tried using a comparably strong acid on coins, so I cannot speak to whether acids or bases are better suited for coin cleaning. In my limited experience, I found that lye gave some decent results. I will post a thread tomorrow with some recent results, and I'll make sure to tag you in it.[/QUOTE]

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