Hello All, I understand that soaking your cents in olive oil for an extended period of time is not currently considered "Cleaning" , or is it? . I know cleaning is the 4 letter word in our hobby. My question is what is the best way to get the oil off after the long soak is done. Is there any better types of olive oil then others? Does Canola oil work too? What is the best way not to ruin your coinage by using this process? Thank you in advance for your input. Andrew
Olive oil is generally used on coins that have been excavated (ie metal detecting) soaking the copper coins loosens the dirt.
Also olive oil is slightly acidic which marginally "improves" a coin's surfaces. I had a 1909-SVDB with advanced PVC residue damage. It was soaked for several months in olive oil. That eliminated the "goo". But of course made the damage much more obvious. I would suspect acetone would work well in cleaning off the olive oil. Then the final distilled water rinse. BOTTOM LINE: Olive oil not only "conserves" (debris removal) but also "cleans" (improves the surfaces). I suspect if not overdone and carefully removed there would not be a detectable change.
The best way, The best way is to just keep blotting until coins surface is dry - the only time I personally use a rinse after is on higher graded/more valuable coins. Then I generally just use "coin care" or "blue ribbon" and then blot it dry and leave it. First use cloth then paper towel to blot. Never rub across the coins surface with either and please practice on a few thousand coins before attempting any method, well maybe a hundred - you get my drift. There is also detailed discussion's on this site about all methods or none at all. Ben Peters
A brief acetone soak will strip the oil from the coin. Olive oil is slightly acidic. Virgin olive oil (from the first pressing of the olives has the least acid and so is gentler, but slower than olive oil from later pressings of the olives. Other oils can soften grime but may not do as much for corrosion byproducts because they do not have the acid to help break it down. Also other vegtable oils may have a tendency to oxidize and either go rancid or polymerize. Keep and eye on it and if you note a color change from the acids in the olive oil you may want to stop, or at least start keeping a closer watch on the process.
I have experimented with a FEC that has some verdigris. After quite a few months, it did remove some but not much. It is a very long process and requires alot of patience.
I soaked a non key date lincoln with verdigris in olive oil for a month and it did remove some of it. I also had a non key date lincoln with dirt or some other substance on the coin that I soaked in olive oil. It did remove it, however the area under the "gunk" has no natural patina.
It doesn't happen often, but if a coin early on collects some sort of debris in the nooks and crannies, the surfaces under the debris can be protected from normal toning. Then when the debris is removed it leaves a shiny (original surface) boundary around the devices. Looks strange. Haven't seen a coin like that in years.
I have had the same result from time to time with coins that were heavy in grime! The gunk acted as a protectant from other factors in the environment and thus prevented natural toning. I have found that after a good soaking in Olive Oil, the use of a green Rose thorn will aid in the removal of some stubborn dirt and even some Verdigris corrosion on primarily Copper composition coins without damaging the surfaces or devices. WARNING: Do not use a Rose thorn on any other composition coin other than primarily Copper composition. Frank
Hey Frank, why do you say that? I would think that because copper is the softest of the metals used, it would be OK to use a rose thorn on Silver and Nickel (although perhaps not gold). Just wondering (not that I'm considering using a rose on any coins, but your comment struck me as odd). Thakns in advance...Mike
Leadfoot, I haven't really tried Rose thorns on Nickels or Clad coins but I have tested then on Silver and Gold in areas that were not noticeable. I can tell you from experience, that a Rose thorn will leave definite and noticeable markings on Silver and Gold coins but for some reason will not do so on Copper composition coins. Why will a Copper pipe which has been flattened and sharpened into a scraper, remove light surface rust from blued guns (when used in conjunction with a good Gun Oil). Then the residue easily wipes off with a soft cloth with no evidence that it was ever used, most if not all of the rust removed and the bluing is totally intact? I really don't know why but I have been using this process for years and I can attest 100% that it works. It will not remove rust that has eat into the metal but it will make it less noticeable. Frank
I think this post is great. I regularly use a rose thorn on copper. I realized by trial and error to use the sharpest point I could get. This is counterintuitive, but to get in between the lettering if it is too blunt you will scratch the coin if you push too hard. I keep the mineral oil on the coin. I even found a way to keep the coin still without having to hold it with my hand. I place it in a Intercept 2x2 and use the circular foam from airtight holders (the one's you buy in bulk from JP's 100 at a time). The foam is exactly the size of a lincoln/IHC as it fills in the size for the airtight ring. This way the coin does not slip down into the IS holder as you apply pressure to the coin. I hold my loope with one hand and remove the grime with the other hand with the rose thorn. It is fun and very satisfying to improve the look of the coin without damaging them. I have used olive oil, but I am too lazy and paranoid to have to constantly check on the coins. I don't want to worry about the oil changing the color of the coin. I should try again and see how it turns out.
