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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Theodosius, post: 2620953, member: 77077&quot;]You can improve the cleaning power of your toothbrushes by cutting the bristles shorter.&nbsp; They also make special nylon cleaning brushes that have stiffer bristles than toothbrushes.&nbsp; Cutting the bristles on either kind to half their length gives them more ability to clean without damaging the coin.&nbsp; It looks like there is more detail there under the dirt that you can expose on your suspected Allectus.</p><p><br /></p><p>For stubborn dirt and encrustations, using a soft <u>brass</u> bristle brush can be effective without damaging a bronze coin.&nbsp; It is important to use brass bristles because they are softer than bronze.&nbsp; The bristles look very gold in color.&nbsp; Keeping the coin wet while brushing helps cushion and lubricate the bristles for less chance of damage. I usually brush coins in a small, flat bottom Tupperware container to contain the dirt and distilled water.&nbsp; If the patina is loose and flaky then this could remove it completely. Some ancient coins are very porous and soft and I would not clean these with either type of brush. I would not cut the bristles shorter on a brass brush, just on a nylon one. You can use brass to get the outer layers of dirt off and then switch to nylon for a more gentle approach.</p><p><br /></p><p>Never use a brass brush on a silver or (unthinkable!) gold coin.&nbsp; They will leave major scratches.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forget using olive oil, it never cleaned better than distilled water for me and can discolor or ruin the patina.&nbsp; I wasted six months soaking coins in olive oil while learning to clean and it never did anything good.&nbsp; That was my experience anyway.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cleaning ancient coins is a fun process of discovery for some people and not so appealing to others.&nbsp; Finding good coins to clean is often hit or miss.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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