Sometimes the gunk separates on its own and floats away, other times it needs some gentle (emphasis on "gentle") nudging with a wooden toothpick. I do it with the coin submerged in the acetone, that way I can see instantly if my effort is working and thus I don't end up doing more poking and prodding than is absolutely necessary.
I've done it with no adverse effects the acetone is inert as far as coins or metals are concerned it only removes primarily synthetic compounds as in pvc as well as grease and oil based organic matter I've put copper silver gold and copper nickel coins in varying orders and combinations in acetone with no problems actually I usually soak nearly all raw coins in it as it gets crud from circulation gone without touching patina and toning
You can, but it's not really advisable. The best way is to do 1 coin at a time. The reason for that is because the more coins you put into the acetone then the more contaminants there are that can be dissolved into the acetone. And the more contaminants there are in the acetone then the more likely it is that some of those contaminants will remain on the surface of the coins as you remove them from the acetone. And that will necessitate additional rinsing in clean acetone in order to remove it. Using acetone correctly is not just a 1 step process, it is a 4 step process. You'll find a complete description of the process here - https://www.cointalk.com/threads/proper-acetone-procedure.193708/
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but Acetone is a known carcinogen. A lady I worked with for many years used this chemical exclusively in her job and developed permanent nerve damage as a result. She ended up sueing for over a million and won her case. Please my friends, in addition to the proper gloves please use proper ventilation. Don't think you might not be the next one to get seriously ill from this.
"There is no data regarding the carcinogenicity of acetone in any animal studies. Chemicals similar to acetone have not been found to be carcinogenic to humans." http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/ard/documents/ard-ehp-7.pdf&ei=cidxVJHcKMbSoAS2_4H4Dw&usg=AFQjCNG90SXv0Z6AJLVXy3rnfrHRv3stAQ&bvm=bv.80185997,d.cGU&cad=rja Of course nerve damage is not cancer ( carcinogenicity) . Damage may have occurred, but since acetone is not deposited or leave a permanent change in nervous tissue, it would be impossible to scientifically say it was due to acetone. It could have easily been genetic deterioration or repetitive motion at her job. In our college chem labs, acetone and distilled water are the only 2 chemicals on the students tables for use without checking them out, and acetone is limited to hoods during 'open flame' experiments
Thank you for this. I'm not sure how the suit was prepared or the exact details of it as it was all a hushed up affair. I based my statement on the plants Enviromental Engineers report as to why it was banned from use at my company but she could have been fudging the whole issue also. Thank you for the clarification though, very much appreciated.