Thanks again to everyone who welcomed me to this forum. I'm still working on those pics, GD! But mostly I've been plotting my giant attack against PVC. I know that I have to treat all the coins in the pvc-laden albums, whether they show green or not. Okay. I have 500 coins to treat. All those tiny Dutch half cents and 10 cents really add up. Thanks to all of your previous postings on the subject, I have a pretty good idea of the process. I do have a few stray questions, though. I'm planning to set up shop in my backyard (when it stops raining...). I have a respirator, gloves, three glass dishes, pure acetone, distilled water, and cotton cloth for air-drying. I'll have tongs. Oh, and a jar to pour the dirty acetone into. Am I forgetting anything? Even using a respirator, I know I shouldn't go hog wild. Is it reasonable to do this for an hour at a time? I'm guessing it'll take several hours, plus the time to put the coins away. What's the best way to rinse with distilled water? Can I dip coins into a bowl of water, replacing the water frequently? Is it too risky for me to tackle the valuable coins? I could hire a professional, but most of the rarer coins show little or no sign of pvc residue. I'm hoping to nip it in the bud. Plus, I'm not rolling in money that doesn't have Willem III on it. If it needs to be done, though, I'll spend what's necessary. Really, I just like wearing a respirator and doing Darth Vader imitations.
Well some may disagree...but here is what I think... #1...don't dip (clean) them unless they have PVC where you can see it...some coins might not have it and with cleaning you might lower the value of the coins when you do it. #2...why do it out side...it will just let everyone around you know that you have lots of coins...do it inside and I don't think you need a respirator--unless you are going to just sit there and breath in the air with your nose in the jar of Acetone What I would do is get some Distilled water...and take the coins that have PVC and dipp the coin in the Actone and then poor water over the coin...NEVER RUB the coin with ANYTHING....if it doesn't work put the coins in Acetone and leave them longer than the last time...then poor water over them again.... Speedy
Well, I'm going to disagree with Speedy on a couple of points. I think he may be underestimating the dangers of acetone fume inhalation. For the amount of time you will be spending working with acetone, a respirator is not overkill IMHO. Assuming that your backyard isn't open to view of casual passersby, it would be a great place to work with that nasty stuff. I also disagree about which coins you should give an acetone bath. Since all of your coins have had significant exposure to PVC, and acetone doesn't interact with metallic compounds, it won't hurt any of the coins to treat them. Acetone rinse leaves none of the telltale signs of other cleaning methds, and won't hurt the values IMHO. Two, or even three acetone rinse stages, followed by a two-stage rinse in distilled/deionized water should do the job. I absolutely agree with the advice to pour the rinse water and to avoid rubbing at all costs.
I thought I read someplace that acetone can be harmful to copper coins but I don't recall where and I don't know what the alternative treatment would be for copper coins with pvc. Comments and corrections are welcome because I'm going from memory here, which may be incorrect.
Not at all....but as long as she/he isn't doing it for long at a time it should hurt... I've seen Acetone leave marks that pointed to cleaned with one look....it can and might leave cleaning looking marks. Speedy
I agree with Roy Speedy. Have you ever used acetone on a substantial number of coins? I have only used it on a few and I wouldn't use it inside ever again (an unpleasant lesson learned). I have only seen acetone leave tell-tale signs when used on copper or when they weren't rinsed properly afterwards. And anyway, if they have PVC residue on them then it must be done (with care), regardless of the possible consequences.
This is always a tough discussion. There are a great many knowledgeable people who will swear that acetone will not harm silver, gold and clad coins. Most knowledgeable people that I have discussed this with strongly recommend that acetone NOT be used on copper coins - it can make them turn all sorts of colors. That being said, I would never use acetone myself on any coin - unless I KNEW it had PVC on it. I have seen silver coins dipped in acetone and yes I could tell that it was done. And yes I believe that it was done correctly. So personally, I disagree with those that say dipping a coin in acetone is harmless. But you will find far more people that disagree with me than you will those that do agree. But if a coin has PVC on it, be it silver, gold, copper or clad then that coin HAS to be dipped in order to prevent further damage. Basically Marianne I'd say you have a good plan as to your methods. The only part I disagree with is about dipping all the coins regardless. I would suggest you take a few coins to a dealer or somebody that knows coins well and ask them about the PVC. Take a few that you are fairly certain have it, take a few you question, and take a few that you think don't have anything. Explain that you are wanting to know if the coins are contaminated or not. Once they show you the difference, you'll be able to recognize it yourself on the rest. Dip those that have it and that are questionable. But those that don't appear to have any PVC - leave them alone for the time being. Keep an eye on them and if the appearance changes - you can always dip them then. That way there is no harm done - just in case I'm right
I've never used it on copper....but on sliver it can leave a bad looking coin...also nickel... But in this case she/he was talking about dipping coins even if they didn't show signs.... Not at one time....that is why I suggested that she/he go at it slow and take their time.... Speedy
What is wrong with using a simple alcohol like ethanol or isopropyl? Alcohols are excellent solvents and should not do anything to most metals. Acetone is toxic and nasty. If you want to get real anal about it, why not use ethane or propane? Again, these compounds are clean as a whistle and basically non-toxic. I defy anyone to find an ethane residue on a coin.
