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<p>[QUOTE="lrbguy, post: 3198402, member: 88829"]My thanks for all your considered opinions.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>If there was going to be a reaction with citric acid it would not be from the silver but from other alloying metals in the fabric of the coin. If a coin was of a lower fineness, then it is conceivable that a weak acid might make it appear grainy or porous. However, Butcher and Ponting in <i>The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage</i>, report that the coins of Julia Titi under Titus were produced at a putative fineness of 80%. They reported on only two examples of her denarii, one of which assayed at 88.5% silver, and the other at 93%. While it is hard to generalize on such a small sample, the general assay of what is to be expected for her silver should be high enough that a weak acid, such as citric or acetic, is not likely to cause trouble, particularly if it is applied in a spot fashion rather than full immersion. My plan is to apply the acid under a microscope in droplets off the end of a needle or toothpick directly to the spots of corrosion. If that results in an uneven appearance, I may follow with a more uniform wash of the acid, and a thorough distilled water rinse. What is uncertain here is the path to follow if a measure of horn silver should be revealed. Since I do not expect to be working with chlorides I do not really expect this problem.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the group is much divided on what to expect from such a procedure, I will report my method and observations after the work is done. But thank you for your thoughts so far.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="lrbguy, post: 3198402, member: 88829"]My thanks for all your considered opinions. If there was going to be a reaction with citric acid it would not be from the silver but from other alloying metals in the fabric of the coin. If a coin was of a lower fineness, then it is conceivable that a weak acid might make it appear grainy or porous. However, Butcher and Ponting in [I]The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage[/I], report that the coins of Julia Titi under Titus were produced at a putative fineness of 80%. They reported on only two examples of her denarii, one of which assayed at 88.5% silver, and the other at 93%. While it is hard to generalize on such a small sample, the general assay of what is to be expected for her silver should be high enough that a weak acid, such as citric or acetic, is not likely to cause trouble, particularly if it is applied in a spot fashion rather than full immersion. My plan is to apply the acid under a microscope in droplets off the end of a needle or toothpick directly to the spots of corrosion. If that results in an uneven appearance, I may follow with a more uniform wash of the acid, and a thorough distilled water rinse. What is uncertain here is the path to follow if a measure of horn silver should be revealed. Since I do not expect to be working with chlorides I do not really expect this problem. Since the group is much divided on what to expect from such a procedure, I will report my method and observations after the work is done. But thank you for your thoughts so far.[/QUOTE]
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