What is the best cleaner for residue without removing toning?

wallstreetman · December 4, 2003 3:00PM

I have a 73 Canadian Double Dollar Set that has sticky felt on the Obverses! What a mess these things are, but they target tone nice!

lordmarcovan · December 4, 2003 3:05PM

tRY ACETONE.

Whoopsie. Cap lock.

Try acetone.

SYRACUSIAN · December 4, 2003 3:53PM

Could you specify a bit more doctor LM

?

Darkhorse · December 4, 2003 4:01PM

One of my recently aquired Canadian toners had some residue, that came out easily with nail polish remover.

lordmarcovan · December 4, 2003 4:12PM

Nail polish remover, acetone- basically the same thing.

BUT- some nail polish remover has other stuff in it. Best to use straight acetone, I've been told. (Though I usually end up using nail polish remover, myself, since the wife has a bottle of it in the bathroom.)

wallstreetman · December 4, 2003 4:31PM

Its alright to leave the Acetone without rinsing with purified water?

lordmarcovan · December 4, 2003 5:17PM

I'm not really sure. I don't think acetone will leave a residue, since it evaporates. You probably don't need to rinse. But if you wanted to, that certainly wouldn't hurt.

newbiecollector · December 4, 2003 5:35PM

Not to step on LordM's toes I will offer the following.
Technically no petroleum based product "totally" evaporates. What may be left may be so minor and so inert that it would not have any effect, that I can not say.

I would rinse with distilled water.

I do not have any first hand experience with acetone but, only because I can not get it here. I understand it works as a cleaner for those types of problems better than most others.

izzy452 · December 4, 2003 7:17PM

This may sound funny ,but I recently discovered that WD-40 will take sticky residue off of many objects.

Walt

newbiecollector · December 4, 2003 7:20PM

<< <i>This may sound funny ,but I recently discovered that WD-40 will take sticky residue off of many objects.

Walt

>>

I would not think you should use that on coins. It is a harse petro product, designed to desolve metal corrosion (rust), and it will in the long run damage your coins.

Steve27 · December 4, 2003 7:29PM

Use acetone and it will evaporate without leaving a residue. You can get a very pure form at Home Depot (in the paint section). Do not use nail polish remover, because it usually has other ingredients.

Wayne, is acetone a petroleum-based product?

newbiecollector · December 4, 2003 7:33PM

<< <i>Use acetone and it will evaporate without leaving a residue. You can get a very pure form at Home Depot (in the paint section). Do not use nail polish remover, because it usually has other ingredients.

Wayne, is acetone a petroleum-based product? >>

<< <i>Wayne, is acetone a petroleum-based product? >>

Yes sir...... it is. By the nature of petroleum products they will leave something when they evaporate.
If this is good or bad with acetone I truely have no idea.

MacCrimmon · December 4, 2003 8:40PM

I've found that if acetone won't do the trick, xylol will. Xylol is a bit nastier to your system though. It's best to use this stuff with a ventilation hood or 'upwind' outdoors. BE CAREFUL!!

historygeek · December 5, 2003 2:42AM

<<<I would not think you should use that on coins. It is a harse petro product, designed to desolve metal corrosion (rust), and it will in the long run damage your coins.>>>

Isn't that a good thing? It removes corrosion.

nwcs · December 5, 2003 4:05AM

Here is a MSDS on acetone. http://www.camd.lsu.edu/msds/a/acetone.htm

One should not need to rinse a coin that has been rinsed in acetone.

spoon · December 5, 2003 4:49AM

Y'know, I just noticed that the acetone I've been using is eating at the plastic "metal" on the drain stop in my bathroom sink where I use it on coins...

HG, not necessarily a good thing.. if it takes off rust it could take off patina when exposed too long. I don't know for sure since I've never used that.. but tarnish/toning is really just another kind of rust (oxidation).

BigAlan · December 5, 2003 5:38AM

Y'know, I just noticed that the acetone I've been using is eating at the plastic "metal" on the drain stop in my bathroom sink where I use it on coins...

It does kinda eat up plastic, that being the residue that most people want to get rid of.

Acetone is also good for starting fires when used in a enclosed space with an open flame.

1jester · December 5, 2003 7:30AM

Acetone is, of course, extremely flammable and should be used with proper ventilation. Don't let it touch anything plastic, either. Use glass bowls as containers and you should have no trouble. Don't throw it down the drain, or the German Environmental Polizei will be after you, Spoon! (Speaking of which, Spoon, how do you get acetone in Germany??? Or is it available on base?) You could simply leave it outside to evaporate, if you want; it evaporates very quickly. Just keep it away from all sources of flame.

I've found acetone to be very effective against PVC and other oils on a coin, and I've never experienced any toning or removal of toning or other detrimental effects on any kind of coin, including copper.

wybrit · December 5, 2003 7:53AM

I hear that hetman uses acetone too. Does he take the same care with it that you do, jester?

1jester · December 5, 2003 8:07AM

It appears that you know him better than I do!

wybrit · December 5, 2003 8:18AM

I hear he inhales when he uses it.

Darkhorse · December 5, 2003 8:31AM

Try a holistic approach and soak the coin in Tea Tree oil.

spoon · December 5, 2003 9:55PM

Jester, any Obi (like Home Depot in US) carries acetone.. I imagine other hardware stores do too? I'm not exactly sure about the enviro laws, they've got some nutty ones here so I don't bother and just stick with common sense. I don't pour it down the drain but some gets there.. bathroom's about the best place to use it for me

A little glass soapdish is a heckuva lot easier to deal with than a jelly jar, etc.

coinrookie · December 5, 2003 11:48PM

I use acetone for my lite-side modern proof coins. USE it only in a well VENTILATED area. Also I found that it does not seem to leave a residue. But with my paranoid self, I always give it a quick rinse in distilled water and then let it completely air dry. I have some proofs that have been stored in airtites for well over a year that I used this method on and they show no ill effects. Including some that did and still do have some nice rim toning.

Steve

1960NYGiants · December 6, 2003 12:47AM

From the labelling on the can:

Acetone: Special purpose thinner, cleaner and remover. Evaporates quickly.

100% pure. This strong, fast acting solvent is a thinner and remover for specified coatings, including polyester and epoxy resins, ink, adhesives and contact cement. Effective cleanup solvent after the completion of a fiberglass project, for removal of excess fiberglass resin or foreign material from solvent tolerable surfaces. Use only as specified by the coating, adhesive, or hobby product manufacturer.

IMPORTANT: Do not use as a general purpose cleaner. Acetone may soften or damage plastics, synthetics and many other finishes. Use only where specified, and test an inconspiciuous area before application.

Whenever possible, use outdoors in an open air area. Do not use in areas where vapors can accumulate and concentrate such as basements, bathrooms or small enclosed areas. USE ONLY WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION TO PREVENT BUILDUP OF VAPORS. Open all windows and doors. Use only with a cross ventilation of moving fresh air across the work area.

DANGER! EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE. KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT, SPARKS, FLAME AND ALL OTHER SOURCES OF IGNITION. VAPORS MAY CAUSE FLASH FIRE OR IGNITE EXPLOSIVELY.

Whew!!!!

So Acetone dissolves the contaminate then evaporates quickly - where does the contaminate go? I would and do rinse with distilled water.

There is another product on the market:

MS 70 "Industrial Strength" Coin Brightener
Safe to use on Gold, Silver, Nickel, Copper, Bronze, Brass
Contains no acid. MS 70 does not change the color of your coin but does remove surface contamination and tarnish.... surface contamination is PVC, tarnish, fog, oil, dirt, etc. Does not give the coin that "dipped" look.

Gene

spoon · December 6, 2003 1:34AM

Has anyone used MS70 on copper/bronze? How well does it come out?

1960NYGiants · December 6, 2003 1:48AM

I tried it one a copper 1/2d. The original coin was RB. After the MS70 it is a very pretty orange/red with purple/blue highlights. I was pleased with results.

I also tried on an old VF/EF bronze token. It removed all the dirt and grime but did not change the deep brown color. Again, I was pleased.

Gene

1jester · December 6, 2003 2:11AM

I've never had the guts to try MS70 on copper. One thing I do when using MS70 is dip in acetone afterwards to remove any contaminants. I don't rinse with water after acetone because I've read many times that acetone will leave no residue behind. There was a thread on the Liteside a few months ago on the subject and some aircraft engineer said they'd checked metal parts with a 400X microscope and found no residue after acetone. I've written in a couple threads here about my system with acetone; I use a 5 jar dip, with acetone in each one, and the first bowl tends to get dirty but by the fifth one, the coin is clean and even the acetone stays clean, the contaminants having been left behind in the first couple bowls.

By the way, I've read that acetone is a naturally occuring substance in the human body. So I don't know how that relates to Newbie's assertion that it's a petroleum product.

spoon · December 6, 2003 5:08AM

I was wondering about the MS70 because of the way dealers like to touch coins here some of the older grime tends to stay after the acetone baths...

btw- acetone is a ketone (oxidized alcohol), dimethylketone to be exact
(I used to do QA at a chemical factory

)

What is the best cleaner for residue without removing toning?

Comments