Acetone Baths for coins........

Oney

How long can you soak a coin i an acetone bath? Can you leave there until gummy substance is removed by bath alone? Can I seal i a jar and leave overnight?

nwcs

You can leave a coin in acetone indefinitely without hurting the coin. In most cases, acetone will take care of the surface contaminants immediately. But sometimes agitating the acetone can help. Two things can also help. One is to use a rose thorn to help work off stubborn sticky things and the other is to always do a final rinse in a fresh batch of acetone before letting dry.

darktone

using Q tips to massage the area is used by many also- much quicker results but you must be careful and don't use plastic Q-tips! mike

LanLord

One question I have always had is with Acetone on circulated coins.

I have soaked some circs before and they came out looking real flat (hard to explain, but almost like all the metal sheen was taken off).

What would the acetone have done to the surface to cause this?

Anyone ever seen it before?

nwcs

The sheen may have just been organic residue that was taken off. Acetone won't react with metal.

clackamas

You could leave a coin in acetone for a century and it would not hurt it. the question is how long would it take to dissolve what you want from it. It amy take a short soak or just a rinse. It may also require a qtip rub.

JrGMan2004

<< <i>using Q tips to massage the area is used by many also- much quicker results but you must be careful and don't use plastic Q-tips! mike >>

And make sure you roll the q-tip, don't drag, that's how can quickly get little hairlines in your coin!!

Darkhorse

Can acetone effect the toning?
Case in point, the blue medal in my sig. Around November I noticed the reverse getting darker, the blue was fading into greens and yellows and hits of red. This was happening unusually quickly, recently I put it in a bath of nail polish remover and lo and behold, much of the blue toning was restored.

Conder101

<< <i>I have soaked some circs before and they came out looking real flat (hard to explain, but almost like all the metal sheen was taken off).

What would the acetone have done to the surface to cause this?

Anyone ever seen it before? >>


Someimes the "sheen" or gloss on the metal surface is caused by a layer of oil. (skin oils from circulation) The acetone will remove that oil and can leave the coin with a dry appearance.

xbob

I remember reading a bunch of old threads about cleaning and seeing that some used Goo Gone to remove crud, then moved on to the acetone.

Here's one of the old threads about Goo Gone and Acetone Link.

cladking

<< <i>

<< <i>I have soaked some circs before and they came out looking real flat (hard to explain, but almost like all the metal sheen was taken off).

What would the acetone have done to the surface to cause this?

Anyone ever seen it before? >>


Someimes the "sheen" or gloss on the metal surface is caused by a layer of oil. (skin oils from circulation) The acetone will remove that oil and can leave the coin with a dry appearance. >>



Most circ coins will look better if you rub a little skin oil into them after stabilizing them in acetone.
There are better oils to use but none more convenient.

On rare occasion you'll need to change the acetone before something is completely removed. It
may not be worth the effort but you can add a little isopropyl alcohol to the acetone and slightly
improve the chances that everything will dissolve. With the alcohol, acetone, and water just about
everything will dissolve.