speaking of xylene....

FREDinBRIDGETONnewjersey

Ok, so I have heard of alot of theings that will "fix" coins.

Now, my dealer, has a few things in his arsenal that I have never heard of before.

carbon tetrachloride (aka carbon tet) - he has used it as a dip for many coins...its turns tham white as can be and many coins have been certified by NGC and PCGS after having been dipped in the solution. I was told that it was given to him by a dry cleaner friend.


the other is Chloroform - yes, the old "knock you out" chloroform. He has a small jar of it and I can't figure out what he does with it in terms of coins. He has said that it is used on coins but he is currently experimenting with it.


any ideas what this chloroform does for coins? where can i pick some up.


Fred

TUMUSS

You have the largest user name I have ever seen

XpipedreamR

Jdurg

Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) and Chloroform (CHCl3) are both nasty carcinogenic chemicals that you really should not expose yourself to on a regular basis. As for their cleaning properties, they are incredibly non-polar organic solvents. So they will dissolve things like PVC, oils, greases, etc. Anything that won't dissolve in water will probably dissolve in either of those solvents. The thing is, there is no advantage over using those chlorinated hydrocarbons compared to things like acetone or xylene. The disadvantages are that the two chemicals are very carcinogenic and very volatile. They evaporate quite quickly and can quickly asphixiate you if you have poor ventilation. In addition, the chlorinated hydrocarbons do a good job of breaking down ozone so minimizing their useage is a good thing. Finally, if the chemical itself breaks down you're introducing a halogen product onto your coins which is never a good thing.

So to sum it up, just avoid those chemicals. You'd be doing yourself a favor and everyone else a favor. Acetone and/or xylene are just as good. (As for making chloroform, there is a fairly simple way to do so with easily obtained chemicals, but if you don't really already know what chloroform and carbon tet really are, then you most likely shouldn't be making it. )

BAJJERFAN

Well chloroform and carbon tetrachloride aka carbon tet are for the most part chemically identical. Carbon tet is chloroform with one more chlorine atom in its structure/formula. Both are effective degreasers which is probly what your dealer friend is using it for. Prolonged exposure of silver coins to either of these solvents will result in hazy milky looking surfaces. My advice to you would be not to use either one as they can be harmful if improperly used, esp with poor ventilation.

AC7DX

I think you misunderstood him..he uses the chloroform on his customers!............

RickMilauskas

Interesting stuff Fred. By the by...where are you from??

TomB

Jdurg has given you excellent information and it would be wise to follow it.

As for the statement by Bajjerfan that carbon tet and chloroform are identical save for an extra carbon on carbon tet...well...that is wrong. Chloroform has a hydrogen atom that carbon tet does not have, so the difference between the two is not simply the addition of a chlorine atom.

pharmer

Yo, Fred. You there, Fred? You did open the windows, right? Fred? Anyway, a good rule to continue to live by is not to take the word of a coin dealer about dangerous chemicals. Knowledge thereof is not one of the qualifications.

fountainheadgold

try tryetholene

Newmismatist

What follows is true and the reason why you have to be VERY careful when playing with chemicals and cleaning coins:



<< <i>J. Sanford Saltus was born on March 9, 1853 in New Haven, Connecticut. A numismatist of renown, Saltus established the Society's award named in his honor in 1913. In addition, he also established the John Sanford Saltus annual prize at the National Academy of Design for the best work in painting or sculpture and the annual award at the Académie des Beaux Arts in Paris.

Saltus joined the ANS as a life member in 1892 and served as the Society's Corresponding Secretary from 1900-05 and its Second Vice-President from 1907-09. In addition, he was a member of the governing Council from its inception in 1906 through 1916. In 1918, he was named Honorary Councillor for Life.

During his tenure with the Society, Saltus was instrumental in the significant production of medals which the Society commissioned in the first two decades of the 20th century. In 1913, he provided $5,000 to allow the Society to award periodically a medal "to sculptors for distinguished achievement in the field of the art of the medal...." The Society subsequently named the J. Sanford Saltus Medal Award in his honor.

Saltus died on June 24, 1922 in London. Although his death at first was a mystery, a corner's inquest revealed that Saltus had been using potassium cyanide to clean coins he was going to present to the BNS. In his hotel room near his body two glasses were discovered: one contained the cyanide and the second some ginger ale. Apparently, Saltus had drunk the cyanide by accident, mistaking it for the ginger ale. At the time of his death, Saltus was serving as president of both the British Numismatic Society and New York Numismatic Club.

>>

PerryHall

The cyanide was used on copper coins to give them a red color.

Steve27

Cyanide, sounds yummy.

BAJJERFAN

<<"As for the statement by Bajjerfan that carbon tet and chloroform are identical save for an extra carbon on carbon tet...well...that is wrong. Chloroform has a hydrogen atom that carbon tet does not have, so the difference between the two is not simply the addition of a chlorine atom.">>

I said for the most part they are identical, I never said there were both the same thing, I know what the difference is between the two. My inference was that they are virtually identical in function in terms of their degreasing properties or ability to remove PVC or other residues from coins. Guess I should have been a little more clear on that point. I would not recommend the use of either one unless one had the proper facilities for doing so.

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>any ideas what this chloroform does for coins? where can i pick some up >>



To answer the original question it is highly unlikely that the chloroform does something to a coin that carbon tet won't do.

magikbilly

<< <i>What follows is true and the reason why you have to be VERY careful when playing with chemicals and cleaning coins:



<< <i>J. Sanford Saltus was born on March 9, 1853 in New Haven, Connecticut. A numismatist of renown, Saltus established the Society's award named in his honor in 1913. In addition, he also established the John Sanford Saltus annual prize at the National Academy of Design for the best work in painting or sculpture and the annual award at the Académie des Beaux Arts in Paris.

Saltus joined the ANS as a life member in 1892 and served as the Society's Corresponding Secretary from 1900-05 and its Second Vice-President from 1907-09. In addition, he was a member of the governing Council from its inception in 1906 through 1916. In 1918, he was named Honorary Councillor for Life.

During his tenure with the Society, Saltus was instrumental in the significant production of medals which the Society commissioned in the first two decades of the 20th century. In 1913, he provided $5,000 to allow the Society to award periodically a medal "to sculptors for distinguished achievement in the field of the art of the medal...." The Society subsequently named the J. Sanford Saltus Medal Award in his honor.

Saltus died on June 24, 1922 in London. Although his death at first was a mystery, a corner's inquest revealed that Saltus had been using potassium cyanide to clean coins he was going to present to the BNS. In his hotel room near his body two glasses were discovered: one contained the cyanide and the second some ginger ale. Apparently, Saltus had drunk the cyanide by accident, mistaking it for the ginger ale. At the time of his death, Saltus was serving as president of both the British Numismatic Society and New York Numismatic Club.

>>

>>




This is clearly intervention by the coin god(s) that be - the writying on the wall is unmistakable - don't dip!

Billy

BAJJERFAN

Or don't drink and dip

KingAlanI

"Although his death at first was a mystery, a corner's inquest revealed that Saltus had been using potassium cyanide to clean coins he was going to present to the BNS. In his hotel room near his body two glasses were discovered: one contained the cyanide and the second some ginger ale. Apparently, Saltus had drunk the cyanide by accident, mistaking it for the ginger ale. At the time of his death, Saltus was serving as president of both the British Numismatic Society and New York Numismatic Club."

Darwin Award?

PerryHall

<< <i>Or don't drink and dip >>



Or don't drink dip.