Tried a new method of cleaning old copper....

kevinstang

After reading a post the other day about someone using old bacon grease to remove crud from old copper coins (guess it was a family recipe)- it was posted here or on another forum-couldn't find it again, I decided to try the modified method someone else recommended. The method I used was placing coin in a pan with olive oil and heating good and hot, then a quick dunk right after removing from heat (of the coin itself- watch out for the grease) in ice cold water. Must say was quite impressed with the results on the old Canadian large cent found Sunday night, so I tried it on the large cent I found last week- picutures below, for old shots see previous post. Unfortunately the coin was heavily scratched on obverse, but now I can place it in best finds album instead of having to wait months by doing it the old olive oil soak method:



I was so impressed decided to try it on the george III half penny I found last year as well, and it removed the remaing crud nicely! Thats when I noticed the bad side effect- I should have turned the fans on and opened the windows- smoke filled the kitchen and dining room, oh well, a little ventalation will do the house good.

ricko

Kevin,
I would be more inclined to pour the hot oil over the coin - the heat of the pan can cause detrimental effects on the surface of the metal. Perhaps on some dug coins this means nothing.. but after a time, they will develop a dark, nasty crust if overheated. Cheers, RickO

lordmarcovan

That now looks a lot nicer than when you dug it (contemporary scratches notwithstanding).

Lately I have been using the hot hydrogen peroxide method. Works a lot like electrolysis.

ricko

LordM, do you microwave the peroxide?... boiling would quickly vaporize most of it.. I would think.. Cheers, RickO