I wouldn't want the stuff in my house. But I have no problem with professionals using it on coins if the results are good. Some coins need to be conserved (a lot less that *are* conserved, but that is a different story........). Does NCS use it?
Hello to a fellow Wet Plater! Cyanide is also second to none in cleaning the tarnish from Daguerrotypes without damaging the image(most of the time anyway). Also, to make a Dagguerrotype,which is a Photographic image on a Silver plated copper plate, the silver side of the plate is fumed with a particular chemicals vapors untill the plate turns many different colors,when a certain color shade appears, the plate is ready to use in the camera,a quote from the period ..."This step must not be arrested at the golden yellow tint but pushed to the dark rose and even to the purple rose." I have often wondered if this fumeing process is how some of the faked tone coins are produced? Also if you want to study what authentic toning looks like study a few heavily toned Daguerreotypes(very few produced after 1860--they were popular 1840-1860)) some of them can be very beautifull although toning is a BAD thing in the Dag. world. Tim Ambrotypist since 1996 PS To the Photographer; I used to use Cyanide for fixing as well but now find I can get just as good results and tones with Thio.--the key is to use fresh fixer for every plate and to wash the plates very well--I also feel the composition of your Developer is more importent than the choice of fixer.
<< <i>A few words of advice if you decide to use this for cleaning gold or silver coins...
Make sure the room is WELL VENTILATED.
>>
I was thinking that a laboratory fume hood would be the only way to go (lest anyone here believe that I really am crazy). I don't have any coins -- short of moderns -- that I would have any interest in dipping, but my curiousity remains: is this in some way a better reducing agent than contemporary alternatives?
Does NCS use cyanide chemicals? >>
I do not believe that cyanide is a very effective reducing agent.
<< <i>OK wowwee I know this will get tons of "dont" posts but let me say first I am an alternative process photographer with extensive experience in using this chemical.
1/4 gram of KCn in water, put in the tarnished clouded silver coin and it dissolves the layers of scum in an instant.
Yup I love toning and wont advise anyone to remove it, I done this just as an experiment on a generic Morgan. This is the way the old time collectors cleaned their coins. >>
Sure...go ahead...why not prove Darwin right?
Lane
Numismatist Ordinaire See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
<< <i>Will it remove milk spots from UNC silver eagles ? I'll split the $50,000 reward with you if it does. I'll leave the actual testing to you. >>
It may well remove milk spots but keep in mind that it will also impose any other undesireable effects that are often associated with cyanide dipping. Anyone wants to send a few I'll try it and send them back. It would work if the spots were in part due to ionic silver.
<< <i>Of course use a fume hood and don't lick your fingers. Is cyanide a reducing agent or does it really form the soluble complex Ag(CN)2- ? The fact that cyanide would reduce ionic silver to metallic Ag(0) doesn't exactly jive with its use as a large quantity leaching agent in lagoons of silver or gold residues. >>
---Whatever type of cyanide compound is used, the resulting compound must be water soluable.
In older gold/silver mine tailing piles of western Montana (Philipsburg area, for one) and Coeur D'Alene Idaho district, the "lagoons of silver" you mention are the catchment, plastic lined, ponds where the soluable/cyanide-silver (and other leached metals from an old abandoned mine's tailing piles) runs off to be collected and impounded. Then another chemical is added in the ponds to make insoluable the precious metal compounds that can be mechanically collected and later processed.
Dispite best environmental efforts, these tailing leaching operations have killed entire river basins such as the area near Missula, Mt where the movie "A River Runs Though It" has Brad Pitt etal. fishing for non-existant monster Trout. This alone should discourage the use of these compounds in the coin hobby.
<< <i>Of course use a fume hood and don't lick your fingers. Is cyanide a reducing agent or does it really form the soluble complex Ag(CN)2- ? The fact that cyanide would reduce ionic silver to metallic Ag(0) doesn't exactly jive with its use as a large quantity leaching agent in lagoons of silver or gold residues. >>
---Whatever type of cyanide compound is used, the resulting compound must be water soluable.
In older gold/silver mine tailing piles of western Montana (Philipsburg area, for one) and Coeur D'Alene Idaho district, the "lagoons of silver" you mention are the catchment, plastic lined, ponds where the soluable/cyanide-silver (and other leached metals from an old abandoned mine's tailing piles) runs off to be collected and impounded. Then another chemical is added in the ponds to make insoluable the precious metal compounds that can be mechanically collected and later processed.
Dispite best environmental efforts, these tailing leaching operations have killed entire river basins such as the area near Missula, Mt where the movie "A River Runs Though It" has Brad Pitt etal. fishing for non-existant monster Trout. This alone should discourage the use of these compounds in the coin hobby. >>
A fair number of waterfowl have met their demise after swimming in/on these leaching lagoons. Gives a whole new meaning to the name "On Golden Pond".
Comments
That was my main concern.
I am ignorant regarding the accessability of potassium cyanide. Hopefully, as the OP states, it is next to impossible to obtain.
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
I have enough experience/education to get PC but in the hands of others - bad idea.
Should've thought this through a tad more......
<< <i>I posted this as an informational piece. I know damn well none of you fellows can get ahold of Potassium Cyanide.
BS, I can get it 7 days a week. Your not the only person with use ability.
I would never use it on coins...my wifes cereal maybe..but never coins
That's hilarious!!!
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
Cyanide is also second to none in cleaning the tarnish from Daguerrotypes without damaging the image(most of the time anyway).
Also, to make a Dagguerrotype,which is a Photographic image on a Silver plated copper plate, the silver side of the plate is fumed with a particular chemicals vapors untill the plate turns many different colors,when a certain color shade appears, the plate is ready to use in the camera,a quote from the period ..."This step must not be arrested at the golden yellow tint but pushed to the dark rose and even to the purple rose."
I have often wondered if this fumeing process is how some of the faked tone coins are produced?
Also if you want to study what authentic toning looks like study a few heavily toned Daguerreotypes(very few produced after 1860--they were popular 1840-1860)) some of them can be very beautifull although toning is a BAD thing in the Dag. world.
Tim
Ambrotypist since 1996
PS To the Photographer; I used to use Cyanide for fixing as well but now find I can get just as good results and tones with Thio.--the key is to use fresh fixer for every plate and to wash the plates very well--I also feel the composition of your Developer is more importent than the choice of fixer.
<< <i>
<< <i>A few words of advice if you decide to use this for cleaning gold or silver coins...
Make sure the room is WELL VENTILATED.
>>
I was thinking that a laboratory fume hood would be the only way to go (lest anyone here believe that I really am crazy). I don't have any coins -- short of moderns -- that I would have any interest in dipping, but my curiousity remains: is this in some way a better reducing agent than contemporary alternatives?
Does NCS use cyanide chemicals? >>
I do not believe that cyanide is a very effective reducing agent.
<< <i>OK wowwee I know this will get tons of "dont" posts but let me say first I am an alternative process photographer with extensive experience in using this chemical.
1/4 gram of KCn in water, put in the tarnished clouded silver coin and it dissolves the layers of scum in an instant.
Yup I love toning and wont advise anyone to remove it, I done this just as an experiment on a generic Morgan.
This is the way the old time collectors cleaned their coins. >>
Sure...go ahead...why not prove Darwin right?
Lane
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
I'll split the $50,000 reward with you if it does.
I'll leave the actual testing to you.
<< <i>Will it remove milk spots from UNC silver eagles ?
I'll split the $50,000 reward with you if it does.
I'll leave the actual testing to you. >>
It may well remove milk spots but keep in mind that it will also impose any other undesireable effects that are often associated with cyanide dipping. Anyone wants to send a few I'll try it and send them back. It would work if the spots were in part due to ionic silver.
-1
Im withdrawing from the discussion, Tim P., if you want the Com you got it buddy! (ps enable your PM feature)
(BTW, PC stands for personal computer. KCn means potassium cyanide)
Youre right on the hypo. add potassium nitrate to developer. RM (you know me)
Tim
<< <i>Of course use a fume hood and don't lick your fingers. Is cyanide a reducing agent or does it really form the soluble complex Ag(CN)2- ?
The fact that cyanide would reduce ionic silver to metallic Ag(0) doesn't exactly jive with its use as a large quantity leaching agent in lagoons of silver or gold residues. >>
---Whatever type of cyanide compound is used, the resulting compound must be water soluable.
In older gold/silver mine tailing piles of western Montana (Philipsburg area, for one) and Coeur D'Alene Idaho district, the "lagoons of silver" you mention are the catchment, plastic lined, ponds where the soluable/cyanide-silver (and other leached
metals from an old abandoned mine's tailing piles) runs off to be collected and impounded. Then another chemical is added in the ponds to make insoluable the
precious metal compounds that can be mechanically collected and later processed.
Dispite best environmental efforts, these tailing leaching operations have killed entire river basins
such as the area near Missula, Mt where the movie "A River Runs Though It" has Brad Pitt etal. fishing for non-existant monster Trout. This alone should discourage the use of these compounds in the coin hobby.
<< <i>The only thing I clean that is remotely close to a coin is my loupe. But thanks for the chemistry lesson
Q: Why would anyone want to clean a coin ?
A: ....It is worth less if you mess with it !
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
<< <i>
<< <i>Of course use a fume hood and don't lick your fingers. Is cyanide a reducing agent or does it really form the soluble complex Ag(CN)2- ?
The fact that cyanide would reduce ionic silver to metallic Ag(0) doesn't exactly jive with its use as a large quantity leaching agent in lagoons of silver or gold residues. >>
---Whatever type of cyanide compound is used, the resulting compound must be water soluable.
In older gold/silver mine tailing piles of western Montana (Philipsburg area, for one) and Coeur D'Alene Idaho district, the "lagoons of silver" you mention are the catchment, plastic lined, ponds where the soluable/cyanide-silver (and other leached
metals from an old abandoned mine's tailing piles) runs off to be collected and impounded. Then another chemical is added in the ponds to make insoluable the
precious metal compounds that can be mechanically collected and later processed.
Dispite best environmental efforts, these tailing leaching operations have killed entire river basins
such as the area near Missula, Mt where the movie "A River Runs Though It" has Brad Pitt etal. fishing for non-existant monster Trout. This alone should discourage the use of these compounds in the coin hobby. >>
A fair number of waterfowl have met their demise after swimming in/on these leaching lagoons. Gives a whole new meaning to the name "On Golden Pond".