Soo..olive oil.. yeah

ASUtodd

Well I let some coins soak in olive oil that had some verdigris on them. Upon removing the coins from the oil the verdigris was gone but the coins now had this film all over them from the oil. I soaked the coins in distilled water and then pated them dry with a soft terry cloth. The coins still have a dull film on the coins. I took one, that I didn't care about, and gave it a dip in acetone. It didn't help any. I then took that coin and put some mild soap on it. That got a lot of the film off but a lot is still down in the cracks and crevices of the coin. No way to get this out without rubbing the coin, which I don't want to do. Any thoughts or suggestions? These coins aren't expensive coins and I am going to put them in albums for the kids to have... so have no fear that I will try and sell them to you! Thanks in advance!
Todd

canadacolornut

Don't put olive oil on them?

Blackhawk

I would think that a bath in a solvent like acetone would loosen up any oil, in the cracks or not. Leave it in the acetone for an hour or so (in a closed dish), swirling it around every so often.

ColinCMR

acetone washes are a common follow up to olive oil treatment

remember to use acetone in a well ventilated area and away from flame/spark/high heat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone

ASUtodd

Guess I wasn't given the acetone a long enough go..... 10-4... will try it longer.. Thanks!

7Jaguars

Olive oil hard to get off with just acetone. What about isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol? Why not soak in soapy water for a day or so??

Sapyx

Acetone should do the trick; I've had no problems getting olive oil off with it myself. It might need a bit of swishing around.

A little bit of olive oil left on the coin isn't going to hurt it. Keeping a coin with a layer of oil on it was an old pre-plastic method of preserving coins in a cabinet.

7Jaguars

Olive oil however is not neutral and with its acidic content would not be great for prolonged exposure to coin surface as it will continue to "burn", or oxidize the surface. I usually pull oils like olive oil off with the requisite acetone (which may require some prolonged exposure) and then the soapy water treatment with rinse in water and tamp dry afterward.

ASUtodd

Yeah it looks like the olive oil took the "nasties" off the coins but then deposited a layer of "gunk" on the coins that has muted the finish. I also noticed on a couple of Lincoln Pennis that the olive oil has made so rather weird looking purple toning. Not sure if something on one of the coins got in the oil to cause this or not. Never had this issue with olive oil before. Like I said, these aren't expensive coins, just coins for the kids that I was cleaning up so I guess, "live and learn".... Most were Lincoln pennies, Canadian Pennies, a few Somalia and East Africa, and some other older copper coins with verdigris on them.

lordmarcovan

That's why I use Vaseline instead of olive oil (or mineral oil, for longer soaks). I hate that gunky olive oil residue. One time it even went rancid and made my coins stink!

Aethelred

<< <i>thoughts or suggestions >>



Make a salad with it?

Aethelred

If it is a coin like this you could even make a "Caesar Salad."

wybrit

If it is a coin like this you could even make a "Caesar Salad."

Funnier than Letterman, but then again, Letterman isn't the slightest bit funny...