Mineral Oil for Copper Question.

blue594

I have dozen or so large copper cents that I would like to soak in Mineral oil. I have never done this and have to go purchase the oil.
Are there different kinds of mineral oil? Is a certain brand recommended? Where to buy?
How long should they be soaked?
My understanding is that mineral oil is better for copper than olive oil. Is this correct?

Thanks for any info.

John

MICHAELDIXON

Why do you want to soak the Large cents in mineral oil? Are they problem coins? Let us know and we can give you a knowledgable answer.

Teva

Olive oil can have a large water content and I think its use is largly due to the fact that it is found in a lot of homes. I think you will find
that a soak in acetone is a good way to remove oil and dirt without
effecting the patina. If you have problem large cents than it probably would not harm them to soak in mineral oil but I would
not expect much from that process. I have had some luck
with denatured alcohol when all else fails but I would not use it
except on problem coins. Good luck.

MikeInFL

<< <i>I think you will find that a soak in acetone is a good way to remove oil and dirt without effecting the patina. . >>



Be careful! In some circumstances, acetone can affect the patina of copper in unintended ways. Silver and gold, it's fine. Copper, not so much.

lkeigwin

<< <i>...I think you will find that a soak in acetone is a good way to remove oil and dirt without effecting the patina... >>

Acetone can have an affect on copper color, turning it a little pink. I would not advise this. And I don't think oil soaks really do much but they're pretty harmless.

I'm assuming your large cents have grime and crud you would like to get rid of. A lot of large cent collectors are comfortable with this old state and prefer to leave the coins alone.

But if you must tackle this then try Xylene, commercial brand Xylol. It is not a dip. Use an artist's brush to apply it to the affected areas, in small circular strokes. Some folks finish the job with Coincare or Blue Ribbon. (Xylene is a clear, colorless, sweet-smelling liquid. It's flammable, so use with good ventilation. Xylene is used by various industries as a solvent.)
Lance.

jmski52

Xylene is a strong aromatic solvent. It's a good choice to remove alot of things that don't belong on a copper coin's surface, and it won't affect the copper. It does not absorb water either, so that's good. It's a different chemical family than acetone, so it might work when acetone does not, and vice versa.

I agree with xylene as a recommendation, and I only have mild concerns for acetone, or olive oil on old large cents. Mineral oil works good as a conditioner to give the surface a better appearance, and its residue won't attack the coin.

Like any strong paint component, xylene is absorbed through the skin and breathing, so ventilation and gloves are highly recommended. Your liver will thank you.

blue594

<< <i>[Q
I'm assuming your large cents have grime and crud you would like to get rid of. A lot of large cent collectors are comfortable with this old state and prefer to leave the coins alone.

But if you must tackle this then try Xylene, commercial brand Xylol. It is not a dip. Use an artist's brush to apply it to the affected areas, in small circular strokes.
Lance. >>



Yup, that is the problem, a good amount of grime and crud. I don't mind regular grime, or even crud, but some of this stuff has a yellow/tan color and some is green. I have tried acetone, and it did take care of some of it. It just seems to be at the point where acetone doesn't seem to be having an affect on the remaining stuff. I figured that I was at the point where a year long soak in the mineral oil would help.

I think that I will go with the Xylol. I never thought of that.

In regards to the mineral oil, what is the recommended type/brand?

Thanks.
John

jmski52

Drugstore mineral oil is probably as clean as you will find, any contaminants are QC'd down to insignificant levels for human use.

1798CentCollector

Try "Xylol" (Xylene) to remove dirt or grime. Use in a well ventilated area. Apply with a wooden shaft cotton swab. "Xylol" removes the natural oils, in addition to dirt, and will dry the coin out. After a xylene bath, you need apply a surface protectorant such as "Blue Ribbon". Apply the "Blue Ribbon" and brush-up with a camel hair jeweler's brush.

kurtdog

<< <i>I think that I will go with the Xylol. >>

To demystify that, Xylene/Xylol is just common paint-stripper. You want take those warnings on the can relative to a well-ventilated area seriously, as that stuff can make you punchy.

DieClash

Several months in extra virgin olive oil will do no harm and may help improve the surface appearance by removing some of the grime. Min. 3 months if you ask me and longer is probably better.

I've had success with grime removal on copper with olive oil soaking. I've never used mineral oil.

Good luck!

Cheers!



Kirk

oreville

Mineral oil is the best. Yes, the drugstore kind. Much better than olive oil which can turn rancid on you and also has some moisture. Also olive oil can darken the copper coin as well which might be a bad (or a good thing).

Any clear odorless brand of mineral oil will be what you are looking for. But it MUST be ODORLESS and CLEAR!

Do NOT use the other stuff mentioned in this thread!

notwilight

First I'd like to know what symptoms these coins present.

Second, I'm with oreville. His advice is good.

--Jerry

DieClash

<< <i>Mineral oil is the best. Yes, the drugstore kind. Much better than olive oil which can turn rancid on you and also has some moisture. Also olive oil can darken the copper coin as well which might be a bad (or a good thing).

Any clear odorless brand of mineral oil will be what you are looking for. But it MUST be ODORLESS and CLEAR!

Do NOT use the other stuff mentioned in this thread! >>




oreville, how long would you propose soaking coin(s) in mineral oil and why do you suppose it is better than virgin olive other than the "rancid" thing? I've soaked copper coins in extra virgin olive oil for 6 mos. without the oil going rancid on me. I soaked 'em in a shot glass with saran-wrap seal on top. No exposure to air and hence no rancid olive oil after 6 mos.!

Kirk

oreville

Kirk:

Three things about olive oil:

1/ It can darken copper coins more so than mineral oil
2/ it can turn rancid whereas mineral oil does not turn rancid
3/ olive oil is more difficult to remove than mineral oil, even with acetone.
4/ if not kept securely sealed , can dry to a globby mess which is difficult to remove from the coin. Not the same problem with mineral oil.

How long to soak coins? I have some coins soaking for 41 years now (since 1969) to keep the coins as red as they came out of the US Mint, although I do not suggest this approach as it is a lot of work. You have to change the mineral oil as least once a year.

For short term usage of soaking (6 months or less) olive oil - extra virgin stuff is probably ok if the coloration of the coin is not a concern.