Technical question about dipping 40% silver BU Ike Dollar to remove haze and pinpoint debre

apollo14

Hi Gang!

I have a question regarding using pure acetone to dip a 40% silver uncirculated Ike Dollar (still sealed in the blue envelope) to remove haze and a bit of encrustation.

First, is pure acetone the same thing as the commercial coin dips?

Second, is there any problem if any of the acetone gets on your hands?

Third, will the proposed dip enhance the muted cartwheel luster?

Finally, how long should I dip the coin, and what should I use to rinse the coin with (if anything ... after all, if I rinse the coin in water, would that not then leave water spots vs the acetone just evaporating away)?

Thanks!

David

AMRC

First, is pure acetone the same thing as the commercial coin dips?

No Acetone removes organic material and does not remove metal. "Commercial Dips" dissolve some of the silver.


Second, is there any problem if any of the acetone gets on your hands?

Best to use Nytrol Gloves. They usually come in Blue. READ the label. Make sure you are wearing eye protection as well and be in WELL VENTILATED area.


Third, will the proposed dip enhance the muted cartwheel luster?

Maybe, but if you want the haze gone better to use MS70 or Jewel Luster (Commercial Dip).

Acetone is not really a dip. It is just used to remove some types of soiling, PVC, glue, tape and other things that dissolve in petroleum based solvents. You can leave it in there for a minute or a day. Does not matter much. It takes off what it will in just a few mins.

tightbudget

Acetone only removes organic material (e.g. dirt) without removing metal. Commercial dips remove a thin layer of metal and if done properly, can remove ugly toning off a coin.

There won't be any severe problem if acetone gets on your hands but you should still wash your hands after you're done handling it. Make sure you don't inhale it and use it in a well ventilated area as acetone will give you a headache if you inhale too much of it.

Acetone shouldn't alter the color of the coin much but commercial dips will. If done properly, the coin will still retain its cartwheel luster but too much dipping can result in a dull, unattractive coin that won't grade.

You can soak a coin in acetone for as long as you want but a quick "in and out" is all you need with a commercial dip (if you keep it in there too long, you'll ruin your coin). I rinse my coins with hot water; however, I'm often confused as to whether to use hot or cold since I've heard both. Regardless, pat your coins until completely dry with a soft towel after you're finished. Don't rub the coin or else you may cause hairlines.

Lastly, I would suggest working with some low value coins or coins with no numismatic value first. Grabbing some low-end BU junk silver and experimenting is a good way to do this.

apollo14

... thanks for the feedback.


Do I need to rinse the acetone off the coin in water and, if I do, won't that leave "water spots" if I then air-dry the coin?


Can anyone tell me more about "MS70" (I know nothing about dips or dipping) ... is that like the old-time dips that damaged the surfaces of coins making them ungradable?

lkeigwin

Some folks say a progressive dip in acetone is best. I.e., the first dip may leave residue on the coin. A final dip in clean acetone is best.

Other folks swear by a final rinse in distilled water. Either approach is better than a hot or cold tap water rinse.

I stay away from MS70. It does bad things to copper. Not much experience with silver and gold.
Lance.

mrpotatoheadd

<< <i> "Commercial Dips" dissolve some of the silver. >>

How long would you have to leave a silver coin in a commercial dip for the coin to entirely dissolve?

19Lyds

<< <i>

<< <i> "Commercial Dips" dissolve some of the silver. >>

How long would you have to leave a silver coin in a commercial dip for the coin to entirely dissolve? >>

It depends upon the dip but for E-Z-Est, decades. (Kinda like the baloney that Coca Cola will dissolve a nickel.)

40% Silver Eisenhowers or any 40% Silver coin dips well. 90% Silver coins, not so much.

For the OP, acetone would be a waste of time and no, if your acetone is "clean", it does not need to be rinsed off with water. If your acetone is dirty, it will not remove have and might even add some haze. (I had that happen with a Lincoln Proof. It came out all hazed up so I changed the acetone out and the coin came out fine.)

E-Z-Est works best with 40% Silver Ikes. be sure to rinse well and don;t rub the coin. Use a 91% alcohol dip to get the water off (alcohol and water do mix) and lightly pat dry.
The ke though, is a good thorough rinse of the dip.

illini420

I think E-Z-Est is a bit too strong for my coins and can cause some impairment to the coin if you dip for too long... accordingly, I take E-Z-Est and add an equal part of tap water to it... to make a 50% E-Z-Est solution. That way, I'm only using half of my E-Z-Est so the tub lasts twice as long and I have much more control over how the product is reacting with my coins as the 50% solution is much weaker and doesn't act as quickly on the coins... but it's still plenty strong enough to remove haze and other problems.

After dipping in the 50% E-Z-Est, the coin is then rinsed under tap water for 30 seconds or so to make sure all of that cleaner is off the coin. Then the coin goes to 100% pure acetone for a quick wash, then to paper towels to dry... the acetone evaporates right off the surfaces and shouldn't leave any spots... if it does leave residue, start over with new clean acetone and try again.

georgiacop50

<< <i>I stay away from MS70. It does bad things to copper. >>



Actually, MS70 works great on copper if well diluted. I use about a 1:50 dilution of mS70 in distilled h2o on modern proof lincolns and they come out beautifully and are quite stable if rinsed well.

derryb

after an acetone dip i immediately rinse under running tap water and then immediately dry with a hair dryer.

PerryHall

<< <i>after an acetone dip i immediately rinse under running tap water and then immediately dry with a hair dryer. >>



Many just rinse the coin with fresh acetone which quickly evaporates leaving unspotted surfaces.

apollo14

... so then a quick dip in clean "EX EST" or "MS70" will not "Strip" the surface of the coin to the point where PCGS or NGC won't grade it?

If that is the case, is one of the above solutions preferred over the other by those experenced using them?

Thanks!

TwoSides2aCoin

Saw a shop named : "Hazmat Coin and Chemicals"

Timbuk3

Not my post, but thanks
for the info !!!

illini420

<< <i>

<< <i>after an acetone dip i immediately rinse under running tap water and then immediately dry with a hair dryer. >>



Many just just the coin rinse with fresh acetone which quickly evaporates leaving unspotted surfaces. >>




Agree... I know for sure there are chemicals and minerals in my tap water and even drying with a hair dryer, those solids likely will remain on my coin surfaces. Put me in the camp that uses acetone last and just lets that stuff evaporate off... it only takes a minute or two for it to completely dry and it ends up spot free. The last two proofs I did with acetone last started out a little hazy and spotty but ended up grading PR66DCAM and the other got PR67. And I have zero concern about something showing up on those surfaces in the future.

Jcarney

<< <i>

<< <i> "Commercial Dips" dissolve some of the silver. >>

How long would you have to leave a silver coin in a commercial dip for the coin to entirely dissolve? >>



Thanks a lot. I won't be able to think about anything else until I try this.

pakasmom

Not to hijack your 40% silver question, - what do the esteemed members suggest for black war nicks?

apollo14

... boy, this is turning out to be a great thread with a lot of great input ... thanks everyone!

I started collecting in the late 1960s, and back then dipping coins was a big "no-no" in terms of preserving originality!

How times have changed where you can now dip a coin and still get it slabbed. I guess the solutions (MS70, ect.) have come a long way?

Thoughts?

David

mrpotatoheadd

I'm pretty sure there's never been a time when you couldn't dip a coin and get it slabbed.

PerryHall

<< <i>I'm pretty sure there's never been a time when you couldn't dip a coin and get it slabbed. >>



Before the grading services started slabbing problem coins, dipping a brown copper coin would result in what was called a "body bag" because the color would be an unnatural pinkish color. Currently, unless it's a fake coin, you can get it slabbed but it may not be graded. Copper and coin dip usually don't work well together because you'll get a pinkish coin that looks unnatural and usually won't get graded.

mrpotatoheadd

<< <i>

<< <i>I'm pretty sure there's never been a time when you couldn't dip a coin and get it slabbed. >>



Unless it's a fake coin, you can get it slabbed but it may not be graded. >>

Of course not. But then undipped coins don't always get graded either, do they?

PerryHall

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I'm pretty sure there's never been a time when you couldn't dip a coin and get it slabbed. >>



Unless it's a fake coin, you can get it slabbed but it may not be graded. >>

Of course not. But then undipped coins don't always get graded either, do they? >>



I revised my post to say that there was one time when certain dipped coins were not slabbed. Dipping a brown copper coin would have normally resulted in a body bag. Silver, gold, and nickel coins would be slabbed after being dipped as long as they weren't overdipped to the point that the luster was impaired.

bigole

Does acetone clean nickels as well as silver coins?