Using Acetone to remove PVC from Morgan Dollars

cho10 · October 27, 2005 11:09AM

After having done a fair amount of research in this forum and elsewhere I am just about ready to try my hand and using Acetone to "wash away" PVC.
The reason for this was that about 2 months ago I sent a certain number of Morgan silver dollars to one of the 3 major grading services and had a few come back not slabbed because of PVC. The 3 coins are neither important nor very precious. I would never have the courage to try and remove PVC from a really important coin. I would probably send the coin to people like NCS in that case. I simply want to see how this is done.
This is the preparatory work I have done:.

1) I placed the 3 coins in a glass bowl and poured 100% pure olive oil until all three coins were completely "under oil". The 3 coins have been in that bowl of oil for nearly 2 months. The coins are not heavily affected by PVC nor are they pitted or damage beyond salvage. Using soft but resistant water proof gloves I have turned all 3 coins over after 4 weeks.
2) I purchased a quart sized metal bottle containing "pure" acetone
3) I purchased 2 quarts of distilled water
4) I purchased 4 glass bowls
5) I purchased heavy rubber gloves designed for use with chemicals such as Acetone
6) I purchased a thick surgical mask
7) I purchased chemical plant type goggles
8) I have seen a spot in the basement of the building that I live in which is ventilated by outside air, has a large long enameled sink (used for cleaning things) with a large fire extinguisher about 4 feet away.

The procedure I will follow is to place the 4 bowls in a sort of Indian file in that sink. I checked to make sure that the drain is metal and not plastic that the acetone could corrode or eat away.
I will put enough acetone in the 1st, 2nd and 4th bowl to allow each coin that I will "dip" to be completely covered.
I will fill the 3rd bowl with distilled water.
The next step should be:
1) place 1 coin in the 1st bowl containing Acetone to remove "most" of the olive oil
2) repeat this process placing the same coin in the 2nd bowl
3) place the coin in the 3rd bowl containing distilled water
4) place the coin in the 4th bowl containing Acetone to remove any remaining water from the coin surfaces.
Once the Acetone has evaporated, place the coin in a Mylar coin flip.
That should be it.
The only problem is that there seems to be no mention anywhere that I can find here or elsewhere of how long each Morgan dollar should remain dunked in Acetone in the 1st Bowl and in the 2nd Bowl.
I am assuming that the time to immerse in the 4th bowl (to remove any remaining water from the surface of the coin) is 3 or 4 seconds.
I would be grateful if somebody could tell me the amount of time each Morgan dollar should remain immerged in the 1st Bowl and the 2nd Bowl.
TIA

DorkGirl · October 27, 2005 11:25AM

I've never heard of anyone putting silver into olive oil, just copper....it will take several rinses to get the olive oil off of the Morgans. At first the acetone will be really dirty with the oil. Time doesn't matter, the acetone won't hurt the silver. You may have to use more than 2 bowls of acetone to make sure they are clean.

1jester · October 27, 2005 11:31AM

I believe if you do a search for acetone threads, many will pop up.

I personally don't see any reason whatsoever to use water in this process. Just stick with acetone. And I wouldn't have recommended you put the coins in olive oil (which does have its uses, mostly for ancients, or where you have verdigris, a type of corrosion). Be that as it may, you must now remove the oil, and acetone will do it, but I think I'd first take each coin out of the oil and just dab (don't rub) it with a paper towel or something soft to remove most of the oil. Then into the first bowl of acetone, and you don't need for it to sit very long, a few seconds will suffice. You can actually lightly rub your fingers on the coin (keeping it submerged the whole time) to make sure the oil is removed. Then place it into the second bowl of acetone and repeat the process, and then a quick dip into the third bowl (filled with acetone) and then a quick dip in the fourth. The coin should be spic and span by this time. Take it out, holding it by the edges, and the acetone will dry off within a second or so. When it's dry (wait a few more seconds for good measure), drop it into the Saflip (make double sure there's no PVC in the flip!!). Make extra sure the gloves you're wearing are acetone proof (try them in acetone first). Otherwise, just use your bare fingers.

And make extra extra sure you're doing this in a well-ventilated area (outside is best), but make sure you have cross flow of air. And don't smoke. Don't breathe the fumes either. Acetone is volatile, but when handled safely, is a useful substance. At the end, you'll see the first bowl is dirty/cloudy and the second will also have traces in it, but the third should be relatively clear, and the fourth should be completely clear.

1jester · October 27, 2005 11:33AM

Becky, silver and gold and copper/nickel are all OK in olive oil; I've used olive oil on all coin metals except Titanium...

dizzyfoxx · October 27, 2005 11:35AM

Is this just a convoluted thread to describe "dipping"?

DorkGirl · October 27, 2005 11:36AM

<< <i>Becky, silver and gold and copper/nickel are all OK in olive oil; I've used olive oil on all coin metals except Titanium...

>>

You've used it on ancients huh? I didn't think about that

Theop · October 27, 2005 11:39AM

I had some Morgans to sell for a family friend and a few had some PVC. What I did was just let the coin soak in the acetone overnight, then moved it into a new bowl. I'd leave them in there for at least several hours at a time. A few of the coins took about 2 days to soak off the acetone. If these are circulated coins, then rubbing them gently with rubber gloves while soaking won't hurt them (make sure your gloves are acetone-safe). You'll know you are done with the soaks when the acetone is no longer yellow-green.

As for your final rinse, the acetone drying would likely leave more residual on the coin than the distilled water. I'd do a final rinse in the water and let them air dry or pat-dry with a cotton fabric if circulated coins.

Coinhusker1 · October 27, 2005 11:39AM

Just use the acetone, and forget the rest of the stuff.

I put the acetone in 3 containers, and sucessively swirl the coin around in each container. If the PVC coating is light (i.e. the coin was in a soft flip for a short time) about 30 seconds in each container should do. If the PVC is more severe (i.e. thick coating or worse, "green stuff"), the first soak will need to be for an extended period of time (a few hours if the PVC is really bad).

I pretty much acetone-soak any coin that has been in those damn "soft flips", and have yet to have a coin bagged for PVC!!

1jester · October 27, 2005 11:41AM

<< <i>Is this just a convoluted thread to describe "dipping"?

>>

Good question, but acetone is not a dip. So in response, no.

1jester · October 27, 2005 11:46AM

<< <i>Just use the acetone, and forget the rest of the stuff.

I put the acetone in 3 containers, and sucessively swirl the coin around in each container. If the PVC coating is light (i.e. the coin was in a soft flip for a short time) about 30 seconds in each container should do. If the PVC is more severe (i.e. thick coating or worse, "green stuff"), the first soak will need to be for an extended period of time (a few hours if the PVC is really bad).

I pretty much acetone-soak any coin that has been in those damn "soft flips", and have yet to have a coin bagged for PVC!!

>>

I do agree with Coinhusker. Don't bother with the water, in my opinion and experience. I do agree that a longer soak is helpful and perhaps necessary in the case of deep PVC damage; however, in my experience of using olive oil soaks on PVC contaminated coins prior to the acetone bath, I've found that the olive oil alone successfully removes the PVC. Well, I can't say that it was the olive oil alone that did the job, but soaking the coins in olive oil for a long time seemed to loosen the PVC to the point that a very short bath was all it took to conserve the coins and remove all traces of the PVC. But I don't use olive oil soaks to remove PVC, but rather for verdigris removal. Acetone alone suffices and works admirably for PVC removal.

ldhair · October 27, 2005 11:49AM

Acetone will never harm a silver coin. It will remove most organic stuff.
The surface under this stuff may look like crap. Oil won't help a silver coin.

At this point you have a mess.
Soak in acetone for a few minutes and wash with water.
I would do this 2 or 3 times just to be sure all the oil is gone.

1- At this point soak the coin for several hours in acetone.
2- Soak again in a fresh dish for a few minutes.
3- Pour acetone over the coin and air dry.
4- Lay the coin on a cotton cloth for a while and place in the holder.

As a normal 1-4 works fine, but again whats under the PVC is the problem.

JrGMan2004 · October 27, 2005 11:54AM

I haven't read the other peoples' replies, but here are my comments, critiques, and suggestions...

First, you don't need the distilled water. It is unnecessary with acetone.

Here's what you'll want to do... pour a little bit of acetone into a bowl... holding the coin by it's edges, submerge the coin, and gently swish it around for 15-30 seconds... remove the coin, and take a look... check to see if the PVC is gone. If it is not, repeat... You can also use a Q-Tip dipped in acetone and dab (Never rub or drag the q-tip on the coin) at spots that still contain PVC... once you've remove all the PVC, pour some fresh Acetone into another bowl, submerge the coin in the fresh bowl for a few seconds then remove it. Wave the coin around in the air for a few seconds, and the acetone will quickly evaporate. If you feel the need, gently pat the coin dry with a soft towel or soft paper towels (One conservation expert that I know prefers "Bounty Basics" brand paper towels when drying coins, using the "bumpy" side of the paper towels to dry the coins)

This is really all you need to do to remove the PVC...

cho10 · October 29, 2005 1:20AM

I want to thank all of you for your helpful answers.
I am going to try soaking in 4 shallow square glass bowls of acetone for 60 seconds each and then gently placing each coin on a 100% lintless cotton cloth to allow for evaporation and then once dry place each coin in a 2.5 x 2.5 Mylar flip (the ones that PCGS sells to us).
I'll add to this thread when I have finished.
I will be doing this outdoors with a fire extinguisher 3 feet away and Acetone/Sulphuric Acid tested Rubber gloves. I don't smoke

Using Acetone to remove PVC from Morgan Dollars

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