KarenHolcomb

I apologize. It was quite an interesting stream though. Also, you all got to meet my Capper Boy and that had to have made you smile.

9 hours ago, Mohawk said:

Well Karen, I have to take exception to something you said....to Lenny, losing a cray likely was as painful to him as losing your dog was to you.  Different people love different animals in different ways.  For example, I absolutely loathe dogs.  I want nothing to do with them at all.  They are the only animal I can say that I hate. But I deeply love my turtle and betta fish. I've had my turtle (named Lenny, by coincidence) since 1991......I've been with that turtle longer than many marriages last.  So, if I lost my turtle, it would be highly significant for me.  I've had all kinds of pets....fish, turtles, birds, tarantulas, scorpions, cats, a salamander.....and I've loved them all deeply.  It bothers me when people place a dog on a pedestal over other animals.  They're not more special than any other animal.  All life if precious.  And Lenny (your friend) is right.....every single animal I've had has had its own distinct personality, and I miss every single one that I've lost to this day. 

Yeah, after that I started paying more attention to his posts about them and started to understand. Remember, when he compared the 2 I thought he was raising them like livestock and not as pets. And I love all my dogs and put Cap on the highest pedestal of all. Lol! He is my Baaaaby.

6 hours ago, Mohawk said:

Lenny has an interesting relationship with his Crays, it sounds like.  Crays are fragile when they molt, but that's about the only time I'd say that's true.  Other than that, they're pretty hardy lil buggers and they absolutely will kill and eat pretty much anything that they can catch and subdue.  I think Lenny is doing what many cat owners do.....overlooking the fact that his beloved pets are essentially vicious predators who have the equipment and the instincts to serve them well in their ecological role.  I've had scorpions, and they're much more calm and subdued than any crays I've known in my life.  But, don't get me wrong....I LOVE crays!  I just see them for what they are.....aquatic generalist predators and scavengers.

Yeah, he is a little weird about them. I thought he bred them as feeders until one of my dogs got killed and he compared it to losing one of his crays. I about hit the roof on that one, but then he told me that isn't what he has them for. It got weird after that. But he's a cool dude and has mad attributions and knowledge of Lincoln Varieties and Errors. And I like him, so I try to understand. But he says they all have their own personalities. 

16 hours ago, Mohawk said:

Crays are super cool, I'd recommend getting a couple.  Just be careful.....if you put them with fish, make sure that the fish are fast species with short fins as the crays will try to get them.  And the little African Frogs are always a no-no with Crays as the Crays will make a snack of them in fairly short order.

That's crazy, because the way Lenny goes on about his you'd think they are the most fragile creatures on the planet. He has even built over 100' of hiding space out of PVC pipe so when they Molt the others won't eat them when they sleep. He is very into his. Hand feeds them and says they watch over him when he is sick and sleeps. Sometimes I worry about him. Lol. 

5 minutes ago, Mohawk said:

Hey Karen!

Sounds like you've got a good one with Todd!  My fiancee Candice is the one whose handy in our relationship.....she can fix and build all sorts of things.  Be sure to keep us posted as to how you and Todd's little experiment turns out....I'm intrigued now, as are the rest of the regulars I'd imagine!  This is going to be quite the experiment.  But at least you had skills like that at one point.....I never have.  I can't build things, I can't fix things, I can't use tools.  But I'm a great educator, numismatist and caretaker of fish, reptiles and invertebrates!  We all have our strengths

~Tom

Ihy. I will definitely do that. I figured y'all had maybe lost interest in the topic so have been chatting with Mr Thompson. He has provided a good bit of info for us and if we are correct with our thoughts we will have it done by my Bday. 

I jave a friend on FB that raises Crays. The little ones. Dwarf CPO's he calls them. They are pretty neat and full of personalit. I'm thinking of getting some myself.

1 hour ago, Mohawk said:

Wow Karen....you're a brave one trying this out!! I don't even want to think about what would happen if I started *spoon*ing around with a deep fryer like that.............be careful!

Well Tom, as a child I loved taking things apart to see if they'd still work when I put them back together and continued fixing, mostly Jerry Rigging, things and cars and just anything that broke that I couldn't afford to replace or pay someone else to fix for me. Then I met Todd coming up on 17 yrs ago, I think, and he has never let me do anything like that, so alas, I have lost confidence in my ability to do such things so he will be doing this for me. And I'm not going to complain one bit about that. He just better really do it. Now,  things he doesn't like doing, such as all this remodeling, I have become quite adept at, until he tells me that he couldn't have done a particular thing and then I spoon it up from then forward. So don't be too amazed at my ability to build stuff and things because it isn't me doing it. It's just me taking good care of the guy that is doing those things. So sorry to disappoint. NOT! LOL!

6 hours ago, CRAWTOMATIC said:

I was actually wondering why there's a full on deep fryer above an unsuspecting man in a tub but I've seen way too many true crime docs to know where that's going.

Haha! At the kitchen table and he wouldn't let me near him if that thing were full. I tend to be on the clumsy side. 

3 hours ago, Thompson2 said:

I absolutely LOVE where your head's at.  A fryer might be a decent shell to start with.  The heater in that is waaaaaay to big and would take a ton of power to get it to vibrate like it'd need to.  But --- If you can get your hands on a transducer and driver for it, you could use the outside of the fryer, put a smaller thin metal pan in it and stick the transducer on the bottom of the pan.  If you're doing this with duct tape and bailing wire (, all you really need is a thin metal pan (like a bread pan or deep pie pan) that you can hold just by the top lip (the bottom has to be free to vibrate) and the transducer setup stuck on the bottom.  The rest of the stuff is bells and whistles.  The transducer shakes the hell out of the pan (really, really, really fast - that's the tricky bit) and the water / cleaner in the pan does the rest.  

Alright then. I shall pass this on to my guy and see what he and his helper kid can do. Thanks for all the info. I am starting to get excited so they're gonna have to work fast. 

6 hours ago, JKK said:

I'm not sure you should let yourself be topless in the picture like that, Karen, though it's absolutely none of my business to suggest how you should do anything in your own house.

Oh my. I was tripping for a second there. Thanks for that heart attack, JKK.

10 hours ago, Just Bob said:

Yep, you are definitely from below the Mason-Dixon line.

West 'By God' Virginia, thank you very much.

7 hours ago, Thompson2 said:

Those are vinegar (maybe lemon juice)/salt.  The ultrasonic (with distilled water) should be harmless to the coins.  It won't change the finish, just remove any crudation.  If you use some cleaning agent, the ultrasonic will make it quicker / more effective.

 

They're not really something you can just whip up from stuff  you've got lying around... unless you've got a couple of ultrasonic transducers and drivers in your stash.   

The one I've got is an old commercial one.  2 1/2 gallon, 60 watt ultrasonic power, 42kHz frequency.  There are some that look pretty reasonable on Amazon.  Picked this one pretty much at random as an example... no experience with it, not endorsing it, use at your own risk, blah, blah, blah.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXHBTUQ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1

  

And for those of you who like video demos... keep in mind the unit this guy has is a multi-thousand dollar setup, but the principals are the same.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydrCPtU2atU

Ok. So I have no clue what you guys are talking about but that doesn't cause me to want my guy to make me one any less. He is an auto mechanic and knew all the terms you are all using here and said he had actually looked online about making one for some other purpose and feels he can do it. His helper kid, he says , "he's no mechanic, but he is a computer genius" likely has a conducer or two lying around as that kind of thing is what he's into. He is going to ask him tomorrow. I, on the other hand, wonder why a deep fryer lime for French fries couldn't be used? It has separate little ends in there in the middle of the heating element. He says he doesn't think so, but isn't sure and wonders if it wouldn't get to hot even at its lowest setting. Feel free to tell me I am an insufficiently_thoughtful_person if that is the case, if not how might I transform this deep fryer into an ionic thingy that I already forgot what it's called? See, this is why Tom likes me to come around every so often because I make you all feel so darned smart. Lol!  Anywhooo....here's a photo of my fryer. 

I guess my photos are too big to send all together, but this one should give you an idea of what I have. Not like I ever use it because it makes the entire house smell like burnt oil.

So can somebody post a photo of what one of these ultrasonic machines would look like please? This is the 1st I've heard of them and have pretty much given up on experimenting with different chemical agents to clean what could be nice coins if not for a few blemishes, so I have too many Copper Lincoln's in bags waiting to be melted into ammo during the Zombie Apocalypse. I'm sure that maybe I could make one of these machines if I could see the general appearance and workings of one. 

On 7/4/2019 at 2:28 AM, Thompson2 said:

 

Remember... you asked for it... A quarter, half dollar and penny.  The penny to me is the most interesting (even though it's ruined).  Look closely at the fields and you can see what I believe is the grain structure of the metal.  The vinegar (maybe lemon juice) preferentially etched the boundaries of the grains.

And keep in mind these coins (with the exception of the penny) were fairly new, circulated condition, not beat to hell from 100 years of abuse...

 

You've been warned...

 

 

You can still turn around...

 

Last chance...

 

Don't say I didn't warn ya...

 

 

 

So this is the result of the vinegar/salt or the ultrasonic deal I was hoping to find out about? Because I tried vinegar long ago and it made my Copper Lincoln's an unnatural shade of orange and ate right through the Zinc ones.

11 minutes ago, JKK said:

They can detect abrasion. They'll probably do what I would do, which is put it under a microscope. If it was rubbed, I'm probably going to learn about that.

I haven't seen one leave any marks yet but I only have a 30x loupe and a 600x scope but the lights on it make it impossible to use. My friend in sending me some tint so hopefully will use it then. Give it a try on an old Lincoln ate up with Verdigras. It may not get it all off but if you set it aside I bet it won't grow any more. Darn it. I just gave away my million dollar secret. Lol

3 minutes ago, Just Bob said:

I have a brass token that has been soaking in olive oil for just shy of five months. In about another month, if the crud is softened, I will pick a thorn off one of my wife's roses, and remove as much as will come off. If the junk is tough I may have to repeat the process. The thorn is small enough to get into the crevices, stiff enough to get the junk off, but soft enough that it won't harm the token. (Thanks to Conder101 and former member Michael for that tip).

The only problem that I have found with olive oil is that, being slightly acidic, it can change  a copper, bronze or brass coin's appearance if left soaking for a long time. And don't soak more than one coin in the same container at the same time. If the surfaces of the coins are touching, an outline of one can be transferred to another one. (Thanks to my own ignorance for that last tip).

.You must have the patience of Jobe.

I tend to experiment with different methods of cleaning on my really coins. Did y'all know that erasers are a natural material? They can't detect natural stuff when they grade, can they?

Ok, well I am not able to do the gravity test because apparently my scales spoon. I have been trying for 3 hours and haven't gotten the same read twice. And I broke two legs off my tripod. One and I could still work it but two gone is a lost cause. I have never had an issue with my scales before. I must have made at least 100 videos and now I have a headache. I'm not quitting. Only taking a break from it. If y'all wanna try and figure it out, my Zombucks are .999 Copper and weigh 28.98gms. In the water they were averaged at 3.28. I used them because they are nearly exactly the same size in thickness, diameter and weight. The questioned Queen is 28.56gms and in water averaged in at 3.17. My scales won't stay on tare. Idk if it's the water left on the coins or what, but it has me frustrated and I don't like that, so a break I shall take. Until tomorrow then. Maybe I can borrow a scale from someone. Would Triple Beams works?

On 6/26/2019 at 9:43 PM, coinsandmedals said:

Here a few others that I found with pictures that match your coins. I found the others without pictures. The specs are the same for all of them. 

21 hours ago, Dukemnm said:

Aslo not exactly your coin but I was able to find one similar straight from the source. 

https://www.islandstampsandcoins.co.uk/the-1995-aircraft-of-wwii-ps1-mustang-cupro-nickel-coin.html

 

I also reached out to them because it looks like their silver proof coins have identical specifications to the Cupro Nickle. 

We are getting closer to solving this puzzle  

Silver Specs https://www.islandstampsandcoins.co.uk/the-2015-75th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-britain-silver-coin.html

They also mint collectibles in something they call Nickle Silver. 

 

 

Hey Dukemnm, this is helpful as mine do have a very mirrorlike finish and were received in airtight holders. I took them out to photograph them. I just figure anyone could have put them in there. As soon as I am up and at em I will try this gravity test and let you know. Thanks a bunch, that was definitely above and beyond.

13 hours ago, coinsandmedals said:

Here a few others that I found with pictures that match your coins. I found the others without pictures. The specs are the same for all of them. 

10 hours ago, Dukemnm said:

Aslo not exactly your coin but I was able to find one similar straight from the source. 

https://www.islandstampsandcoins.co.uk/the-1995-aircraft-of-wwii-ps1-mustang-cupro-nickel-coin.html

 

I also reached out to them because it looks like their silver proof coins have identical specifications to the Cupro Nickle. 

We are getting closer to solving this puzzle  

Silver Specs https://www.islandstampsandcoins.co.uk/the-2015-75th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-britain-silver-coin.html

They also mint collectibles in something they call Nickle Silver. 

 

 

Hey Dukemnm, this is helpful as mine do have a very mirrorlike finish and were received in airtight holders. I took them out to photograph them. I just figure anyone could have put them in there. As soon as I am up and at em I will try this gravity test and let you know. Thanks a bunch, that was definitely above and beyond.

44 minutes ago, coinsandmedals said:

Here a few others that I found with pictures that match your coins. I found the others without pictures. The specs are the same for all of them. 

Hey Coinsandmedals! Glad to see you Friend. Dukeman also linked me to the Numista site and I had been there also. My question now, and I am so freakin confused that idek if it is a valid question anymore, is how can the Silver and the Cupronickel weigh the same? And also why can we find these coins at all anywhere if the site for the Isle Of Man doesn't list them in their history with all the rest of their coins?

Well spoon!  You guys don't have to keep at this. I know your time is valuable and may be better spent helping the rest of the Newbies. I am at a loss as I don't have y'alls resources or knowledge so I don't see how much further I can go with it. Between me, all of you, and 3 guys from my FB Group we have likely exhausted any available resources that we know. So if you want to quit I certainly won't hold it against any of you. And I totally do appreciate all the hard work and research you've done.

Here is a 'complete' history of the Isle of Mann. At the bottom is supposed to be every coin produced there and nowhere are there Planes of WWII, which made me remember my first thoughts that they are counterfeit. Couldn't they be made from Tungsten lime my friends Morgan?

And Dukeman, I did not forget your link to Numista.com. But it shows the same weights for Cupro that all the other sites we've found show for Silver, so I am Leary there

Well alright. Yes, I will then accept that they are probably cupronickel. Idk what specific gravity or an XRF gun are but if the tissue test is close to 100% then I should accept that. I gotta admit I didn't expect all this controversy. Now the main thing that has got me still so against it is that none of us have been able to even find these 5 coins online anywhere in Cupronickel. We have all, as well as several others, found them in Silver and have found plenty of different coins in Cupro, but not these 5. Surely that are not so rare that photos are unavailable or so popular that every single set was sold and not a single set has come up for resale? I mean, I found information about a one of a kind Token that was known to have existed but had never been photographed for a guy and found the guy that had the other similar ones from that particular town. So why can't I find anything on these?

Hey, that's no problem. Y'all got me looking even further into it and I didn't get a headache this time.

And so we are all in agreement, even with the tissue test, that I have the silver set? 

Thank you all so much for your responses and help in figuring this mystery out.