Acetone bath question

[fishfinder]

Is it necesary or helpful to rinse coins in distilled water after an acetone bath?

Thanks

[RareSov]

After any conservation, you should be neutralizing the surface ! so yes. Rinse thoroughly ! I would use two or even three separate water baths

[fishfinder]

thanks RareSov, I have a few raw coins in some older flips and i think i need to give them a quick bath.

[Conder101]

A distilled water bath wouldn't hurt, of course in my case whenever I do a distilled water rinse I then use a fresh acetone rinse to dry the water off the coin.

[fishfinder]

you'r da man!

[leprecoin]

Baking soda would neutralize it too

[Flcracker-migration]

I have some coins that are heavily soiled with a grease like substance. Can I wipe them with cue tips or just agitate the acetone?

[BadThad]

Acetone should be the LAST step....not water! Acetone is NEUTRAL, it will 100% evaporate from the surface (if of good quality) and leave no trace. Addtionally, acetone will dry the surface of water (watyer IS corrosive) leaving a coin that is ready for storage.

[BadThad]

Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, is a pH base! It will harm the coin surfaces resulting in cleaned coin. NEVER use it on a coin.

[BadThad]

Acetone is not very effective at removing long-chain type organic debris. For thick, greasy residue you should use xylene.

[leprecoin]

Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, is a pH base! It will harm the coin surfaces resulting in cleaned coin. NEVER use it on a coin.

 

To my understanding If acid been used, the baking soda will naturalize the surface and prevent from coloration. so if that is true, you saying that the coin need acetone afterwards?

 

or you distinguis betwin copper and silver in that regard? please explain...

 

Also , do you recommend the home depot acetone ? it doesn’t say 100% only klean-Strip

Special purpose thinner, cleaner and remover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BadThad]

To my understanding If acid been used, the baking soda will naturalize the surface and prevent from coloration. so if that is true, you saying that the coin need acetone afterwards?

 

Wrong thinking. Once an acidic or basic solution comes in contact with the coin the damage is done. There's no way to "undue" the damage. It's always good practice to rinse with acetone after a water bath to remove all traces of water from the surface. Water is natually corrosive to ALL metals.

 

or you distinguis betwin copper and silver in that regard? please explain...

 

No, the practice of a final rinse with clean acetone is good for ALL metals.

 

Also , do you recommend the home depot acetone ? it doesn’t say 100% only klean-Strip

Special purpose thinner, cleaner and remover.

 

I am not familar with the product. Check the ingredients on the label or the manufacturers website. I can tell you pure acetone will only be sold in cans or glass, not plastic bottles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[James Mayer-migration]

acetone has no acid.....

[Walkerfan]

I used Acetone one time on a coin that had PVC contamination and it did not help at all. I must have dipped it 3 or 4 times for several minutes each. Didn't work for me. I did not want to leave it dipped for tooo long. I rinsed it in water each time.

[James Mayer-migration]

water is not needed just use a 2nd bath of pure Acetone

[BadThad]

I used Acetone one time on a coin that had PVC contamination and it did not help at all. I must have dipped it 3 or 4 times for several minutes each. Didn't work for me. I did not want to leave it dipped for tooo long. I rinsed it in water each time.

 

Perhaps what you had was NOT PVC? Also, you may have to soak the coin for as long as 24 hours to remove the residue. Drop the coin into a glass container, cover with acetone, and put on a tight-fitting lid. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO EVAPORATE. Let it soak for 24 hours, remove the coin, rinse with fresh acetone and let it dry for a few minutes. Do not rinse with water! An acetone rinse should ALWAYS be the last step in a conservation project. It will competely dehydrate the surfaces. Water sitting on a coin surface can cause corrosion. Rehydrating a metallic surface is just asking for trouble.

[BadThad]

water is not needed just use a 2nd bath of pure Acetone

 

100% agreed

[JKK]

I used Acetone one time on a coin that had PVC contamination and it did not help at all. I must have dipped it 3 or 4 times for several minutes each. Didn't work for me. I did not want to leave it dipped for tooo long. I rinsed it in water each time.

I have had cases where the green stuff was too much even for acetone. I suspect that would be a sign that the PVC had somehow seeped into or etched into the metal. However, that was a very small minority of a very large quantity of Lincs (as in dozens of rolls). For most, it took that crud right off.

[Walkerfan]

I used Acetone one time on a coin that had PVC contamination and it did not help at all. I must have dipped it 3 or 4 times for several minutes each. Didn't work for me. I did not want to leave it dipped for tooo long. I rinsed it in water each time.

 

Perhaps what you had was NOT PVC? Also, you may have to soak the coin for as long as 24 hours to remove the residue. Drop the coin into a glass container, cover with acetone, and put on a tight-fitting lid. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO EVAPORATE. Let it soak for 24 hours, remove the coin, rinse with fresh acetone and let it dry for a few minutes. Do not rinse with water! An acetone rinse should ALWAYS be the last step in a conservation project. It will competely dehydrate the surfaces. Water sitting on a coin surface can cause corrosion. Rehydrating a metallic surface is just asking for trouble.

 

It was DEFINITELY PVC contamination but I probably didn't let it soak long enough. 24 hours...yikes! I didn't realize that you should soak it for that long.

[BadThad]

Sure, 24 hours is not a problem. Organic solvents (if pure) will have no ill-effect on coins.....except with brown copper, in which case they can remove a micro-layer.

 

Just keep an eye on your coin, check it every hour to see how it's progressing. Remove it from the acetone and rinse with fresh acetone once the PVC has dissolved.

[BadThad]

I used Acetone one time on a coin that had PVC contamination and it did not help at all. I must have dipped it 3 or 4 times for several minutes each. Didn't work for me. I did not want to leave it dipped for tooo long. I rinsed it in water each time.

I have had cases where the green stuff was too much even for acetone. I suspect that would be a sign that the PVC had somehow seeped into or etched into the metal. However, that was a very small minority of a very large quantity of Lincs (as in dozens of rolls). For most, it took that crud right off.

 

It sounds like you had VERDIGRIS and not PVC damage. When you have PVC damage you'll know for sure because the flip the coin was stored in will be partially disintegrated.

[Walkerfan]

Sure, 24 hours is not a problem. Organic solvents (if pure) will have no ill-effect on coins.....except with brown copper, in which case they can remove a micro-layer.

 

Just keep an eye on your coin, check it every hour to see how it's progressing. Remove it from the acetone and rinse with fresh acetone once the PVC has dissolved.

 

Thanks, for the info. I hope that I never have the misfortune of having to deal with PVC again but, if I do, I will be better informed and prepared.

[Jim Beam]

My question may be very elementary but then, my mind is pretty simple. Here goes: How does one actually give a coin an acetone bath?

 

From what I can tell, acetone evaporates so a totally enclosed container sounds like a requirement. What do you use to place the coin in the solution? Do you wear rubber gloves? How long do you leave the coin emersed? Minutes, hours, days, Where should I place the coin once it is removed from the solution and what do I need to do to it? Can I mess this up or should I practice on the non-valuable coins first? Anything else I need to know about the subject?

 

Sorry if all this has been explained in other threads. Thanks everyone.

Jim

[bsshog40]

Acetone is very very flammable. Enclosed is not a good idea. I've used acetone before and it has never done anything to my skin except dry it out. A little lotion soap will take care of that. I usually use a set of tongs and a thick plastic cup. The coin usually only has to be swished around for a few seconds. Sometimes a coin with a lot of tape residue may take a few swishings to remove it all. After completing the bath, I usually rinse the coin in warm water and then using a can of air spray to dry it. It has worked for me just fine. Others may have another way of doing it. I don't recommend leaving the coin for hours or days. I've never done that, so I'm not sure about any long term damage if left in that long.

[BadThad]

My question may be very elementary but then, my mind is pretty simple. Here goes: How does one actually give a coin an acetone bath?

 

From what I can tell, acetone evaporates so a totally enclosed container sounds like a requirement. What do you use to place the coin in the solution? Do you wear rubber gloves? How long do you leave the coin emersed? Minutes, hours, days, Where should I place the coin once it is removed from the solution and what do I need to do to it? Can I mess this up or should I practice on the non-valuable coins first? Anything else I need to know about the subject?

 

Sorry if all this has been explained in other threads. Thanks everyone.

Jim

 

1) Make sure your acetone is PURE. Do NOT use fingernail polish remover. High grade acetone can usually be purchased at hardware stores.

2) Keep ALL plastics away. Acetone will instantly melt plastic.

3) Use a glass container with a tight fitting lid. A baby food jar will work great, but watch out for the lid liner, it might dissolve with direct acetone contact. DO NOT ALLOW THE SOAKING SOLUTION TO EVAPORATE or you will simply redeposit anything you dissolved right back onto the coin surface.

 

Just use your fingers when working with acetone. It's a pretty safe chemical and small exposures will have no effect.

 

Soaking time varies, it depends on how the removal process is going. As long as the acetone doesn't evaporate, you can soak as long as you need to in order to remove a problem. However, I wouldn't go much longer than 48 hours. Generally, acetone is effective from minutes to just a few hours.

 

Once your done soaking, just put the coin on a paper towel and allow the acetone to dry. This will take less than 30 seconds. I usually give the coin a quick rinse with fresh acetone too. There's no need to use any other solvents after acetone. In fact, DO NOT USE WATER AFTER ACETONE. Doing so will rehydrate the surfaces and water is the enemy of coins. I like using acetone to completely dehydrate the coin before I put it into an airtite holder. For me, that's my primary use for acetone....dehydration. As a coin collector, dehydration is your friend. (thumbs u

[BadThad]

Acetone is very very flammable. Enclosed is not a good idea. I've used acetone before and it has never done anything to my skin except dry it out. A little lotion soap will take care of that. I usually use a set of tongs and a thick plastic cup. The coin usually only has to be swished around for a few seconds. Sometimes a coin with a lot of tape residue may take a few swishings to remove it all. After completing the bath, I usually rinse the coin in warm water and then using a can of air spray to dry it. It has worked for me just fine. Others may have another way of doing it. I don't recommend leaving the coin for hours or days. I've never done that, so I'm not sure about any long term damage if left in that long.

 

Yes, keep all sparks and flames AWAY from acetone. It is extremely flammable!

 

There's no need to use tongs, acetone is safe for humans as long as exposure is not severe or long-term. In fact, tongs increase the chance of damaging your coins, I do not recommend them. Also, as I said above, DO NOT USE ANYTHING PLASTIC with acetone! I'm not sure how you use a "thick plastic cup"....definately a horrible idea. If the cup didn't completely disintegrate, the acetone surely dissolved some of the plastic which would end up on the surfaces of your coins as the acetone dries.....NOT a good idea.

 

There's NO NEED to rinse with water after using acetone. High purity acetone will not leave a residue and will completely evaporate from the surfaces in a matter of seconds. Also, rinsing with water reintroduces the most corrosive substance there is for coins....water itself. For this reason, pure water (distilled or deionized, not tap) should always be the FIRST step to a conservation project, not the last. Water is the coin collectors enemy!

[bsshog40]

 

Yes, keep all sparks and flames AWAY from acetone. It is extremely flammable!

 

There's no need to use tongs, acetone is safe for humans as long as exposure is not severe or long-term. In fact, tongs increase the chance of damaging your coins, I do not recommend them. Also, as I said above, DO NOT USE ANYTHING PLASTIC with acetone!

 

First off:Acetone will not harm your skin, but it will "DRY THEM OUT"

 

 

I'm not sure how you use a "thick plastic cup"....definately a horrible idea. If the cup didn't completely disintegrate, the acetone surely dissolved some of the plastic which would end up on the surfaces of your coins as the acetone dries.....NOT a good idea.

 

Second:, it's been a while since I've used acetone, so it may have been a glass coffee cup I use. As for the disintegration, I would think that the coin would be taken out and not left in until the acetone completely evaporates!

 

There's NO NEED to rinse with water after using acetone. High purity acetone will not leave a residue and will completely evaporate from the surfaces in a matter of seconds. Also, rinsing with water reintroduces the most corrosive substance there is for coins....water itself. For this reason, pure water (distilled or deionized, not tap) should always be the FIRST step to a conservation project, not the last. Water is the coin collectors enemy!

Third: I gave my procedure for using the acetone and I've never had any problems with any of my coins after this process. This was just my opinion given!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jim Beam]

Great suggestions and responses to my questons. I appreciate it. I purchased a gallon of Acetone at the local hardware store - should be more than enough. I do have a few more questions. Do you have to change the acetone after soaking one coin or can you reuse it and do several coins? I think I understand the final bath should probably be in unused solution - is that correct?

[bsshog40]

I've only bathed a couple coins but I changed the acetone out after each coin. Never know what came off the first one, didn't wanna take a chance.

[Sim-migration]

My two cents:

Low ionic, low moisture, low residue, low acid, low base organic solvents, can be purchased from chemical companies like Fisher Scientific. For example their HPLC grade acetone should guarantee no harmful residues will end up on your coin.

http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/cofaprocess?catalognumber=A949&lotnumber=

 

I would never use nail polish remover as it is not pure and contains chemicals that may be detrimental to metal surfaces. Acetone is great for removing moisture through absorption/evaporation.

 

The advantage of distilled water is that it does not contain ions that you find in tap water that can help to corrode the surface of metals. Distilled water does not contain these ions but contains dissolved carbon dioxide from the air forming carbonic acid. The pH of distilled water exposed to the air can be 5.65 making it somewhat acidic. So prolonged soaking in distilled water is not advisable.

 

In summary organic solvents such as acetone, xylene, hexanes..etc are helpful in removing organic impurities(greases, oils etc..) and water without causing chemical changes to metal oxides on coin surfaces.

 

Canned air sprays contain propellants that can leave a residue on coins. If you take the pains to soak your coins in solvents to remove residues, why used canned air in the last step to add propellant residue? I would recommend air drying instead.

 

I also store my coins in a low humidity environment by using activated drying agents(molecular sieves). This way I can at least decrease moisture in storage since controlling oxygen levels would be a bit more challenging.