What to do next after dipping in acetone for 31 hours?

[toyonakataro]

Hello.

I recently bought a coin below and saw some green stain on the surface( I'm not reffering to the black area, but more faint green area)

I bought pure acetone and have been dipping the coin for 31 hours, but nothing happens.....yet.

I believe the green stain is caused by PVC and have heared many times that acetone would do great job, but am I missing something?

 

Are you poeple more patient than I am and usually dip coins for a week or so?

 

[WoodenJefferson]

I'm not familiar with the coin, is it 90% silver?

[toyonakataro]

Yes, 90% silver.

[Curry]

Yes, 90% silver.

Any info on what it is?

[Conder101]

If that was actually PVC (Or most other organic contaminants) the acetone would have removed it in the first few minutes. It must be something else that has actually reacted with the surface of the metal.

[toyonakataro]

Yes, 90% silver.

Any info on what it is?

 

It's a Japanese silver 1 yen from 1897

[yonico]

If that was actually PVC (Or most other organic contaminants) the acetone would have removed it in the first few minutes. It must be something else that has actually reacted with the surface of the metal.

 

That's what I think.

 

I never soaked a coin in acetone for more than a couple hours (and usually less than 15 minutes). If the soak doesn't help, try soaking a cotton swab in acetone and LIGHTLY rub on the spot. If that doesn't help either, it i most likely some other kind of contamination that is already deeper into the metal surface of the coin..

[toyonakataro]

If that was actually PVC (Or most other organic contaminants) the acetone would have removed it in the first few minutes. It must be something else that has actually reacted with the surface of the metal.

 

Should I try silver cleaner as a next step?

[michael]

if pvc has leached into the sub-surface of the coin then using silver cleaner will only hurt the coins value even more

 

i would leave it alone or try to dab as suggested with acetone and a cotton ball/swab

 

it is possible that a dulated 5 parts water 5 parts jewel-lustre might help this coin........................

 

 

 

good luck

 

before you do anything you might ask ncs on their boards on here and/or send it to them for conservation evaulation

 

 

 

 

 

[Curry]

Yes, 90% silver.

Any info on what it is?

 

It's a Japanese silver 1 yen from 1897

 

Maybe NCS will help?

[yonico]

before you do anything you might ask ncs on their boards on here and/or send it to them for conservation evaulation

 

I would say just go ahead and send it to NCS.

 

Posting on their boards won't be of much help, since 99.9% of the time they would just reply (understandably, I must say) that "it's extremely difficult to assess the problem from a photo without seeing the coin in hand", and suggest you send the coin for an in-hand examination.

 

[toyonakataro]

yonico and michael

I just tried cotton swab method.

It decreased the black area(indian ink??) and also light green area.

But deep green area won't go off.

 

Maybe I should ask NCS as michael and MrCurry suggest.

 

After using the cotton swab method, I returned the coin into the acetone bottle anyway...still hoping I might find a miracle when I wake up next morning

[toyonakataro]

before you do anything you might ask ncs on their boards on here and/or send it to them for conservation evaulation

 

I would say just go ahead and send it to NCS.

 

Posting on their boards won't be of much help, since 99.9% of the time they would just reply (understandably, I must say) that "it's extremely difficult to assess the problem from a photo without seeing the coin in hand", and suggest you send the coin for an in-hand examination.

 

If miracle won't happen next morning, then I'll ask NCS how to submit my coin.

[leeg]

I have had good results using MS 70 on silver coins.

[toyonakataro]

I have had good results using MS 70 on silver coins.

 

Is it something different from juwel-luster or silver cleaner?

[e1cnr]

wood handled cotton swab

acetone moisten and roll over area of concern

[e1cnr]

I have had good results using MS 70 on silver coins.

 

Is it something different from juwel-luster or silver cleaner?

 

 

the couple you mentioned are acids,

MS70 is a base (slippery and similar to ammonia)

[coinman_23885]

How valuable is the coin? Have you tried dipping it?

[toyonakataro]

I have had good results using MS 70 on silver coins.

 

Is it something different from juwel-luster or silver cleaner?

 

 

the couple you mentioned are acids,

MS70 is a base (slippery and similar to ammonia)

 

Sounds like using MS70 isn't that risky.

I'll get one and try first. How long do you usually dip in MS70?

[toyonakataro]

How valuable is the coin? Have you tried dipping it?

 

It's like common date Morgan dollar. You can get one for $20 in lower grade but worth more than $500 in GEM.

 

I did dip it in acetone, but no other solution yet. I'll try MS70 next.

[coinman_23885]

Try this:

 

1.) Take an inert container with distilled water and keep it nearby for step 4.

2.) Dip the coin in coin dip such as the one linked below for 2-3 seconds ( do not use your bare hands - the solution is highly acidic).

 

http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product/e-z-est-jeweluster-coin-cleaner-5-ounce.html

 

3.) Rinse under cold tap water for 30 seconds to one minute.

4.) Finalize the rinse with the distilled water in the container above to make sure that you are NOT leaving anything on it from the tap water and that you have removed all dip residue.

5.) If the first dip doesn't work, I might consider it one other time, but be very careful about over dipping as it will strip the luster if not done properly. If you follow the procedure above and leave it in for 3 seconds you should be fine.

 

Mechanism: The solution contains an acid which will remove a very thin layer of metal and will hopefully take off whatever you are seeing. When done properly, this is market acceptable and would not prevent the coin from being graded by a third party grading service. If you do not follow the guidelines and leave it in for several seconds or more, you will completely strip the luster and kill the value of the coin. If done properly, you could potentially improve the value of the piece above.

 

[michael]

remember ms-70 is a highly concentrated surfactant

 

it will strip a silver coin white unnatural color so be careful use a dilute solution

[leeg]

I have had good results using MS 70 on silver coins.

 

Is it something different from juwel-luster or silver cleaner?

 

 

the couple you mentioned are acids,

MS70 is a base (slippery and similar to ammonia)

 

Sounds like using MS70 isn't that risky.

I'll get one and try first. How long do you usually dip in MS70?

 

Here's how I use it:

 

Open the container and wet a cotton swab in the solution.

 

Gently work the cotton swab on the surface of the coin. If the cotton swab starts to get dirty, wet the other end and continue to work it over the coin until you are no longer getting any dirt or grim off of the coin.

 

Rinse the coin in Hot water.

 

To dry, use a soft towel and apply pressure to remove excess water along with a lamp to assist in the drying– Do Not rub the coin as this can cause hairline scratches in the coins surface.

 

 

It has not harmed any silver coins that I used it on. Just removes dirt, grime, etc.

 

 

[toyonakataro]

Try this:

 

1.) Take an inert container with distilled water and keep it nearby for step 4.

2.) Dip the coin in coin dip such as the one linked below for 2-3 seconds ( do not use your bare hands - the solution is highly acidic).

 

http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product/e-z-est-jeweluster-coin-cleaner-5-ounce.html

 

3.) Rinse under cold tap water for 30 seconds to one minute.

4.) Finalize the rinse with the distilled water in the container above to make sure that you are NOT leaving anything on it from the tap water and that you have removed all dip residue.

5.) If the first dip doesn't work, I might consider it one other time, but be very careful about over dipping as it will strip the luster if not done properly. If you follow the procedure above and leave it in for 3 seconds you should be fine.

 

Mechanism: The solution contains an acid which will remove a very thin layer of metal and will hopefully take off whatever you are seeing. When done properly, this is market acceptable and would not prevent the coin from being graded by a third party grading service. If you do not follow the guidelines and leave it in for several seconds or more, you will completely strip the luster and kill the value of the coin. If done properly, you could potentially improve the value of the piece above.

Thank you for the link and instruction.

I'll try that method if MS70 doesn't work on my coin. It's a pretty coin except for the PVC damage.

[toyonakataro]

remember ms-70 is a highly concentrated surfactant

 

it will strip a silver coin white unnatural color so be careful use a dilute solution

 

Thanks , michael. I'll test with cheaper coin first.

[toyonakataro]

leeg

Have you ever dipped your coin in MS70?

Do you always apply cotton swab on your coin?

Is it safer than dipping in MS70 solution?

[Conder101]

Sounds like using MS70 isn't that risky.

Common misconception that acids are corrosive so bases are safer. A base can be corrosive as and a strong base can be very corrosive.

 

As to coinman's recommendation.

 

Full strength coin dip acts VERY fast, after the first tenth of a second or so the dip will typically have removed what ever it can and the rest of the time it is just sitting there eating into the metal of the coin. You can't dip it in and out and rinse it faster than it will do its stuff on the coin. That is why Michael recommended a 50/50 mix of dip and distilled water. The diluted dip slows down the reaction speed. (Personally I would use 1 part dip to 9 parts water. I want to really slow it down so I can watch and observe what is happening, so I have a chance to stop it before it goes too far.)

 

I wouldn't worry about using your hands, the dip is acidic but it isn't THAT acidic. Frankly lemonade is probably more acidic (lower pH) and you don't think twice about pouring that into your mouth. (So are soft drinks.)

 

His comments about the rinsing though are go and VERY important. It is imperative that ALL traces of dip and preferably the tap water as well are removed from the coin. Otherwise the acid in the dip will keep on working on the coin and can spot or even corrode it. (chemicals in the tap water can also cause spotting or corrosion as well.)

 

Personally I think the coin looks just fine and I would leave it alone. It has some character to it.

[toyonakataro]

Personally I think the coin looks just fine and I would leave it alone. It has some character to it.

Here's the latest pic of the coin. Not the best image, but I hope you see some green area from 11 O'clock to 6 O'clock mostly in the center.

 

[leeg]

leeg

Have you ever dipped your coin in MS70? Yes and it makes the coin very slippery.

Do you always apply cotton swab on your coin? Yes or a cotton ball.

Is it safer than dipping in MS70 solution? You don't dip it, you just get some on the QTip and move it around the surface of the coin. Rinse well.

[AHFreak]

In my opinion, Coin dip,(like EZEST & jewluster or whatever) will not do anything to help you with what you are seeing on that coin (DIP has its place, but I do not think it should be used for what you are trying to do... wont help)..... In fact, If it were mine, I would not dip it just because of the possibility that it will come back looking worse..