Junk on old 3cent nickle

[dialupsu]

Brown, Black, and Green junk on this coin. Could this be removed with acetone ? Olive oil ? Something else/better ?

[ldhair]

Acetone might work. It can't hurt the coin. Soak it but don't rub it with anything.

[e1cnr]

The green stuff is corrosion, Some people have had limited success by soaking extended periods of time in mineral oil and then using rose bush thorns to agitate some of it loose.

[CO Collector]

I don't clean any of my coins.

 

But I understand the temptation...

 

 

[physics-fan3.14]

I don't clean any of my coins.

 

But I understand the temptation...

 

There is a distinction between "cleaning" and "conserving" coins (an important philosophical difference, which has been discussed at length previously). The 3cn in the OP is suffering from corrosion and foreign matter, which may be damaging the surface underneath. Removing the gunk would be good for the coin, and falls under "conservation."

 

To the OP - I would start with acetone, and see where it gets you. Post it again after acetone, and we'll go from there.

[dialupsu]

Thanks for info. Whats the deal with ultrasonic machines, do they just agitate whatever liquid you put in the machine, so if the coin was in some type of holder to make it stable it could not get scratched? Has anyone ever used ultrasonic with acetone or olive oil ?I'm only interested in conserving coins with various dirt and gunk on them.Seems a shame to let a coin continue to corrode when it could be conserved.

So if I was to soak this coin in acetone , how long should it soak, a few minutes, hours, days ? I know the least amount of time would be best.