will electrosis clean copper

[hollowpointred]

i have a question. i think i found a large cent,but it is so corroded i think i could soak it in olive oil for the rest of my life and not be able to id it! the condition is so bad im sure it will never be worth anything. will electrosis work on copper coins or will it mess it up worse? (cant really get much worse). have you guys ever cooked copper coins before?

[BADDOG]

Your answer is yes. Electrolysis will work on any metal. Just never mix metals you are trying to clean.
I had the same question, and tried it for myself. No problem

Good Luck and HH

Baddog

[ZumbroKid]

you'll lose detail

[hollowpointred]

yeah.......i kind of found out about the detail thing. its a double edged sword though........without electrosis i couldnt even id it at all, after electrosis ive got a bad condition large cent. either way the coin probably isnt worth much,but its worth more to me being able to date and identify it. is electrosis just as hard on silver as it is copper? just curious, actually all of the older silver i have found around here only needed to be rinsed off. there was no need for anything else.copper on the other hand looks terrible coming out of this soil.......thanks for the answers guys.

[ZumbroKid]

When i get to the point that i do not care about the finds condition, and want to see what it really is, i soak it in Murdic acid.

[hollowpointred]

murdic acic? im not familiar with it. what is it normally used for and where do you get it? also how do you use it?..................if you dont mind my prying!

[jglunt]

It's Muriatic acid and can be purchased in most hardware stores. It comes dilute in liquid form and is mostly used to clean concrete as it actually etches it. Be careful and use gloves and eye protection.

jg

[honeycat1007]

Muradic acid can be boiught in any poolstore, it raises PH I think.
Electrolysis doesnt hurt the metal of a coin, I have cleaned 1000's of coins this way, what it will do is remove the deep pitted dirt that has corroded away the copper, be sure to always use like metals. after electrolysis cleaning you might want to put some dellers darkener on it to make it dark again, and then hit it with some renwax to lock in the preservation. if you want to experimen with different artificial patina's I would recommend JAX Brown/Black and Green
Jason
www.xanderancients.com