Coke for Cleaning Coins ? or Destroying them ? RESULTS ADDED

[jeff of pa]

the properties of COKE:
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days


3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.

9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

For Your Info:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8.

It will dissolve a nail in about 4days.

Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

[bk]

Yeah, but it sure tastes good.

[gord]

And what really happens when you add an Aspirin?

[jeff of pa]

It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days.

To see IF this is true, I just placed a 2000 Penny
and a 1956 Wheat in a Class of Coke.

IF they are still there on Tuesday, I'll Post More Pics.

[slow sweeper]

They did various Coke tests on the television show Myth Busters a while back. Some were proven true, some not. The only ones I remember is that the Coke DID clean chrome better than chrome cleaner. The steak they soaked in Coke was kind of falling apart in a couple of days but was far from being gone. And I think they also soaked pennies to try and clean them. As I remember it the penny soaked in Coke was no cleaner than the test liquid after a couple of days.
Of course my recollection may be off somewhat.

[Gypsy Heart]

Ok....I do know that adding a can of coke to ham,venison or beef gravy makes it extremely tasty. Also have been dumping it on my mulch pile, to hasten breakdown ......but the best thing it has done was I had found a string of 12 antique rusted iron drawer handles hanging in an old barn....I put them in a bucket and dumped a liter of coke over them...then promptly forgot about them. About two weeks later ,when rediscovered ...it was really sludgey and I dumped it out....rinsed the handles and they were like new....
...hmmmmm....which leads me to a question? ...if it will dissolve rust and eat a nail....how come they sell it in cans?

[Michigan Badger]

Coke is a well-known cleaner for corroded items. Ancient coin cleaners have posted this online and it's used today in the steps to clean many artifacts.

Like most things in life it can be over-done.

Back in the early days of Coke when we all sat around on the top of the Coke cooler at the local goodie shop, some kids drunk so much of that stuff over a long period of time that they ended up in the hospital. If you try to live on it it will eat your stomach walls.

Lye is a heck or a lot better cleaner for corrosion but I wouldn't recommend drinking any of it ...swing low, sweet Chariot, comin for to carry me home...

[Burdie]

Ok....I do know that adding a can of coke to ham,venison or beef gravy makes it extremely tasty. Also have been dumping it on my mulch pile, to hasten breakdown ......but the best thing it has done was I had found a string of 12 antique rusted iron drawer handles hanging in an old barn....I put them in a bucket and dumped a liter of coke over them...then promptly forgot about them. About two weeks later ,when rediscovered ...it was really sludgy and I dumped it out....rinsed the handles and they were like new....
...hmmmmm....which leads me to a question? ...if it will dissolve rust and eat a nail....how come they sell it in cans?

It can't eat the properties of aluminum. Anything that develops rust can be dissolved by coke.
Burdie

[hollowpointred]

i dont know about coke for cleaning metal but it sure does go good with rum!.................MMMMMM RUM!!!

[Gypsy Heart]

i dont know about coke for cleaning metal but it sure does go good with rum!.................MMMMMM RUM!!!

Then I am pretty positive in saying I dont have one iota of 'Rust" in my system!!!

[treasurekidd]

I've got to try adding the coke to gray, sounds good! I use wine quite a bit when cooking ribs, and beer for sausages and brats, but coke is a new one on me.

Jeff, I'm looking forward to seeing the "after" pics of those pennies, especially the zincy!!

[Monty]

It is also very good for torturing prisoners ala the Mexican jails. They elicit confessions by binding the prisoner, shaking up a coke and shooting it up his nose! I think it dissolves the sinus cavities? So I have been told. And I don't see how anyone could snort it! I'm always reading about people snorting coke. It's also good for removing bugs from your windshield. Just be sure to wash off any excess to save your paint job. Monty

[Marty-Graw]

"if it will dissolve rust and eat a nail....how come they sell it in cans?"

I thopught about that too but then Irememebered aluminium doesn't rust.



As far as snorting coke goes....... it isn't too bad if you dont get the ice cubes stuck in your nose! lol

[Kentucky Kache]

As far as snorting coke goes....... it isn't too bad if you dont get the ice cubes stuck in your nose! lol

And watch out for that straw. You could put an eye out.

[jeff of pa]

RESULTS

After a little over 4 Days in coke.

Zinc Cent, No Noticeable Difference.

Tried Rusted Can/Bottle opener, No Noticeable Difference.

Copper wheat Cent : It cleaned it. (Took away Natural Toning)
SEE Before & After Pics Below

[Michigan Badger]

If you really want to eat up something, put some pennies into vinegar for about 3 months. It will eat em right up.

Monty, maybe those Mexicans should switch to having their prisoners snort vinegar?

By-the-way, vinegar and lemon juice are two acids most used to do the final cleaning on ancient silver coins. I prefer lemon juice mayself.

Hey Jeff, just rub some SIMICHROME on that coke penny and you can pass it off as a new cent.

[jeff of pa]

M.B.

Here is the Wheatback along side the 2000 Zinc cent,
after polishing the wheat with Just My TShirt.

[Michigan Badger]

Nice cleaning job there Jeff. But, the natural toning is better liked by most collectors.

Years ago I used Coke soda pop to remove that reddish residue left on CRUSTY ancient coins after a German Bath soak (lye soak). I've since discarded Coke and now I put the coins into a rock tumbler with gravel and water for about 15 minutes to 2 hours or so.

The rock tumbler gently removes the residue and reveals more coin detail. This is how we get many of those nice silvered ancient coins. If the silvering is solid, lye and even the rock tumbler wouldn't harm it unless the coins are left in far too long.

Today I use mainly these three processes in coin and artifact cleaning:

1) Mineral oil or distilled water soak

2) German Bath (lye bath)

3) Electrolysis (usually the foil and baking soda method)

The rock tumbler is only for removing nasty residue from severely encrusted ancient coins/artifacts that required a strong lye bath cleaning.

[jeff of pa]

I prefer Natural Toning Myself.

in Most Cases,
The ONLY Cleaning I do with Found coins, Is Just enough to
Bring out a Date.

[Michigan Badger]

I prefer Natural Toning Myself.

in Most Cases,
The ONLY Cleaning I do with Found coins, Is Just enough to
Bring out a Date.

Yes I agree...usually just a little water bath is sufficent. Other times they need some time in oil or water.

That aged patina can be great.