electrolysis on silver coins?

[Blind Squirrel]

Does electrolysis work on silver dimes. I have found a Barber that is in pretty good shape, but the color is kind of chalky white.

[jeff of pa]

electrolysis has removed Tar & Other foreign
matter from silver for me.
But has also turned it dark Gray when
over used.

[jeff of pa]

BTW

I'm curious when you say "chalky white"
I Found a 1902 Barber

that is White with Bubbles all over it



Almost looks like it was heated to the point
it bubbled then cooled.

Any chance yours is like this ?

[Blind Squirrel]

Jeff, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, had to charge the camera, and grab a bite to eat. Hope this pic came out alright, my camera skills are somewhat lacking. All the dirt is off the coin, what remains is almost like some sort of crust. Thanks, any advise would be appreciated. Gene

[jeff of pa]

if you do electrolysis on it,
Don't let it hang in the bath.

Dip it in for 30 to 60 seconds,
Then brush with a soft Bristle brush.

Then repeat as many times as Necessary to
see if you can Loosen & Remove it
without going overboard.

As I Said there will come a point where it will
start turning Gray.

I read once that if you make a paste with
Baking soda & Rub it on between your fingers
it will remove the gray, however just like any cleaning
you need to be willing to accept the possability of
fine scratching.

Not being a rare date, I suppose it's not
the end of the world if you do Scratch it
lightly.

[boogeyman]

Give it a soak in citric acid. A few minutes at a time. Blot the loosened smegma off with a very soft cloth, don't scrub. Soak, blot, soak blot until it looks as good as you'd like. Then rinse very well in clear water. Put it in a small cup and let the faucet drip in the cup, so you have a constant clean water rinse.

[Roland58]

Give it a soak in citric acid. A few minutes at a time. Blot the loosened smegma off with a very soft cloth, don't scrub. Soak, blot, soak blot until it looks as good as you'd like. Then rinse very well in clear water. Put it in a small cup and let the faucet drip in the cup, so you have a constant clean water rinse.

I haven't seen that word used since I was in high school.......and that was a long time ago. I had a boat I named "Smegma" and another named "Smegma II".......only had a few people ask about the name, the other's just seemed uninterested or happy not to know!

You made my day!

[artyfacts]

This technique cleaned the same stuff off of my silver. I used salt and lemon juice in my bath. Arty

if you do electrolysis on it,
Don't let it hang in the bath.

Dip it in for 30 to 60 seconds,
Then brush with a soft Bristle brush.

Then repeat as many times as Necessary to
see if you can Loosen & Remove it
without going overboard.

As I Said there will come a point where it will
start turning Gray.

I read once that if you make a paste with
Baking soda & Rub it on between your fingers
it will remove the gray, however just like any cleaning
you need to be willing to accept the possability of
fine scratching.

Not being a rare date, I suppose it's not
the end of the world if you do Scratch it
lightly.

[boogeyman]

Give it a soak in citric acid. A few minutes at a time. Blot the loosened smegma off with a very soft cloth, don't scrub. Soak, blot, soak blot until it looks as good as you'd like. Then rinse very well in clear water. Put it in a small cup and let the faucet drip in the cup, so you have a constant clean water rinse.

I haven't seen that word used since I was in high school.......and that was a long time ago. I had a boat I named "Smegma" and another named "Smegma II".......only had a few people ask about the name, the other's just seemed uninterested or happy not to know!

You made my day!

I bet at least one remembered he hadn't cleaned the smegma out of the bilge in way too long

[Iron Patch]

Had a 1 reale in similar condition and soaking it in lemon juice made a hide difference. The coin looked very worn when found but after cleaning is fairly decent. Electrolysis is only for the toughest cases and usually only needed for salt water finds.