Cleaning Silver Sulfides off Silver Coins (Salt Method)

[Comanchero]

Okay, Ya'll have been hearing me spout about cleaning off that old black silver sulfide off silver coins with the plain salt, water in an aluminum pan long enough! Here is the proof on one of my Standing Liberty Quarters with flying Eagle on back. This is after using mild dishwashing liquid with just my fingers to get off any grit gently. Note, that there is still a lot of black silver sulfide on the coin. Pics are as follows: 1. Everything, coin to be treated is in upper Left corner of coins. 2. Upper left coin to be treated. 3. Coin being treated in Salt bath in Aluminum pie pan. 4. Coin after treatment and all loosened old silver sulfide gently removed with chamois cloth - beautiful now ain't it? There will be consecutive posts because I can only send one pic at a time until Jeff teaches me otherwise! Comanchero

 

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[Comanchero]

Picture #2. Coin upper Left to be cleaned with this salt method.

 

[Comanchero]

Picture #3 Coin being cleaned in Salt water bath in Aluminum pie pan on heat to loosen all the ingrained old Silver Sulfides staining it.

 

[Comanchero]

Final Picture #4 Reveals totally cleaned and beautiful silver coin after removal of old silver sulfide stains and buffing with a soft chamois cloth. See how brilliant it now is, back in its upper left position in the set of coins. Took me about 30 minutes last night to do this for ya'll. Comanchero

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Hey, great looking silver.

 

[Comanchero]

Minelab, put about 1/2 inch of water in aluminum pan. Pour in enough Plain Salt to cover bottom, put silver coin in and make sure it is touching aluminum pan metal. Put on burner, bring up to barely boiling, (the salt lowers the boiling point of water). You will see the silver sulfide starting to dissipate as in the photo of the coin in the pan "working" in the solution. Turn off heat, let cool a little, take coin out and under water rinse and rub it with your fingers and most of the sulfide will come right off, if some is still on, just repeat until all the old black silver sulfide tarnish is gone. Then buff with a soft chamois cloth. The old coin (if it weren't for the natural wear and scratches, nicks, etc.) now looks as good as a Brilliant Uncirculated coin. All silver items, including sterling silverware and etc. can be cleaned with this method easily. Just make sure they are completely submerged in the water and there is enough salt so that not all of it has dissolved in the water and the silver object MUST be making contact with the aluminum for this electrolytic cleaning to take place, without electricity, of course! 8) Also, make sure all varnishes or other coatings are off the silver object. Now if you want to put a clear coat of anti oxidant on it yourself after you clean it, that is your business. I do not prefer to do that, as I like the feel of pure silver in my clean fingers! Har! Har! Comanchero

 

[Comanchero]

Yeah, your welcome ML and everyone. Give it a shot. Lots safer and better than any acids, etc. Faster and cheaper too with excellent results!
I don't know how they let me on here for crying out loud! Musta made a mistake!
ML, Intelligence comes with study, doing and experience, years of experience!
Anyhow, I try real hard not to post anything that don't work exactly like I say it does, just like the post I made on cleaning off old iron equipment and tools that are so rusted up you can't use them or etc., but after my treatment they can unless they are just too far gone! 8) Comanchero

 

[Comanchero]

ML, I like your attitude.? Of course Lye used properly just like anything else is a very useful tool. ? It's always when inexperienced, ignorant or stupid people misuse ANYTHING that it becomes untenable.

Now, on Iron.? If you have a propane or electric kiln, heat up the object to red hot through out.? Then with your tongs dowse it in cold water completely. (Old "Smithy" trick)? The rust and bad iron will just fall off and scale off like instantly.?This also works on rusted up and frozen iron nuts and bolts! ? Again, it make take a few times to get it like ya want it but it works great.? Of course this will make it quite hard and sometimes brittle,(depending on what kind of iron it is) so if you want it soft, for the final treatment let it just cool naturally, and if you need a certain temper to the item, then you need to know what oil or solution to dowse it in on the last treatment after it's all cleaned off.? I leave most things just hard, since they are for show only, and buff 'em up, put a real thin coat of linseed oil or what ever I want on 'em to keep 'em from rustin' up again and hang 'em on the wall or sell 'em to collectors that way. ? I haven't fooled with any of that in a few years, 'cause my main goal has always been precious metals and working with them!? 8)Comanchero

 

[jeff of pa]

Cool Pics.

to add more then one to a post, after adding one pic, hit (MORE ATTACHMENTS) in blue right after the "BROWSE" button. then do as you did for the first. You can do this, for up to 6 Pics.

 

[Comanchero]

Thanks Jeff, that's good to know. That downsizing "trick" ya taught me also helped a lot too. Glad ya like the silver pics. It's fun cleaning old coins and things with the right methods! C.

 

[Comanchero]

Thanks for the tip ML. Comanchero

 

[Comanchero]

Great ML Seeee? I wasn't just spoutin' off at the mouth was I? Like I said, I don't say nuthin' that I don't know is true for a fact about anything! And that is exactly what I meant by almost BU ( Brilliant Uncirculated ) fresh from the mint if it wasn't for all the normal wear and tear already done to it. Right? It get down deep right into the smallest pits and grooves and all! Anyhow, glad I learned ya somethin' Bud! Comanchero

 

[Comanchero]

ML, still waitin' on seeing that '44 quarter you cleaned up! Comanchero