How to CleanTreasures of all sorts?

[NJdiggergirls]

I am finding many great treasures. I am having difficulty cleaning coins and various objects. Any suggestions? or techniques you use on your own treasures?
Thanks!!

 

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[SusanMN]

If the coins you are finding are clad, there is no need to clean them. For miscellaneous things, if soap and water doesn't work I use a soak in lemon juice.

 

[gleaner1]

Dont rub the coins, especially silver.

 

[Ism]

Dont rub the coins, especially silver.

Gleaner says that because the Genie only grants one wish per coin!
Silver coins with wishes in them are a rare find.
Don't rub the coin....If it's rare, you will "wish" you didn't.

 

[BryanM362]

I was just about to post a thread about this topic!

I see before and after pics of coins on here, and many look like new. How do you do that? Susan suggested lemon juice, are there other methods?

 

[gleaner1]

I take my silver and soak it in water. After an hour, spray them in the sink with hot water, the dirt will come off. That is about as far as you need to go with silver.

 

[NJdiggergirls]

I have found numerous things and found my biggest challenge is the cleaning!
Found an old wheat penny, someone said put it in vinegar and salt. Didn't work well! The penny is ruined
Today I found old US army button. Soaked them in water and soap and brushed them with a soft tooth brush. Didn't really do too much.

 

[DetectorMike]

It depends on what your wanting to clean A Electrolysis machine can help clean caked metal, or soak it in WD-40 for a bit and then give a brushing with a soft brush.

Coins have to be cleaned with care or they will scratch silver is a soft metal and even rubbing them will cause scratches you won't be able to see but the jewelers loupes can.
Silver, copper, and nickel-clad coins can be soaked in distilled water or, to remove tough stains, white vinegar. A 6-minute soak in lemon juice may also be used on silver coins. This will not only protect the coin but it will help give the coin a finish at the end of the cleaning.

Lightly brush the coin. If dirt remains, lightly scrub the coin with a soft toothbrush and dish soap (toothbrush bristles come with varying degrees of firmness — you want one labeled as soft or extra-soft). Run the toothbrush under warm water to further soften the bristles, and rinse the brush and the coin frequently to avoid scratching the coin with the loosened dirt. Do not apply much pressure, and focus on brushing only the soiled area of the coin.

Dry the coin. Pat the coin dry with a soft, lint-free cloth, and then lay the coin on a soft, dry cloth to finish drying. Do not rub the coin dry.

Spot-clean encrusted dirt. Especially on ancient coins, there may be dirt that remains after soaking and brushing. To remove this, use a small, sharp implement such as a toothpick, precision screwdriver. Carefully pry and chip off the encrusted dirt, and try not to scratch the surface of the coin. You can spot-clean more precisely if you work under good lighting and use a microscope or magnifying glass.

Or if you want, you could clean pennies with white vinegar. If you use 1/4 cup of it and 1 teaspoon of salt in a clear shallow bowl that's not metal, use a paper towel and spoon and your pennies will become clean.

Commercial coin polish can be purchased from coin dealers or hobby shops. While this may bring out the luster in your coin, it is still not advisable to clean a valuable coin.

Do not mix types of coins when soaking. Copper especially will sometimes discolor other coins.

 

[goldentruth]

I take my silver and soak it in water. After an hour, spray them in the sink with hot water, the dirt will come off. That is about as far as you need to go with silver.

I use a diluted with water "Tarnex" dip, I dont rub but I think it might take some silver off so I am carefull.Maybe it is too strong in full use. If its not old I dip it and it's clean with shine.(And I wear a mask.)

 

[Coin Ranger]

You can use a rock tumbler (Lortone or Chicago) also, with aquarium plain gravel, Barkeepers Helper or Comet, a dash of dish soap. Its good for clad to make it presentable. Not to be used on anything of value. You will find many posts of different combinations of ingredients to use. Work pretty good on cleaning up some old crusty clad.

 

[Ammonhotep]

Here's an excellent resource I gleaned from a search of TN forums.

Conservation Research Laboratory - Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation - Texas A&M University

A simple google search will discover a great deal of information.

-Ammo

 

[foiler]

Here is my observation. Many new people to the hobby get their interest started by seeing dozens of videos with people finding stuff. Whats the first thing that's done with a fresh find from the ground. Rubbing the dirt away to show off the find for the camera. Maybe thats just the nature of people. Find a coin rub the coin to see what it is. Can't quiet see what it is, rub it some more. When I'm hunting, I'm hunting. I find, I put it in the pouch and I find some more. Do I peek, sure but I dont need to waste time scrubbing coins in the field to see exactly what the coin is. I carry in my car an old water bottle. Everyone has one if these laying around the house, even an old baby bottle will do. The idea is you want something that is water tight and won't break rolling around in the vehicle. Before I leave for my hunt I put about a 1/4 tsp of dishwashing machine powder in the bottle and fill it about 2/3 full of hot water. Shake well throw it in the trunk. When I stop hunting or take a break I put any finds worth cleaning in the bottle. By the time I get home and rinse them off they are pretty clean, no rubbing required. Works fine for jewelry too and if you dont have dishwashing soap any liquid soap will do fine.