Alot is bugging me after todays hunt...sorry about all the pics (update)

Bushido Dude · Apr 1, 2010

First off BEZJO and I got out for a bit today, tested some new places, some that I have hunted solo before. Didn't find a whole lot. Did find one really crusty IH. Here's where the problem started, got home and found one last treasure crawling on my leg....a tick!!! In NY....this early in the season....ticks aren't as abundant. Got the IH soaking in some seed oil and was hoping to at least make out a date. After awhile I brought him out and tried to clear away some of the crud with a soft micro brush and low and behold, the black begins to peel off and reveal the most beautiful green patina below I have ever seen. Now ive read about this but never seen it before....I SHOULD continue to let it soak and let the black comes off as it want to right?!?!?!? The black has little to no detail but the nice green underneath has the most amazing detail....I have only read about this before and have never seen it as most of the IH's found around here at least are already green and dont have that crusty black

Anyone with experience with this....please help!! The pictures show the progress that has been happening so far.....its all been natural as the black is flaking off, not being forced. Every few hours i take it out and lightly brush it with the micro brush and the black just falls off, and I toss it back in to soak more and like I sid the pictures show progress from condition coming out of the ground, to what it is right now here in front of me. Weird stuff. Bugs me.

dfx willy · Apr 1, 2010

Re: Alot is bugging me after todays hunt...sorry about all the pics

someones probley gonna yell but me myself and i would srape off the black crud with my finger nails then use your micro brush and then soak for a while and then do again. usually with the green patina its going to be nice but not always. the tick i would have a different plan

willy

mainer · Apr 1, 2010

Re: Alot is bugging me after todays hunt...sorry about all the pics

Id give it a peroxide bath. :icon_thumright:

Ticks are bad here. Had 3 on me yesterday. Going to be a long spring dealing with those nasty things. Good luck with your IH.

sniffer · Apr 1, 2010

Re: Alot is bugging me after todays hunt...sorry about all the pics

time to break out the insect repellent, even the skeeters are getting bad here already

Bushido Dude · Apr 1, 2010

Updated picture showing how the back is turning out.

Mr Tuff · Apr 1, 2010

lets see the front!!! NICE IH looks like a good 1!!! MR TUFF

Ray in CA · Apr 1, 2010

Nice IH! I haven't found one of those for a couple of months.

BTW, I have never been bitten by a tick...until last Tuesday! Normally I get these guys off before they latch on, but this one got me in the back of my neck. Fortunately he was only there for a very short while and was still flat as a pancake when I got him off.

Ray

ivan salis · Apr 2, 2010

well its not a 1859 --has sheild-- so 1860 to 1909 -- the first metal blend from 1860 to 1864 was about 1/3 heavier than the later metal blend 1864 to 1909 type

Bushido Dude · Apr 2, 2010

Still working on the front. It had about 4-5 times as much buildup of encrustation on it. This is what I have so far.....

dwayne sueno · Apr 2, 2010

that looks like my day yesterday. an indian and 40-50 ticks over a couple of hours.
nice cleanup on the back. i wouldn't sweat the cleaning method too much on an indian head unless you determine it's a rare date.

GopherDaGold · Apr 2, 2010

Don't listen to the purists. They are all anal-retentive. That IH is coming along nicely.

Bushido Dude · Apr 2, 2010

I'm not too concerned about it being a key date IH. But I would like to at least see the date, it was found 3 feet from a lock along the old chenango canal here in NY which hasnt been used since the 1880's. A neat little piece of history and I would love to just get a date on it and like to think it was dropped by one of the canal workers

djabend · Apr 2, 2010

Keep going with that Indian head. I had a crusty one just like it last year Link here

(I just had it mostly clean before posting

)

I just used water and soaked it, then used a wood toothpick under a stereoscopic microscope to SLOWLY chip off the crust.
Keep at it, can't wait to see what date it is :icon_thumright:

HH,
Donny

Bushido Dude · Apr 2, 2010

Donny, that is exactly what I do, well i use linseed oil not water, but it works great!

Rickiowa2009 · Apr 2, 2010

Nice find

P.B. and Dylan · Apr 2, 2010

The color on the back is beautiful! It would be cool if they would make new pennies with a patina like that.

Butler · Apr 2, 2010

Looks nice so far. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like when finished! While it's still black you crush the tick with it! :headbang:

Bushido Dude · Apr 3, 2010

Date started to show through today, 1872....not too bad, at least was minted during the time the canal was used. Who knows if it was dropped during that time. I will post pictures when it is all clean and ready to go into the collection.