My somewhat pricey Verdi-Care experiment

I just got this off the bay for $64. Looks to have AU detail (sorry for the bad pics). I also just bought a bottle of Verdi-Care after seeing another member's post on trying the stuff out on a 1940 Lincoln cent. He soaked his for 2 weeks. I figured I can't hurt this thing any more, but if I can get it more readable and get most of that green and black crust off, I may have a nice coin somewhere under there. I'll post more pics and better pics as my experiment goes along. Feel free to share your thoughts on how to go about restoring it, or tell me I wasted my $.

 

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Can't wait to see it!

 

I can't wait to see it myself. Not sure I would try the 2 week soak 1st. I would try the methods recommended 1st and see how you like the results. This is a nicer coin then any I have experimented on and I don't think the maker would recommend a 2 week soak (it was afer all an experiment with a basicly worthless coin)

I do wish you great luck with your results and look forward to more posts however you decide to proceed

 

Send Thad a message and ask him what he thinks. He'll give you an honest answer.

 

I agree send him a message and see what he thinks. It might make it worse.

 

If it was mine and I didn't care about a grader's opinion: Distilled Water => Acetone => Xylene => Acetone => Verdicare.

• The DI for just a minute or two
• Then the others for about 30 minutes each.
• Repeat the bath of any showing signs of being dirty at any point.
• Remaining green after the Verdicare is decision time. Very light tapping of a bamboo skewer on any remaining green stuff during a second Verdicare bath could remove it but will reveal fresher copper beneath and be a sure indication of "cleaning" for the rest of our lifetimes. But if it had that much green, it wasn't going to be a keeper anyway, right?

 

Digitect, I already had it soaking for half a day when I got your post, but here's a look at her anyway.

 

Hi, what does the Xylene do?

 

Xylene is part of BadThad's fabled Solvent Polarity Ladder. Acetone is excellent for removing PVC while Xylene is excellent for removing oils. But due to their nature, neither does the job of the other very well. So the use of both ensures the full range of possible contaminates are removed without harm to the copper.

 

So far the coin looks more clear. At least you can make out details on the coin. Hopefully the acetone, xylene and verdicare can take care of the rest.

 

I don't have acetone or xylene. Where can I get it?

 

Looking much better already. One thing i did find very usefull for this was either a toothpick (wooden) or bamboo skewer. While still in the solution I would poke a bit at the verdigris clumps and most came loose easily (I did not pry or scrape at the coin just poked a bit) also a little work with a Q-tip helped alot too. Just remember if you pry or scrape even with the toothpick/skewer you could pull away the patina with the verdigris leaveing copper spots. Ending with a "Cleaned" coin vs an conserved one. The line between cleaning and conserving is very fine on a project like this one This could destroy any resale value. (this was not a consideration with my experiments). I just ask that you please be careful. I would hate one of my experiments to lead to the destruction of such a nice LC.

 

Hardware stores usualy carry both. I don't recommend acetone for copper however as I have seen it cause discoloration in about 1/4 of those I dipped. Xylene does not have this issue and i recommend it over acetone for copper. Also neither acetone nor zylene will have much effect on Verdigis. They are used mostly to remove dirt, oil and minor corrosion rather then verdigris.

Again, I would PM/e-mail badthad for his opinion as he is the creator of VC and a true expert with coppercare, where I and my experiments am a stumblinging amature.

 

Thanks, but it's my risk, and really I guess I'm not risking a ton. Between the Verdi-care and the coin I've got $74 in it. I figure even in it's present state I'll come close to breaking even on ebay. Someone will pay $65-$75 for it just because of the detail. And I learn something in the process, so no big loss, ya know? One thing I DON'T think is coming off this coin is the pitting-looking area in front of the bust that stretches across most of the obverse. That appears to me to be IN the surface of the coin, so it cannot be removed (assuming I'm right). Also, the reverse has surface damage too, caused from the corrosion, so it'll probably always look "rough."

 

I am using Klean Strip brand Acetone and Xylol from my local big box home improvement center. (Both are available from the orange-white one and the blue-grey one!)

The MSDS sheets of the first indicates 100% Acetone. The second indicates 60-100% Xylene and 10-30% Ethylbenzene. Both are highly flammable and should not be used indoors or at any outdoor location near electricity. (The layman's way to say non-explosion proof electrical systems and gear.) Around the web, many numismatists contest the purity and appropriateness of hardware grade chemicals. I myself would like to use better. But...

Reagent grade chemicals (highly pure) are can be very difficult to legally obtain without being a corporation involved in scientific or industrial processes. I work near one of the country's larger research parks and still there are literally no resources of reagent grade Acetone and Xylene for off the street consumers. Mail order may be simpler, but one source I tried required a corporate account. Prices for reagent grades are many times higher than those of a hardware store, too.

Ideally, we'd all be using the purest chemicals in an exhausted laboratory fume hood. But I'm a long way from that kind of set up. (I know several of the chemist on the coin forums actually do have this kind of option.) I'm curious, has anyone else discovered retail sources for these chemicals?

 

I believe the Verdi-Care instructions caution soaking more than 24 hours. You might want to follow up on this before soaking the coin any further. Here is a link to an instruction sheet:
http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/files/images/Verdi-Care-Instructions.pdf

 

Also, Verdi-Care is for removing verdigris. I used the product to remove some green disease from one of my coins & I liked the result. Nothing can reverse the corrosion but you obviously know that.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiment.

The coin has heavy corrosion which cannot be removed without damaging it. However, typically, when you have heavy corrosion there is also a mix of light to moderate and VC will address that. I highly recommend the maximum soak time of 24 hours and the toothpick method at the end per the instructions. You'll see some improvement but there's no way you'll get 100% removal. DO NOT use any other solvents (including water) on the coin after treatment with VC. You will be VERY unhappy with the results and you'll definately not see an improvement. Verdigris is insoluble in organic chemicals. Solvents should only be tried as a first measure to remove any organic coatings on the coin. VC is designed to be "final step" product to remove light/moderate verdigris and inactivate the corrosion.

Good Luck

 

What about after completing the VC treatment, can I add a touch of Coin Care, which is pretty much just oil. Thanks.

 

Absolutely not! Coin care is napthenic oil with an odorant, nothing more. I never recommend using oil on coins, I don't like it at all.....especially with VC. The two are not miscible since VC is water-based. Do yourself a favor and toss the coin care in the trash.