Uncleaned ancient and olive oil

hey everyone had a question for those of you with prior expertise in cleaning ancient coins. I;ve got 10 ordered and on their way here and have been doing some research on how to clean them and have picked up everything required except olive oil only because i wanted to know if theres a certain brand thats slighty better then the rest. Also what chemical in the oil is doing the work so i can check the labels and find which has the highest content of it thx in advance

 

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I think the agent in the olive oil that cleans is the many different fat acids like Palmitic, Myristic, Arachidic, and so on...dont think it would be listed in the ingredients but I never looked...acid in most olive oils that do not say virgin or extra virgin, I believe is 1.5% (regular refined) and .6% to .8% in extra virgin. I would go for the virgin (2%) or standard olive oil and not extra virgin. Some will say use extra virgin but I have tried both and there is little difference in the time it takes and affect between the two. I Doubt brand matters. I always just look for 100% olive oil or regular 'virgin' though 'extra virgin' would be the least acidic if that is a concern for you.

One thing I would also say is before dipping it in oil, try a longer soak in Distilled water or even boiling the coin in distilled water...often times that works well...

Also mineral oil is good for cleaning and it doesnt contain acids.

If you are going with olive oil, remember that you will need to remove it once you are done, this cant be done right with just water...you will need a batch of TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate). This is available in most home improvement stores and paint departments. One teaspoon in warm water. Put the coins in the TSP solution for 5-10 minutes. You could use a mild grease cutting dish soap as well but like has been said here often...you dont know what else is in there that might effect the coin.

 

yeah the plan is as follows as of right now.

all coins in distilled water with water changes every 24hours for a few days till the water remains clean the next morning (remove the ones that re fine after this if there are any and brush the rest lightly with a tooth brush)

place each coin into a small cup of olive oil so that there all covered and change out the olive oil every few days as needed. (do this for about 2-3 weeks i'd imagine while giving them light brushings after each oil change)

then begin using some small dental tools,straight pins and toothpicks to remove the remaining pieces of dirt.

and if all else fails I'll prob be using the glue gun method (i know it destroys the patina but if after 2 months of soaking in water/oil doesn't work might give it a try)


still open to suggestions/past experinces with this as hearing about past mistakes might help me from making them as well

 

I have not tried the glue gun method but have done something similar using sticky tape with some success after a very long soak, chucks came off. Sounds like you have the right plan. Good to see you are not jumping right to electrocuting the coin (although there are some merits to that as much as some might cringe).

 

I recommend the Gringotts formulas.
http://nobleromancoins.com/index.php?cPath=13&osCsid=2e3ec9247a0123fa8019bb5ca9994c0e

If you're serious about cleaning ancient coins (beyond the handful from ebay or wherever) I recommend the cleaning kits available at Noble Roman Coins. The things Kevin can do to a lump of dirt and bronze never cease to amaze me.


*I've always felt that there is nothing that olive oil can do that distilled water can't do better.

 

I heard diet soda is good too. Havent tried it yet, waiting for some money so i can get some uncleaned ones.

 

Drusus, I've heard that grapeseed oil can be used in place of olive oil... have you had any experience with it?

I routinely soak my metal detector finds in olive oil, but recently picked up some grapeseed oil to see if it works any better. I haven't had an opportunity to test it yet, though.

 

I wouldn't recomend a toothbrush , try a cheap small natural brisseled paint brush found in hobby shops , sable though more exspensive would be easier on the coins than hogs brissels ,
rzage:smile:hatch::hammer:

 

ok sounds good. I have a ton of older paint brushes alot of which are still packaged since i have multiples so I'll def have to pull some out and give them a try. Mind you I'm not sure how we'll they'll hold up to some of the really caked on stuff

 

I think you're better off with a toothbrush. In fact, many experienced cleaners use a soft brass brush, which is significantly stronger. It may also be worthwhile to cut the toothbrush down, so that the bristles are half the normal size.

 

I have several brass brushes but i don't wanna strip the patina off any that I get. Purhaps I'll try the paintbrush first, then the tooth brush and finally the brass as needed.

 

My advice really pertains to regular coins , I have no knowledge of ancients , but the order you said , softer to harder couldn't hurt .
rzage

 

Precisely, starting off with the paintbrush won't hurt a bit, but it'll probably be either ineffective or frustrating.

 

well I'm very patient so I have no problem taking my time to ensure that the coins i get are cleaned to the best of my ability:smile

 

I use a cut down toothbrush, I also have a softer brass brush but only have had to use that one on the real real real hard crusty coins. What you use depends on what the coin is like.

 

Good luck on your coins , sounds like they are in good hands .
rzage

 

ha well they aren't here yet but I might do a before, during and after pictures of them. Until they get here though I can still pick up more tips and tricks to make sure they turn out well

 

I have a question. If you accidently remove some patina, do you try to even it out or leave it like that?

 

Another good tool to use is a pen with a fiberglass rod, it takes dirt of very well and is ideal for using in the harder to reach bits of the coin, like between letters. You can pick up a couple of differing thickness rods for rough and fine work. If you start to remove the patina I would say leave it alone :thumb:

 

thanks I have one that a little metal was exposed but the rest of the patina is really nice.