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Ardent Listener
Administrator
USA
4841 Posts |
 Posted - 04/15/2009 : 20:55:55
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Instructions Difficulty: Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Copper pennies
Clear glass bowl
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp. salt
Strainer
Paper towel
Step1Pour the vinegar and salt into the glass bowl.
Step2Place the copper pennies into the bowl. Allow the pennies to sit in the solution for 15 minutes.
Step3Empty the contents of the bowl (the liquid and copper pennies) into a strainer in your sink.
Step4Hold the strainer that contains the pennies under cold, running water for one minute.
Step5Remove the pennies from the strainer and lay them flat on a paper towel to dry.
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Think positive. |
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fb101
Administrator
USA
2856 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2009 : 20:59:16
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Have you tried this? Does it take off green crud and other Sh**?
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Ardent Listener
Administrator
USA
4841 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2009 : 21:27:20
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| No, I have not. If you leave them in long enough the green crud may clean off. But I don't think you would get everything off if they are too bad. |
Realcent.forumco.com disclosure. Please read.
All posts either by the members, moderators, and the administration of http://realcent.forumco.com are for your edification and amusement only. It is not the intent of realcent.forumco.com or its host to provide investment, medical, matrimonial, legal, security or tax advice and nothing posted here should be considered to be so. All rights reserved.
Think positive. |
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Kurr
1000+ Penny Miser Member
2906 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2009 : 21:53:17
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That is exactly how I clean copper jewelry. You can heat it a bit to make it stronger. Or freeze the vinegar and pour it off to make it stronger. It is acetic acid.
Don't clean silver with it, it forms silver compounds. One way I heard they use to refine silver in China, was to bury it in earthen jars filled with strong vinegar for about 6 months, then dig it up and drop the silver from the solution for refining from there.
When your solution gets real blue-green you can clean it up by dropping in a ball of aluminum foil and watching the dark stuff materialize and settle to the bottom. That is called copper sponge, ready for further refining. |
The silver [is] mine, and the gold [is] mine, saith the LORD of hosts. Hag 2:8 [/b]
He created it. He controls it. He gave it to us for His use. Why did we turn from sound scriptural currency that PROTECTS us?
KJV Bible w/ Strong's Concordance: http://www.blueletterbible.org/
The book of The Hundreds: http://www.land.netonecom.net/tlp/ref/boh/bookOfTheHundreds_v4.1.pdf
The Two Republics: http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/docs/THE_TWO_REPUBLICS.pdf
Good reading: http://ecclesia.org/truth/government.html
A number of people are educated beyond, sometimes way beyond, their intelligence. - Tenbears
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Jefferson
Penny Pincher Member
165 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2009 : 00:05:51
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When I find corroded pennies on the ground, I:
1. Put them in vinegar for a few minutes until they stop bubbling, better too little time than too much
2. Rise them off
3. Rub them with a water/baking soda paste
This certainly does not restore mint luster but it gives them a certain type of shine and definitely takes off the green crud.
This has always allowed me to at least read the date, and rehabilitates the coin enough to spend it or even pass it through a counter. |
"Specie is the most perfect medium because it will preserve its own level; because, having intrinsic and universal value, it can never die in our hands, and it is the surest resource of reliance in time of war." -Thomas Jefferson
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2009 : 08:28:48
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If want to clean a "collectible" penny, you can do it by soaking it in vegetable oil (like olive oil) and rubbing it with a soft cloth. I have done this with many pennies now including Indians and wheats. The process is very slow (weeks) and results will vary depending on exactly what is on the penny, but it works without damaging the penny and there is now way anybody could tell that the penny has ever been "cleaned".
Vinegar or any mild acid would be good for salvaging bullion copper pennies, but I typically use the oil technique on them as well. I always have a glass of oil with pennies in it handy. So I just plop them in there with the dirty wheats.
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Computer Jones
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1112 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2009 : 11:14:16
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Soaking in rubbing alcohol will take off most gunk and crud.
I've left Pennies in my "Crud Jar" for weeks at a time with no problems.
This won't help with green or blue pennies very much.
Crud Jar = any glass container filled 1/2 way with rubbing alcohol
I toss the gunkified coins in and rinse them when the jar is full. |
There's profit if you melt things!!
8{> |
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Silver Surfer
Penny Pincher Member
USA
148 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2009 : 17:14:14
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quote:
Originally posted by horgad
If want to clean a "collectible" penny, you can do it by soaking it in vegetable oil (like olive oil) and rubbing it with a soft cloth. I have done this with many pennies now including Indians and wheats. The process is very slow (weeks) and results will vary depending on exactly what is on the penny, but it works without damaging the penny and there is now way anybody could tell that the penny has ever been "cleaned".
Vinegar or any mild acid would be good for salvaging bullion copper pennies, but I typically use the oil technique on them as well. I always have a glass of oil with pennies in it handy. So I just plop them in there with the dirty wheats.
I'm interested in trying this oil cleaning technique. How many weeks do you soak your pennies? How many do you soak at once and how much oil do you use in each container during the process?
Thanks for sharing your helpful tips. |
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busy-bodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis |
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oober
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1304 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2009 : 17:29:07
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Oxcylic acid with brighten you pennies up in a few min to an hr... But only use this method if you HAVE to have copper looking pennies... This acis like any other acid removes metal...
Oxcylic acid can be found in rust, lime removers, and some bathroom cleaners...
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chant1970
Penny Sorter Member
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2009 : 20:02:36
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Taco Bell hot sauce will remove corrosion and leave shining copper in less than a minute. Do not use on valuable coins.
If I find a very dirty/grimy wheat I use liquid soap and rinse under running water.
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TXTim
Penny Hoarding Member
629 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2009 : 21:59:48
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quote:
Originally posted by chant1970
Taco Bell hot sauce will remove corrosion and leave shining copper in less than a minute. Do not use on valuable coins.
If I find a very dirty/grimy wheat I use liquid soap and rinse under running water.
Tabasco works really quick too. |
Beer is my currency. |
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Silver Surfer
Penny Pincher Member
USA
148 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2009 : 00:31:48
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| I've got some Texas Pete. Do you think that will work too? |
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busy-bodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis |
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CoinHunter53562
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1805 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2009 : 00:39:55
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| If you guys want a product to clean the green stuff (verdigris) off of copper cents, try doing a google search of Verdi-Gone. On, another coin forum that I participate on, many many members swear by that stuff. It's not a copper cleaner per se, it's a copper conservation fluid. From what I understand, the verdigris is an active form of corrosion slowly eating away at the copper. If you want a specific link the site with feedback, PM me. |
My hobby: collecting real money 1 copper cent or nickel at a time.
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2cents
Penny Sorter Member
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2009 : 10:48:05
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I bought a bunch of rolls of '59 cents on ebay.
They WERE BU in plastic tubes. But they had corroded so badly that you couldn't even get them out of the tubes.
The seller was honest and described them accurately.
There were hardly any bids. I got them for way less than face value.
I tried a couple of methods to salvage them.
What finally worked was a vinegar soak to loosen them from the tubes.
Then a second vinegar bath in fresh vinegar.
When I could see them gleaming like BU, I rinsed them a cup at a time under the facet, being careful to not let the air touch them.
Then I immediately dried them in a series of bath towels.
Again I was careful not to let the air touch them, until they were completely dry.
This was a number of months ago. I have the coins in ziplock bags. And they ARE BU ! ! !
No one could ever tell they were cleaned.
I know cleaning circulated copper coins gives them an obvious tell-tale appearance.
But I now know that cleaning corroded BU copper coins can be done.
And I even have the plastic tubes to re-use !
Good Hoarding ! |
2cents |
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2cents
Penny Sorter Member
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2009 : 11:03:49
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I forgot to add some useful information.
The cents were put in the tubes with a little crunched up piece of aluminum foil at the end of each tube.
I think this worsened the corrosion drastically.
I remember something that I think is called electrolysis.
That is when you contact two different types of metal together (i.e. copper and aluminum),you get a reaction. In this case it was corosion. |
2cents |
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n/a
deleted
478 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2009 : 12:21:07
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| Ketchup works good. I'm serious. |
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TXTim
Penny Hoarding Member
629 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2009 : 21:07:15
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quote:
Originally posted by 2cents
I forgot to add some useful information.
The cents were put in the tubes with a little crunched up piece of aluminum foil at the end of each tube.
I think this worsened the corrosion drastically.
I remember something that I think is called electrolysis.
That is when you contact two different types of metal together (i.e. copper and aluminum),you get a reaction. In this case it was corosion.
Galvonic corrosion. The copper will draw from the aluminum. |
Beer is my currency. |
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n/a
deleted
42 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2009 : 07:51:20
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| I sent some really bad pennies (zincs) I got from some rolls back to the mint! I'm hoping they will send me a couple rolls of the new design.Mutilated coin devision. They will want your SSN if you try this. |
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mingusdew
Penny Sorter Member
64 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2009 : 15:44:46
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| You can also use regular Coca Cola, but I don't think that works as quickly (or as well on the dirtier pennies) as the vinegar method. |
If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.
-Theodore Roosevelt
Fortune favors the informed. |
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2cents
Penny Sorter Member
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 04/23/2009 : 11:25:04
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I have also tried the vinegar soak method a couple of times on circulated copper cents that were partially corroded.
I didn't leave them in long, just enough to get rid of the corrosion but leave most of the patina.
I didn't go all the way to a bright shine.
I rinsed them and dried them well.
They looked pretty good when they were done, still having a nice patina.
They didn't look cleaned.
I am not sure if this stops the corrosion totally or just slows it.
Maybe some of the experts out there can answer that question, i.e. if you soak in vinegar removing the visible signs of corrosion, then rinse well and dry well, does it stop the corrosion?
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2cents |
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biglouddrunk
Penny Pincher Member
138 Posts |
Posted - 04/23/2009 : 14:55:01
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| Put them in toilet bowl cleaner for a few seconds. The rinse it should strip the gunk and leave the copper just as long as it's not in for too long. |
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n/a
deleted
54 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2009 : 07:28:50
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I've cleaned large amounts of 'coppers' with the vinegar and salt method and I've done so for years. I do it the quickest way I know how; I place a couple hundred coppers in a glass pyrex dish, pour vinegar in the container until they are covered. I then heavily sprinkle salt over the lot. Swish everything around and then pull them out of the mixture and into a colonder in the sink (rinse with water, pat dry). I continue to place coppers in the vinegar and pour fresh salt on each batch.....
I take it one step further with a vibro case tumbler used by reloaders. I can have the coppers shiny and almost BU to put in my elongated rolling machines. |
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How to clean copper pennies
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