How to clean and properly clean coins at home?

Not only collectors, but also ordinary people are sometimes faced with the need to clean coins from rust in order to give them a more presentable look. Cleaning coins at home is simple and affordable, you only need to follow the basic rules for performing technical manipulations. For the refinement of old products from expensive metals, covered with a dense layer of oxide, in the absence of proper experience, it is better to contact professionals. You can do this yourself, but first you have to understand the existing methods of exposure to various materials and choose the best tool.

Universal coin cleaning techniques

All variants of the approach to cleaning coins are conventionally divided into four groups: chemical and mechanical effects, cooking, electrolysis. These directions are selected depending on the nature and intensity of pollution, the type of metal being processed, the desired result.

How to clean coins with chemicals?

• Solvents of oxide and other undesirable plaque can be ammonia, soda, soap, and laundry detergent. A good result gives exposure to vinegar, citric or hydrochloric acid. True, the last remedy must be used very carefully. To do this, use a special bath, which is filled with the composition and immersed there objects. Then, alkali treatment is mandatory to neutralize the reaction.
• To remove dirt from most coins, you can use a soap solution. For example, if you need to clean 10 rubles from a slight coating, you just need to immerse the item in a solution of soap and warm water for 2-3 hours. This technique is suitable even for bimetallic specimens of 10 rubles, which are quite demanding of the approach. In the case of heavy raid, you just need to extend the exposure time to a day. To fix the gloss, clean coins are washed with a dishwashing detergent.
• Alkaline cleaning. Thus, copper coins or silver items can be cleaned, but only low samples. Soda simply needs to be diluted with a small amount of water until a slurry forms, which is applied to the coin. After a few minutes, the product begins to act, and you can begin to surface treatment with a soft brush.
• Exposure to citric acid and vinegar. An option for hard metals, it is often used for coins and products from bronze, steel. It is able to get rid of the most resistant rust and dense salt deposits. A bath is prepared from citric acid and soda, into which a coin is lowered. The aggressive component can be replaced with vinegar. Before processing valuable items, it is recommended to check the concentration of the product, you can lower 10 rubles into it and look at the result. If nothing bad happened, proceed to processing.

Tip

Quite aggressive treatment options with vinegar and citric acid are not recommended for products from precious metals. Gold, silver and even copper can change color under their influence.

• Ammonia treatment. Using this reagent, silver coins, copper and its alloys are often cleaned. You just need to lower the product into a clean product and after a while check the impact quality. If necessary, the approach is repeated.It is important to take into account the specifics of working with ammonia and make sure that the room is well ventilated.
• The most dangerous, but very effective approach is electrolysis. A coin under a layer of rust or dirt is placed in a slightly salted solution, where electric current is supplied. Even the most persistent dirt can be removed in a period of half an hour to 3-4 hours, but it is better to leave the technique to professionals.
• Mechanical restoration. Contaminants are removed using special tools. Brushes, fabric cuts, scalpels, needles, and even drills can be used. This approach allows you to get rid of any dirt, but there is a risk of damaging the surface of the subject. First you’ll have to work out the necessary skills, for this it is recommended to practice on a not so expensive coin, for example, 10 rubles.
• Digestion. The products are placed in boiling olive or liquid paraffin for 10 minutes, then washed with soap and water and brushed. At the end of the approach, the coins are boiled in distilled water.

Features of the approach to the processing of coins from different metals

Cleaning coins from gold should not be aggressive. It must be ensured that embossing on the surface of the product is not affected in the process. The best option is to treat items with a warm soapy solution. It is worth considering that even processing with a cloth can cause small scratches on the surface of the metal.

Cleaning silver coins begins with an assessment of the quality of the product, the installation of the sample. High-quality items can be cleaned with a weak solution of ammonia, boiling and exposure to a soft brush are allowed. Minor local oxidations are removed with a mixture of toothpaste, ammonia and soda. Green coins of low sample are treated with Trilon B.

Aggressive copper coin cleaning from traces of oxidation, dirt and rust is carried out only if there is corrosion on the surface. To eliminate the dense layer, treatment with citric acid or vinegar is allowed, but the effect should be local and very accurate. Before cleaning copper coins, they need to be washed in a soapy solution, this will eliminate the layer of fat.

Aluminum products are coated with plaque to protect against permanent oxidation. Cleaning of aluminum coins is carried out only if they need to be sold or displayed. In this case, you can use ammonia, borax or a very weak solution of citric acid.

When cleaning bronze products, it should be borne in mind that metal can change its color to brown and even black under the influence of ammonia. Using toothpaste, you can restore the brilliance of bronze, you just need to gently rub the surface of the product and rinse it off with warm water. Drying of processed bronze products is carried out in a soft cloth or paper towel, otherwise the metal will fade.

Additional types of cleaning old coins with patina preservation

The most reasonable option in this case is to turn to a professional. Incorrect actions, together with traces of oxide, can remove the patina so valuable on old coins. If the cleaning is still carried out at home, it is worth trying one of the following options.

1. Bathtub made from laundry soap. Pour boiling water into a plastic bath, pour the grated brown laundry soap and wait until the composition thickens. Then we put coins in it and leave for a day or even two. Then we take out the objects and wipe them with a soft cloth. Repeat if necessary.
2. Caustic bath. Dissolve a bag of sodium in half a liter of cold distilled water. We put in the composition of the coin with tweezers. Cleaning takes no more than 10 minutes. Then the items are removed and washed in water.

The cleaning process will have to be constantly monitored so as not to spoil the product. It is necessary to respond to any unexpected changes in the working surface.For example, if traces of oxide suddenly change color and turn blue or green, it is better to interrupt the manipulation, rinse the item and consult a specialist.