Cazador shipwreck silver 8 Reales and Electrolysis

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

Here is another example of an silver 8 Reales encrusted shipwreck coin sent to us for restoration. In this case we used electrolysis to remove the encrustations.

I have a some-what fancy rig with an adjustable power supply and a pair of carbon graphite bars as anodes, as seen in the photos below. We use NRC Premium Electrolysis Mix for the solution.

The coin was 'zapped' for two hours at just one volt, removed and allowed to soak/rest in DW for 8 hours. This 'rest' time is important as during electrolysis the item's electrons get all excited and need to 'cool off'. (Oh yeah, that's scientific, isn't it?) After the eight-hour DW soak, I used a soft-bristle brass brush in a battery-powered Dremel tool under running water to gently remove the built up encrustations. At that point it was quite shiny. But, as the customer wanted it to have an aged appearance, we then soaked the coin in JAX Silver Blackener until it was, well, black (about 10 minutes, turning occasionally). Patted dry with a paper towel and baked it the oven for one hour at 200 degrees. Allowed to cool, then used a thick paste of baking soda on a cotton towel to remove the blackener from the surface highlights, leaving the open fields dark.

Best regards,

Kevin