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Thread: Copper cleaning

  1. #21
    I missed this post, Dan. Wow. I need you to teach me how to do this. I have only had a few coins come out good after toothpick-ing. Maybe I need to invest in a Jeweler's loop for this. I was thinking at some point I should get a magnifier with better magnification than the current one I have. And with LED instead of incandescent.. Daylight LED shows a true color vs a yellow light. Great job on those.
    Future goals: Capped bust coin, Flowing hair LC, Classic head LC, VT copper, MA copper, Pistareen, Two-cent pc, SLQ, GW inaugural button, Excelsior button, Civil war token, and a gold ring.



  2. #22
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    Silver can be dirty or stained with rust or other and be stubborn to come clean . This seated quarter looks pretty good right out of the ground but soapy water only removed the loose dirt but wouldn't remove the dark stain from the upper shoulders , head and stars area of lady liberty and that same stain was on the extreme lower portion below the eagle's talons from olive branch to arrows on the reverse. The diluted CLR with water removes the stain almost completely yet retains the coin's natural "aged silvery grey". I'f I kept using the CLR I probably could of completely removed the stain all together but it is much less noticeable .
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  3. #23
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    This copper was unrecognizable when I first dug it and after I got it home I had to wet it with water to see an image (that's when the first picture was taken) , I saw just a very brownish crud that seemed very thick and stubborn (more so than usual) when I used the tooth pick . The tooth pick took very little off and I saw no reddish exposed rough copper areas so I put it some cold peroxide to soak for about half hour . At which time I again tooth picked it and some of the crud came loose , then some more soaking. Another half hour and I had the crud off and I could see how worn smooth it truly was , then dried it off good and applied a coating of Ren-Wax . Then when the wax was dried I buffed it with a soft bristle brush .
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  4. #24
    By chance do you happen to have a picture of the dental tools you use when cleaning your copper coins? Thanks
    Hunt hard & Hunt safe!!!
    Robbie, Hamilton,Il
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  5. #25
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by geodehunter View Post
    By chance do you happen to have a picture of the dental tools you use when cleaning your copper coins? Thanks
    Hi geodehunter , the dental picks are only used as a last resort to remove the most stubborn and hardest of cruddy verdigris . Here are a few that I have used at those times and I prefer them to be a bit dull and not sharp . Thanks

    Dan
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  6. #26
    Wow Del, you are a master restorer for sure. If I find any largies or coppers on my trip I would definitely want to see your technique first hand.
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
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  7. #27
    Thank you for the picture and the info del I really appreciate it.
    Hunt hard & Hunt safe!!!
    Robbie, Hamilton,Il
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  8. #28
    Spectacular job with those coins! Too bad that we don't hardly have any of those in the ground here in Wisconsin that I could try that out on but great job


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  9. #29
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    A matron head large cent recently found Name:  april matron dirty.jpg
Views: 686
Size:  57.5 KBName:  april 1818 start cleaning.jpg
Views: 531
Size:  149.6 KBName:  april matron first cleaning.jpg
Views: 1444
Size:  124.6 KB before , partially cleaned and then initial cleaning complete ! now onto the "smoothing out the rough areas and then to waxing and preservation .
    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
    so don't expect it from cheap people"

    XP Deus II , DFX ,TDI sl -

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  10. #30
    I remember this thread Del, it's probably the most informative post ever on this forum. Thanks for bringing it up again. HH, Dave.
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  11. #31
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaddyDigger View Post
    I remember this thread Del, it's probably the most informative post ever on this forum. Thanks for bringing it up again. HH, Dave.
    Thanks Dave , I'll be adding more examples of coins as I find and clean them . This matron head was just found yesterday and once I have waxed or preserve it I'll follow up with a final picture.

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    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
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  12. #32
    You sir are an artist
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  13. #33
    Great info for a new detectorist. Thank you for an informative postings.

  14. #34
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    I'm a late bloomer when it comes to using a tumbler , but i have been doing a lot lately and have had some amazing results . Name:  tumbled military buttons.jpg
Views: 995
Size:  76.2 KB here are two military and patriotic/political button( left to right scripted "LA" artillery , a "Jacksonian era" patriotic eagle and an enlisted Navy reversed eagle with shield and anchor button ) all of these were so crusty and dirty to identify until some hours in the tumbler .

    These fancy buttons were nice finds but their looks were something to be desired until again some hours in a tumbler brought out their real beauty Name:  fancy button tumbled results.jpg
Views: 1478
Size:  118.0 KB now they are really appealing !


    shield nickels and even some two cent coins are just so rough and dirty but some gentle massaging with some small gravel and dish soap and they show off much nicer. Name:  coin tumbling results.jpg
Views: 1713
Size:  120.5 KB I wouldn't recommend all your finds to go into a tumbler but try some of your rougher items and you might be surprised with the results .

    Dan
    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
    so don't expect it from cheap people"

    XP Deus II , DFX ,TDI sl -

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  15. #35
    Great post. That bumblebee button may actually be something very special. It could be something political. I didn't know you had a reversed Navy button. It has the shank too. Not a commonly found button either.
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  16. #36
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Donnie B View Post
    Great post. That bumblebee button may actually be something very special. It could be something political. I didn't know you had a reversed Navy button. It has the shank too. Not a commonly found button either.
    many of those buttons were just to dirty to see designs on them , yeah i like the bubble bee one too. my backmark button to non backmark ratio is about 5 to 1 , i never thought so many more had backmarks to them
    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
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  17. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by del View Post
    many of those buttons were just to dirty to see designs on them , yeah i like the bubble bee one too. my backmark button to non backmark ratio is about 5 to 1 , i never thought so many more had backmarks to them
    Dan, is it safe for the shanks?
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  18. #38
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OxShoeDrew View Post
    Dan, is it safe for the shanks?
    Drew if the shank looks delicate then i would avoid tumbling the button , but loading the tumbler with a lot of buttons and gravel can cause some shanks to break from the shear the weight . I would use your best judgement on with some items and how much at a time to do.
    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
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  19. #39
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    here is a very badly worn copper Name:  April 11th matron just dug.jpg
Views: 212
Size:  101.4 KB, it was found in a continuous wet area in front of an old cellar site near the old road , you can clearly see the ruddy reddish areas around the edges of exposed copper metal. the coin was also noticeably thinner on one side of the edge than the other and I knew it wasn't in great shape so i made the decision to tumble the coin .Name:  April 11th matron tumbled.jpg
Views: 195
Size:  66.0 KBName:  April 11th matron tumbled reverse.jpg
Views: 237
Size:  79.1 KB
    Last edited by del; 04-13-2021 at 04:02 PM.
    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
    so don't expect it from cheap people"

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  20. #40
    Very unexpected and impressive results, Dan! It looks like the date is 1831? Did you use any kind of aggregate when you tumbled it?
    Lifetime totals:
    9 Large Cents, 415 Indian Heads, 2 Two Cent Pieces, 1 Capped Bust Half Dime, 1 Seated Half Dime, 10 Shield Nickels, 68 V Nickels, 124 Buffalo Nickels, 31 War Nickels, 16 Seated Dimes, 131 Barber Dimes, 405 Mercury Dimes, 249 Rosies, 4 Seated Quarters, 18 Barber Quarters, 19 Standing Liberty Quarters, 89 Silver Washingtons, 1 Seated Half, 3 Barber Halves, 16 Walking Liberty Halves

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