Should I Clean All My Metal Detecting Finds

Fifty-fifty a bullheaded squirrel finds a nut every one time in a while.  Hopefully, by now, your odds are better than that of our sightless, furry friend.  Whether y'all're a collector or a seller, information technology'due south important to know when it's appropriate to clean your finds, how to make clean them, and how to preserve them.  Sometimes, cleaning a find can absolutely destroy the item and any potential value associated with it.  Other times, cleaning a detect volition enhance the visual appeal and increase the value tenfold.  Knowing when to tamper with your finds or leave them be is a fine line to walk.  In this month's blog I'll let you lot in on some trade secrets used to clean coins and other artifacts that you lot've dug.

Warning!:  If you have recovered a coin or artifact of true rarity, please consult a professional person before attempting to make clean the item yourself.  These tips and techniques are designed for utilize on mutual, everyday items of little to no celebrated significance or monetary value.

Silver
Silver coins that have been in or on the footing for a long time have a trend to larn a blackish tarnish.  The blackish tarnish is the result of hydrogen sulfide.  Because silver coins have 10 percent copper in them, they can likewise develop a greenish, hard corrosion.  This is from the copper leaching out of the coin.  Whatever type of corrosion/tarnish your silver coin displays, it'southward important to acknowledge but how easily silver coins scratch.  One time a silver money is recovered from the earth, it will no doubt have soil stuck to it.  Do not rub the coin to remove the annoying soil!  This will result in scratches all over your coin.  Instead, deport some water with you to rinse the surface clean of whatsoever abrasive material.  I use my CamelBak Hydration Pack to rinse my coins.  I have friends that carry a small spray bottle to get the job washed.  If the quick rinse doesn't remove all of the potentially abrasive material, moisture the coin over again and lightly dab the money with your not-gloved finger while pouring water over it.  Repeat this until the coin is gratis of abrasive materials.  To remove blackish tarnish build-up on silvery coins, I normally give them a gentle rub in between my pollex and index finger.  Make sure that all of the annoying material has been removed before attempting this method.  If your silverish coin is corroded to the extent that none of the in a higher place has worked, it's time to get out the 'Zapper'!

Electrolysis
The Zapper, as I call information technology, is what I utilize to clean coins that contain the nearly stubborn dirt and/or corrosion.  When used correctly, it's a great choice for coins of potential value.  Electrolysis is the process of using a straight electric current to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction.  Instead of getting to the specifics, allow me to merely give you the rundown.  Electrolysis strips microscopic layers of metal off of your coin while removing the corrosion and tarnish with it.  Sounds awful, doesn't it?  Well, it can exist if y'all get out your coin in too long or if you're using also much electricity.  It's of import to utilise extremely low voltages in curt increments.

You lot tin can buy your electrolysis kit or y'all tin can make your ain.  Before you start, make certain that you're in a well-ventilated surface area and nowhere near an open up flame, as one of the by-products of electrolysis is hydrogen gas.  Hither's how you make your own electrolysis kit:

Supplies:

• one-time cell phone charger between 6 and 12 volts
• cherry alligator clip
• electrical tape or splicers
• blackness alligator clip
• i tablespoon baking soda or non-iodized salt
• iii cups warm water
• Tupperware container
• a piece of pure carbon (Carbon electric motor brushes work great. Some people will use stainless steel instead of pure carbon. This can produce extremely toxic by-products and should be avoided at all cost!)

Directions:

1. Cut the end of your prison cell phone charger off (make sure information technology's not plugged in, Genius), exposing the positive and negative wires.
2. Attach a crimson alligator clip to the positive wire (anode), leaving the alligator clamp costless to grip your carbon or other catalyst metal.  Hint: Your positive wire is ordinarily marked with a white stripe.  Attach the black alligator clip to the negative wire (cathode) leaving the alligator clench free to grip your money or antiquity.  Hint: Information technology's the other wire.  It's usually black with no other markings.  If yous're not sure which wire is positive/negative, you tin use a multi-meter (refer to your multi-meter'southward transmission).  If you don't have a multi-meter (or if you don't know what one is), there's yet hope.  Finish constructing the unit of measurement and submerge the alligator clips in the electrolysis solution. With the clips submerged and the unit plugged in, the negative side should beginning fizzing and producing small bubbling.  This will exist the side that yous adhere your money to.
3. Use electrical tape or splicers to cover your connections and so you don't have any exposed wire when y'all're done.
4. Take one tablespoon of blistering soda or non-iodized salt and add together it to nearly 3 cups of warm water. Mix it until it'south completely dissolved.
5. Pour the concoction into your Tupperware container. I like to employ 1 that's about x" x 6" and about 3" deep.
6. Attach the positive (red) alligator clip to the carbon (catalyst metal). Submerge the carbon into the solution simply DO Not LET THE POSITIVE ALLIGATOR CLIP (Crimson) TOUCH THE SOLUTION. is will result in destruction of the clip and discoloration of your coin or artifact. Besides, make sure your carbon and your coin are on opposite sides of the container. If they're as well shut or touching, they'll arch and can destroy your coin or artifact.
7. Using the negative prune (black), clasp onto the coin or artifact and submerge it into the solution. The negative alligator clip tin exist submerged in the solution without affecting your coin or clip. Be conscientious not to scratch the surface of your coin or artifact with the alligator prune. It might fifty-fifty be a good thought to file downwardly the teeth on the negative alligator clip to avoid scratching your treasures.
8. At present, cover your individual parts and plug the sucker in!

If you did it right, you're still alive and y'all're starting to see pocket-sized bubbles forming on your money.  If the bubbles don't develop over the course of a minute or two, unplug the unit and bandy the clips around every bit y'all probably had it hooked up backwards.  It's not recommended that yous bear upon the water or any of the attached exposed metal parts of the unit/coin/carbon while the unit is plugged in.  Doing so could upshot in getting amused to death by electricity (although that's the worst-case scenario).  Y'all'll most likely just get a little zap.

Nickel
I'll tell you lot right now that nickels are going to be the worst-looking coins that you'll dig.  They come out extremely corroded and typically showroom a heavy, nighttime-scarlet patina.  In minor cases, an overnight soak in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, or whatever other acidic solution will remove corrosion.  In cases of heavy corrosion (virtually cases), removing the corrosion volition betrayal pitting of the coin.  Leaving a heavily corroded nickel for an extended amount of fourth dimension in an acidic solution will non just expose pitting, it will also destroy the luster of the coin, leaving you lot with a dull-looking, pitted nickel.  My preferred method of cleaning nickels (I tin hear the screaming already) is an SOS pad and a little warm water.  Something nearly the lite gauge steel wool injected with Ajax merely peels the corrosion o of nickels and can really shine them up.  Nickel is a pretty difficult metal, and it takes a lot to get out visible scratches on it.  Again, not something you'd desire to practice to a key date coin, but if yous're looking to create a little contrast to make the money legible, this might be for you.

Warning!:  The SOS method volition absolutely destroy other coin denominations and should only be used on nickels.

Some other Alarm!:  This method should never exist used on "war nickels" minted between 1941 and 1945.  These war nickels were minted during WWII and used a mixture of twoscore percentage silver in an effort to salve nickel for the war the efforts.  The improver of the silverish in these coins makes them softer and more susceptible to scratches, and thus, the SOS pad cleaning method should be avoided on these coins.

Copper
For the most part, I clean my copper coins by letting them soak in olive oil for a few days, wiping off the crud, and so repeating the process.  Take extreme intendance when deciding whether or non to clean former, crusty colonial coppers.  In most cases, in one case the corrosion is removed, the detail will come with it.  Try using a small wooden toothpick to gently remove the clay, followed by a light coating of Renaissance Wax to exaggerate contrast and preserve integrity.  Electrolysis tin also be used on coppers, but can result in removing corrosion that contains detail or a alter in the colour of the patina.  Apply of electrolysis on colonial coppers should be limited to 30-2d durations.

Be sure to bank check out my book "The Metallic Detecting Bible" available here: https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Detecting-Bible-Helpful-Treasures/dp/1612435270

Cheers for tuning in. We'll meet yous next fourth dimension!

Happy Hunting!

Brandon Neice

Source: https://www.minelab.com/community/treasure-talk/how-to-clean-and-preserve-your-finds

Posted by: howardkinty1949.blogspot.com

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