Electrolysis Questions?

[N.J.THer]

I just had a friend build me an electrolysis setup. I know it is easy but I have this fear of tinkering with electronics so I never got around to building one. Last night was my first experiments with the system and I really like it. I cleaned up a large cent that had almost no details visible and it turned out to be a 1817 LC then I cleaned up a 1965 2 Center which really made the details pop.

I do have a few questions:

1. Are there any types of coins I should not use the system on? Coppers seem to work really well but I have not tried it on silver or nickels.

2. Should I clean the coin in one sitting or does anyone do electrolysis in combination with the peroxide method?

3. I've been using just salt in the water but I've read that lemon juice may help. Is there any reason why I would not want to add lemon juice?

4. I've seen people clean up cannon balls and the such. My setup has alligator clips. How do you attach the system so something that is round? Is there a special setup/adjustment that I need to make?

5. Is there anytime in general that I should not use this system on a find?

Feel free to add any additional comments especially if I'm missing something major.

Thanks in advance for your help.

NJ

 

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[Eu_citzen]

Hello! I'll answer those I can:

1. I have used it on Silver, copper. With good success.
Nickel, kopper & Nickel with little to no difference. (probably did not sit in long enough)

2. Never tried peroxide, I use it mainly on coins/objects my other cleaning methods can't touch; like silver coins that are completely black. I have used baking powder after the electrolysis and no problems there anyways.

3. I think it works better with lemon juice, but thats me. (vinegar works also)

4. I only used on coins so I can't help.

5. Only when the coin is valuable, it can destroy the value. Other then that I am not aware of any...

 

[BuckleBoy]

I never use electrolysis on coins.  The results are usually pitting and destruction of them.  The only exception might be silver coins that have been in Salt Water--although I would imagine that there is probably an acid which will remove the crust from those, yet leave the silver.

I use the peroxide method on copper coins.


Ground-Found silver coins here in the states seldom need much in terms of cleaning.  If they are oxidized, some folks use baking soda and water to remove that oxidation--but this is a Bad choice for any coin that is valuable.  Valuable or high-grade old silver coins (that haven't been nicked during recovery or field-cleaned (i.e. scratched!) should be sent in to be conserved. 


Best Wishes,



Buckleboy

 

[Eu_citzen]

Yep BuckleB is right, the silver coin I mentioned was from salt water. Could have mentioned that.
I tried plain Vinegar on that one for 2 weeks, nothing! (oxide layer was several mm thick)

Probably there is a acid, I have no idea.


Best for getting of light oxidization I think is a tumbler with sawdust and a polishing compound. (I use rock polish, for those modern coins)

 

[N.J.THer]

Thanks guys...I've been electrolysis crazy since picking it up last night. I figured I would use it on the old crusty coins that have no value in the condition they are...I like to see if I can figure out what they are.

Buckle - I'll have to watch for the pitting you mentioned. The Large Cent I did was pitted but I pretty sure that was from being in the ground not the electrolysis. The coin was in very sad shape to begin with. It looks like someone tried to cut it a few times. I did not notice any pitting on the 2 center I tried it on.

Thanks again guys.

NJ

 

[lumbercamp]

When I clean round items or iron too large to attach the alligator clip to, I wrap copper wire around it, then attach the clip to the wire.

 

[woody50]

I just had a friend build me an electrolysis setup. I know it is easy but I have this fear of tinkering with electronics so I never got around to building one. Last night was my first experiments with the system and I really like it. I cleaned up a large cent that had almost no details visible and it turned out to be a 1817 LC then I cleaned up a 1965 2 Center which really made the details pop.

I do have a few questions:

1. Are there any types of coins I should not use the system on? Coppers seem to work really well but I have not tried it on silver or nickels.

2. Should I clean the coin in one sitting or does anyone do electrolysis in combination with the peroxide method?

3. I've been using just salt in the water but I've read that lemon juice may help. Is there any reason why I would not want to add lemon juice?

4. I've seen people clean up cannon balls and the such. My setup has alligator clips. How do you attach the system so something that is round? Is there a special setup/adjustment that I need to make?

5. Is there anytime in general that I should not use this system on a find?

Feel free to add any additional comments especially if I'm missing something major.

Thanks in advance for your help.

NJ

Hello NJ...
I have used electrolysis for some time, really only on materials like iron and silver, for copper bronze or brass items I use the olive oil method first.
Also use olive oil for other materials like silver. See my remarks by Todays finds, 1875 Shield Nickle.

But there are times when I use electrolysis, especially to remove rust from iron. That is an other story to tell, iron is hard to do good. Also sometimes for silver coins, some of them coming out deep in the soil here in Holland are pretty bad, and using electrolysis cleans them nicely.

Electrolysis could remove any patina on the object, so if something has a good patina don't use that. I live in Holland and because the soil or ground here is always damp or wet, metals left deep in the soil get a nice patina on them. Also other times, such as glass get a beautiful patina on them. A PATINA always makes the object much more valuable and rare. So don't remove that. But funny is that some objects come out with a great patina and others encrusted in a crust and pretty bad off.

But if it's say a modern coin that you want to clean up you can use electrolysis to clean it. Yes you must be carefull with the gasses that come off, always ventilate or do it outdoors. The gasses are poisonous. And the water when you are finished is too.

OK, that out of the way, how does your system work? You don't describe it too much, so I can only describe my system. I use a very simple system, the container with the water is just a plastic food container that you get with take away food.

I do not use salt for my conductor, or lemon juice. I used to use salt, but it does not clean as good as what I now use, and it makes much more gunk in the water. I visited the Archaeology center in Amsterdam a few months ago and was told not to use salt or lemon juice, but instead to use, don't get shocked, caustic soda. I have tried it now on everything that I needed to clean up and it worked beautifully. After cleaning I always soak the item in distilled water for a short time (not deionized water). I use in my small food container only a few grains of the soda.

The soda has improved my cleaning very much, and so to see does not damage the item at all. The water is becomes very soft to the touch.

Important: Only use one setup of water and soda for the same type of material. This even with using other electrolytes like salt.
So only clean the same type of material in the same water. Iron, Silver or copper apart.

My set consists of the food container, a small power supply where I can adjust the voltage and current, a pair alligator clips - Stainless steel, and I normally use a small piece of good quality of stainless steel for the Anode(+). When I fill the container I use warm normal tap water.

The trick is to take your time, go easy with everything and don't rush the job. To achieve this I set my small power supply (NOT TURNED ON) to 30 volts, and turn the current to 0. After connecting everything up (also the cathode (-) to the object, and immersing it in the water, I turn on the power supply and gradually increase the current to somewhere between 100ma to 300ma. Mostly I use 100ma, that's enough.

I know people that also use instead of the power supply just a normal 9v battery, but then you don't have any control over the speed of the operation.

For instance a silver coin I turn it on, and let it on for about 5 minutes, take it out, clean it and return it to the process, then wait a few more minutes and clean again and just repeat. For very bad encrustations I use a longer period of time. I don't speed up the process. Most of the time after even 5 minutes at 100ma the crust just floats off with a little help.

This the the method I use. Iron and silver come out great with this method for me. I hope I have helped. I know there are many others who disagree with electrolysis, and I only use it when necessary, but sometimes it is the only way to go.

 

[N.J.THer]

Thanks Woody....some great info there.

NJ