should i attempt to clean old copper?

[normalnovice]

I just found two old coppers. one 1736 george II half penny and an 1809 half cent. these are both patinaed and still a little dirty. i'm slightly afraid to clean them. any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

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[GrizLeeBear]

Use very mild soap and water to remove dirt only. Never polish them in any way. Any type of polish will lower value.

 

[normalnovice]

would you recommend using any sort of cloth to wash them or just my hands?

 

[GrizLeeBear]

I use a soft toothbrush on coins that are worn. On quality coins I use an Ultrasonic Jewelery cleaner I got at Amazon for about $25. You can dry with a micro-fiber cloth. I mat dry without rubbing.

 

[Rigo]

I agree with GrizLee.

 

[waseeker]

just run water over them to remove dirt. Do not attempt to remove the patina. As mentioned above, pat them dry, don't rub them. If there is still dirt in the letters and date you can remove it with a thorn from a rose bush. that technique is used by lots of early copper collectors. Just do it gently. For long term preservation you can clean the surfaces with a solvent called xyol (sp) applied using a qtip with a wooden stick (not plastic as the solvent will melt it), which evaporates very quickly. Then apply a small layer of a copper preservative such as blue ribbon.

 

[normalnovice]

thank you for the great advice

 

[Silver Searcher]

A good electric grinder will do the job

SS

 

[smeagher]

Someone told me to use liquid wrench. Have not done it yet. I have used WD40

 

[Iron Patch]

Don't know, but do you think I should refinish this antique chair? It's Victorian, a bit dusty, but I'm not sure what to do.

 

[sagittarius98]

Someone told me to use liquid wrench. Have not done it yet. I have used WD40

Don't do it.

 

[normalnovice]

if it has the original finish i'd say to strip it and paint it teal or hot pink. that style is in right now.

 

[jerseyben]

Someone told me to use liquid wrench. Have not done it yet. I have used WD40

Please don't.

 

[hogge]

Don't know, but do you think I should refinish this antique chair? It's Victorian, a bit dusty, but I'm not sure what to do.

Strip ALL the old finish off first. Probably looks like hell. Sand the whole thing down......then poly it with 3 coats. Then lightly sand it. Make it look like brand new!

 

[hogge]

Someone told me to use liquid wrench. Have not done it yet. I have used WD40

My brother in law has used brake cleaner. Shines 'em up real nice!

 

[TheTeapot]

Soap and water at the most. NEVER use any chemicals as it ruins the coin.

 

[stefen]

I just found two old coppers. one 1736 george II half penny and an 1809 half cent. these are both patinaed and still a little dirty. i'm slightly afraid to clean them. any advice is greatly appreciated.

Whether you keep the coins or want to sell them, GrizLeeBear is correct...

Use a mild soap and rinse with water to remove dirt only and never polish in any way.

 

[hogge]

Guys! Go to the "Cleaning and Preservation" section in this forum. Buckleboy has a great cleaning method for coins and relics. Don in SJ, along with myself, tend to use the heated peroxide method. I only use mild soap and water on silver coins. You have to assess the patina and condition of copper before hand to see if it's worth it at all. Some are so far gone that it matters not. Soap and water on copper is definitely a DO NOT in my book. Olive oil is better than that. But it tends to stay and leak from the surface for some time afterwards. After I am happy with the peroxide, I will coat it with either olive oil or vaseline to bring out the detail.