Electrolysis - Cleaning Coins and Relics - Tips and Tricks

[@genedavis759]

Well done for explaining the process.

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Thanks for watching!

[@Ants1973]

Great video cheers

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@MrPaulie1456]

Great Vid Steve, thanks for sharing.

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Cheers mate! Thanks for watching’

[@mandybrown7758]

Very interesting Great video Thanks for sharing

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Thanks for watching!

[@elcommandanteskalar]

Thank you for the useful video 👍

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@eagreen123]

Nice tutorial, just one thing to add: No need to worry about touching the live wires. 12V will not do anything to you, you cant even feel it. In general, direct current up to 60V and alternating current up to 25V is safe to touch.

[@eagreen123]

ah, one more thing: Electrolysis on such a small scale in a normal sized room is probably no issue, but you should still open a window or at best put your electrolysis bath in front of an open window to vent out the hydrogen. if you do this in a very small an badly ventilated space and forget about it it is possible to get the hydrogen content in the air high enough to have an explosive mixture.

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

I agree that it’s absolutely fine to touch the live wires with 12VDC - I was just being ultra cautious because as a general rule, it’s good practice to disconnect from power when working on anything electrical…

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Yep - I should have mentioned working in a well ventilated area - forgot that tip…

[@1969longshanks]

Just found your channel ❤

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Welcome, and thanks for watching!

[@TheCoffeeBushKid]

Nice going Steve. Good video. I found I had to clean my post 46 silvers in CLR or the copper would bleed and give the silver coins a coppery tinge. Take care mate 😁👍

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Thanks CBK - That’s a good tip about the CLR, thanks for sharing! I’ll give it a go and do some comparisons.

[@danblankenship5744]

Have you played with different sacrificial metals (Magnesium, Zinc, Aluminum, Iron, and Steel are the common metals)?

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

I have tried aluminium, steel and iron, but not magnesium or zinc. I’m still experimenting, but aluminium seems to give the most consistent results. I’d like to find out if any of the sacrificial metals cause discolouration of the object being cleaned.

[@howardfierke8381]

Why does it not short out ?

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Technically I guess it is shorting out. However the voltages (and amperages) involved are too low to cause any kind of issues, and the flow of current results in the electrolysis process, which is what we want.

[@Working925detecting]

Well done Steve, I've done a bit of electrolysis myself on coins very effective. The way you explained it all was very well done and easy to follow. I have found after electrolysis however the verdigris does come back, have you found a way to preserve or seal the coin so this doesn't happen? Cheers mate.

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

It's a common problem, but unfortunately there's no foolproof method to prevent verdigris from returning completely. I’m still on the lookout for a solution. For me, it’s mostly about identifying those really badly corroded coins.

[@jeffholmes1362]

Great job, personally I like my silver, shiny silver. With the copper, it’s done well on an unrecognisable coin, but how do you protect it from developing coin cancer after?

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Good question - I’m still looking for an answer to that. It’s probably a case of finding a clear product that seals the coin and stops the oxidisation process.

[@stephenmaas8775]

Cheers mate!

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Thanks for watching!

[@stephenmaas8775]

Can I ask you.. would I be able to use a 21v laptop charger cable? also how many coins would one bath of salt do, do you keep topping up salt or do you throw the water out and make a fresh

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

21vdc power supply would be fine. I usually do 3-4 coins in one bath, and then discard the water and replace with a new mix. The water gets discoloured quite quickly, but it’s ok to use for several sessions. No matter what combination of power supply and solution you use, the main thing is to check the progress often to ensure you don’t “overcook” the coin and discolour it etc.

[@robtucker1695]

Thanks mate !

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

You're welcome - enjoy cleaning!

[@roymanewell4958]

they used to be a product called verdi gree gone it got rid of the green crap on copper and bronze coins but allso it will put the colour back into the over cleaned copper coin,dont know if its still for sale i have some left from years ago,but basicly you want something that will colour your coin.try somekind of dye maybe hair colour,would be fun to ask the missus next time shes applicating.......

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

Interesting! I’ll have a look around to see if it can still be purchased - it sounds like the perfect cleaner for copper and brass coins!

[@CCK_PRODUCTIONS]

I've always been told that when you clean a coin, it takes away most of its value.

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

As a general rule, that is true. These coins have no value to begin with, so there’s nothing to lose. As mentioned in the video, I ONLY do this to badly corroded coins so I can identify them.

[@serialcoins]

You have damaged these coins. I suppose they are only worth practicing on probably. Best only do this on Roman coins.

[@coilsandcoinsdetecting]

They were already more damaged than anything I could do to them, so only really interested in identifying them.