Amarmur Posted September 1 · Member Share Posted September 1 I recently purchased some Sodium Thiosulfate cleaning solution to work on some horn silver. I got a few awesome ancients I'm not trying to ruin. Any idea how the process works? Should I even bother trying to improve them or are they a lost cause? Thanks! This topic undoubtably was already covered probably many times lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romismatist Posted September 1 · Member Share Posted September 1 @Roerbakmix seems to have posted the best approaches that I have seen. Based on the coins you've shown, I think sodium thiosulphate would probably help improve their appearance somewhat. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvk Posted September 1 · Member Share Posted September 1 Be aware of the risks before you clean your coins using this method. While horn silver can easily be removed from the surface of a coin, there is no telling how deep the corrosion is, and whether cleaning the coin will reveal pitting underneath the surface. Sodium thiosulfate on silver is completely safe though. Based on the wear of some of the coins I would worry about how deep the horn silver is and if the risk is worth it. I would maybe consider the Aurelius Denarii because it has good detail that removing the horn silver would accentuate. But you never really know. I recently cleaned this Denarii using several treatments of sodium thiosulfate. The process: Boil 100ml of water Pour water into a very small bowl Mix 1 tablespoon of sodium thiosulfate into the bowl Drop the coin in Take a picture of the coin Let the coin soak for 30 minutes to an hour (longer the better) Coin will start to turn gray (this is normal and can be rinsed off) Take a picture of the coin before removing it Pour distilled water into a larger bowl Rinse coin in bowl of distilled water. Rub with fingers, and, optionally a soft toothbrush. Repeat the process of soaking and rinsing at least 4-5 times until satisfied. If the horn silver is not coming off at this point then you have a few choices: Repeat soaking process. During the rinsing process using a soft toothbrush and a wooden toothpick to carefully remove large deposits. Repeat soaking process. During the rinsing process use something lightly abrasive with the soft toothbrush (such as baking soda). 4 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roerbakmix Posted September 1 · Member Share Posted September 1 In addition to @rvk's walk through, I just re-uploaded my 'how to clean silver coins' PDF again. 4 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alegandron Posted September 2 · Supporter Share Posted September 2 I have only had one AE coin cleaned, and it was a coin friend that used a new proprietary solution. Worked GREAT! Otherwise, this works every time for me! 😄 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasiel Posted September 2 · Member Share Posted September 2 Have you tried the lazy man's approach? Put your coin on a piece of aluminum foil then pour a little heated salt water and fold the foil over the coin for a few seconds (then rinse). Rasiel 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amarmur Posted Tuesday at 12:49 AM · Member Author Share Posted Tuesday at 12:49 AM Progress on the coins. There is some progress on the horn silver but not as much as I would have liked. I cleaned up the obverse of the Domitian a bit but the sludge remains. The Aurelius looks like he hasn't washed his hair in a month. There are dark black spots. Question if I see very shiny areas when I tilt the coin does that mean I should stop and is it going to be over cleaned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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