I have just finished this Venetian Soldi which was sent to me by Cro321, what a very interesting coin indeed. I did take my time on this one to release as much detail as possible, patience paid off.
Here are a few pics to show its process as usual.
As it came to me, total verdigris which had already disintegrated one edge.
So delicate in the flame, took quite a few passes as I did not want to over fire it to the point it might suddenly disintegrate, which is common for medieval hammered copper.
The appearance after its last fired pass to the point all verdigris was neutralised and it is ready to have the charred remains removed.
The end result which is taken under bright lighting to enhance the details for the camera (It isn't so shiny in hand). It took quite a while to carefully get it all off as most was fused to the coin, it was totally worth it.
It was a pleasure to do this one and was very rewarding at the end, this is why I do restoration/preservation work, such a great feeling after saving a coin in this condition.
I will be doing a few others over the next week, including some Zinc which will be a challenge.
Restoration addict : Verdigris Removal : Zinc White spot removal : Iron Rust Removal : Silver brooch/necklace mount Removal
I collect and deal in ancient Roman coin. In case you're looking for affordable ancient coins or need any help with the coins you already have send me a message.
Quote: "Hello There"Doesn't it damage the coin and reduces its value drastically?
The coins he treats are affected by verdigris (the green oxidation you get on copper) which will spread if left, so this is a preservation of the coin. It may not improve the value...but it certainly won't diminish it, and it ensures that the coin is not going to corrode away
Briefly, the purpose of conserving is to remove from a coin’s surface those contaminants which pose a threat to the coin’s integrity, and/or which may be impairing the ability to view the surface of the coin. Thus, the inherent characteristics of the coin are not changed, which is to say, the physical structure of the metal is not materially altered, but instead, matter foreign to the composition of the coin is removed, visually uncovering the unaltered coin. There is no material loss of the coin’s metallic content itself, only the loss of foreign matter lying between the coin’s surface and the source of observation (the viewer’s eye).
Those who believe they can do something and those who believe they can't are both right.
- Henry Ford
Oh, so my zinc arrived to you? I am glad it did, they are pretty damaged, so it should be fun. Keep in mind that you do not have to return those, they are discarded as junk.
Great job, that verdigris really chewed through that coin heavily.
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Quote: "Frenchlover"OK
I gonna try with this damaged coin
but ... what type of flame should I use ?
This one : or this moore powerful one ?
I hope not going to this extreme solution
Hi Sir...
You don't need any of those for this job. You can burn the coin simply on a home gas oven which is used for cooking in kitchen.
Don't burn the coin in 1step for too long.. burn partially with intervals, be patient and you will have a good result..
Best of luck....
Quote: "arvin11"Hi Sir...
You don't need any of those for this job. You can burn the coin simply on a home gas oven which is used for cooking in kitchen.
You make it sound like these are standard. I know one person who has one at home. I've just seen those in restaurants.
Quote: "Frenchlover"OK
I gonna try with this damaged coin
but ... what type of flame should I use ?
This one : or this moore powerful one ?
I hope not going to this extreme solution
3rd one, definitely the third one! But make sure you only use it in a small wooden shed
Quote: "Hello There"Doesn't it damage the coin and reduces its value drastically?
The value was already destroyed by the oxidation/verdigris, this is not cleaning the coin, it is removing the chance of further oxidation which would destroy the coin completely. The verdigris is burning up in the flame which is why it burns green, then I use processes to remove the charred remains to reveal whatever is left of the coin below the verdigris, then it is treated to stop it coming back. I never use chemicals or power tools, so to me I am simply restoring the coins natural surface and not cleaning.
copper/bronze Roman coins are the most reactive in flame, bright green but they sparkle and spit like a sparkler.
I am looking forward to doing the zinc after I get my hospital appointments out of the way this week, then I will be doing quite a few more which I will upload as usual. Zinc will indeed be a challenge due to low melting point, but I have done quite a few to date and I recognise the signs to get them out of the flame before they just drop out of the tongs into a blob on the work surface.
Stay tuned for more coming soon!
Restoration addict : Verdigris Removal : Zinc White spot removal : Iron Rust Removal : Silver brooch/necklace mount Removal
Lets see the test
2 sols 1792, 10 centimes 1897, 1 Penny George V, all full of verdigris
with my flame for "crème brulée"
The 10 centimes 1897 is cleared of verdigris, but the coin was damaged before flame and the aspect is poor.
For the 2 Sols 1792, the result is bad. I bet there were copper mixed with bells metal. The removal of verdigris has removed also the design.
For the Penny of George V that got a brown patina, the result is not so bad, with pleasant reflections that appear more with a camera than on a scan
scan:
camera:
And you all have some destroyed coins in your collection that have been glossed with chemicals, resulting from some internet shopping or catastrophic swap. It should be noted that some unscrupulous merchants publish scans on ebay (which do not shine). That means that you do not know that you are buying a numismatic horror which shines like new waxed shoes.
So I burned these attrocites so that they no longer shine.
For Nickel-brass, Nickel-bronze and Aluminium-bronze, they all have darkened. At least they don't shine anymore, but the result is not adequate.
The 1 Franc Monaco in Aluminium is much better after the passage to the flame and no longer shines To whom it may concern
Quote: "Frenchlover"Lets see the test
2 sols 1792, 10 centimes 1897, 1 Penny George V, all full of verdigris
with my flame for "crème brulée"
The 10 centimes 1897 is cleared of verdigris, but the coin was damaged before flame and the aspect is poor.
For the 2 Sols 1792, the result is bad. I bet there were copper mixed with bells metal. The removal of verdigris has removed also the design.
For the Penny of George V that got a brown patina, the result is not so bad, with pleasant reflections that appear more with a camera than on a scan
scan:
camera:
Hi there....
How did you cleaned the coin after burning as it turns black...
Copper coins doesn't turn black. They come back to the copper color.
But Nickel-brass, Nickel-bronze and Aluminium-bronze coins have darkened.
I bet there are some means of lighting them by chemical process, but that's not my purpose.
Perhaps a heating under argon could avoid the browning, but I do not have the means to realize this experiment.
99% of the time the copper/bronze coin that has been fired will flake as it cools, which leaves a patchy look to the coin or it will look chalky pale. Quenching method is key to having a natural tone after firing.
The thing with copper/bronze is how it reacts through each temperature increase, too much and it will react and flake badly.
Restoration addict : Verdigris Removal : Zinc White spot removal : Iron Rust Removal : Silver brooch/necklace mount Removal
I have gleened a lot of information reading this thread.
Verdigris removal is definitely an art.
Fluke seems to have mastered it.
I am giving it a try with one of my really bad looking coin.
regards
Be as gentle as possible. Soaking an extra fine example in Distilled water (warm) or Distilled water with less than 1-2% sodium sesquicarbonate and then a distilled water rinse for a day. The verdigris will be stopped and removed but if soaked for too long or too high a concentration and the bronze can become slightly toned from the (sodium sesquicarbonate). If you want to get mechanical use an animal hair brush like sable or even a soft synthetic watercolor brush. Very gentle and not likely to scratch. This process is described in other forums and is the most gentle of all I have found.
I am glad it did, they are pretty damaged, so it should be fun. Keep in mind that you do not have to return those, they are discarded as junk. 
