Thank you very much. I ordered a ultrasonic cleaner today just for my metal detecting finds. Naturally I thought the longer the clean the better. I will certainly heed your warning and keep it to short burst.
Exceptional tutorial on cleaning artifacts, I am a fellow detectorist out of Pensacola, Florida and was thinking of purchasing a sonic cleaner and your video is exactly what I needed to see!
I enjoy your videos. They are interesting and relevant. It seems that coins can be easily over-cleaned. A lot of restraint and a slow and gradual approach seem to give the best result. Thanks.
EXCELLENT tutorial. I too like the patina. I wouldn't consider using this method for old coins, probably only jewelry that is silver or gold. I have a small sonic cleaner for jewelry only and it does a fine job. I'll stick to the match stick method. Thank you for showing me how a coin can be destroyed, not improved by sonic cleaning. This video may save many people's old relics from being ruined.
Thanks for this video Bill. Very informative and it shows what can go right or wrong using an ultrasonic cleaner, as well as what you may be left with after removing the corrosion. Definitely educational to those of us who are still new to cleaning up artefacts and the like. Cheers mate.
Another great video. Aquachigger made some comments in past videos about the quality of the relic after cleaning it but I didn't quite understand what he meant by it. Your video makes the issues crystal clear. Thanks!
Some interesting and varied results there. When coins have a well developed patina I tend not to clean them but for certain artifacts and coins ultrasonic seems to work although most of the finds would probably be better just to be treated with preserver wax. Most of my finds just sit in a bag of shame, never to be cleaned, lol
Very informative video Clem! And it reveals what I try to explain when someone ask me about ultrasonic cleaning, it must be used with parsimony or it kills the patina! For me, there is no better way to clean a coin than to let it dry and clean it with a toothpick or a used needle. A green tinted wax could be use at the end of the process to protect and finalize the cleaning of your find. But there is no secret, when a coin comes out of the ground, you know quickly if it will be in good conditions or not! ;) Regards, Brice
+Horus' hill Brice where do you get your green wax? Do you make it? Cleaning with a pin or a toothpick is also a lot of fun. Its relaxing to pick of the corrosion under magnification, piece by piece. It is what the professionals do.
+Chill Bill Hi Clem! I bought it to a shoemaker but you can also find it on amazon for sure. Here is the link of the green wax that I use : www.amazon.fr/Cirage-Saphir-pommadier-Surfine-chasse/dp/B007RX13FY I apply it with a toothbrush, let it dry a couple of minutes and polish in a quick move with the same toothbrush. Keep in touch, Brice
Here in the US there is a chain of tool stores called Harbor Freight Tools, who sell ultrasonic cleaners and solution.Read the solution directions carefully, as what they sells states: "Do not use on aluminium". Some foreign coins and tax tokens are aluminium. I primarily use mine to clean old radio parts in. I use Dawn brand (tm) dish soap, and it works well for me. Good review with examples. Thank You.
Thank you Chill Bill for this video. I picked up your channel from watching our friend Aquachigger and subscribed. This was a great demonstration. I actually can't wait to see what the green wax does to these coins. I have never used that before and hope you show these coins and any improvements from the wax.
What this video shows is how destructive ultrasonic cleaning methods can be for a coin's patina. Ultrasonic cleaning should be done with the utmost of care and certainly not for too long a period of time, since it does not distinguish between encrustations and the patina. Especially for ancient coins the patina significantly adds to the numismatic value. The damage left by harsh ultrasonic cleaning is irreversible and, depending on the extend, it can render a coin of possibly splendid preservation and high value totally ugly and worthless.
The best way to clean a coin, if you must, is to put it in your pocket for a few weeks. An empty one is the best, but a full pocket works too but is more harsh. You check every day or so to see the progress. Not for a very valuable coin of course but for one you want/need to get the dirt off.
For a cheap coin it may be an option. But quite often only cleaning can bring an answer to the question whether a coin is valuable or not. Best way (especially when there's possibly something valuable under the encrustations and dirt) is to use a mechanical cleaning method (a gentile brush, scalpel, wooden toothpicks (preferably combined when appropriate)). It's quite a time consuming process I agree, but it seems to give the best results when done with care and patience. Ultrasonic cleaning can be used but only to remove relatively loose sand/soil and only at (very) modest intensity and for a short period of time. Chemical methods and cooking in hot water are generally a no go since they often completely ruin the surface of a coin.
Cool video and very interesting indeed! Thanks for uploading this. I may just go and get one of those. You have obviously gotta be very careful what you put in and for how long. Rich
I really don't get the whole Patina thing if I'm honest. Who wants to look at a grimy coin as part of their prized collection. If you're not selling it on and it's for your own pleasure, get the thing stripped down and polished. They always look beautiful. If its old, there will be enough genuine knocks and scratches on it to show it's true age no problem. But to leave it green and crusty is an absolute crime in my book, a real case of the emperors clothes if ever there was one.
just the way i think. i like to get coins from the same design/era, one from the first era year of production and one from the last year produced so i can compare their design, materials, hammering, just for fun... i cant see shit if theyre dirty and grimy sorry for the broken english 😬
Good and useful info. Would be interesting the results on a silver Follis. Alot of them are with partial preserved silver plate and would be interesting will the silver fall-off or will be kept unaffected. Hope you would test it if you get some in hands.
I worked in a jewelry store and the owner always used a couple drops of joy dish soap or dawn in it. Could get all the casting cement out of everything when left in over night. Always buffed out perfectly no pits ever (unless a bubble had formed and wasn't released) Am wondering if Hydrogen peroxide is in that cleaner your using. Try just a couple drops of dish soap and see how that works!
Deb - I agree. Chemical additives should be extreme minimums or none at all. I too, like the dish soap addition. Thanks for your input. Chuck in Kansas
Thanks for show how that works. I think it is not good what happens. Is there not another cleaning solution that you could try? Something less harsh. And have you ever just oiled them up? I would like to see how the machine works with just heated water a few drops of Dawn dish soap.
Think about purchasing ultrasonic cleaning that runs at a higher frequency 68/132/170 kHz: The Gentle Touch. These frequencies offer ultra-fine gentle cleaning, including removal of micron and submicron particles, cleaning applications that require cavitation bubbles to implode closer to the substrates being cleaned. 95% of cleaners run at 40 kHz great for cleaning metals like iron but far too rough for coins & jewelry. omegasonics.com/ultrasonic-cleaners.shtml
7:20 So in essence, the coin was beginning to fossilize? A chemical change in the coin, preserving the detail 'in the corrosion'. I paused to comment, so I best keep watching. I'm thinking of getting an ultrasonic cleaner for my relatively modern coin collection. Oh, and I've subbed.
Good video. Just goes to show sometime less is more. Better to leave the more corroded stuff for the far distant future when they are able to transmogrify the corrosion back into it's original appearance.
How many watts (for ultrasonic ) is the cleaner ? Some have a variabel wattage ,i have a 30 watt and the blast is smoother,a rotten coin stays rotten 😉,tnx for posting
you should NOT attempt to clean any coins, badges and the like found by metal detecting. Rubbing and acids will definitely wear away some of the silver...debassing the value and history of those items. This is based on 60 years experience and all the technical reasoning is available on the net.
mike dawson what is the best method for cleaning tarnished silver? I usually use baking soda with water and foil, that has seemed to have great results for me.
you should..if you think your find is of any significant value...only have it cleaned by absolute, top professionals. All is explained fully in the subject script...
Hi Chill Bill, nice video I had missed. The buckle figure could be Saint Christopher with the Christ child over his shoulder? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Christopher GL&HH!
Thank you very much. I ordered a ultrasonic cleaner today just for my metal detecting finds. Naturally I thought the longer the clean the better. I will certainly heed your warning and keep it to short burst.
Glad I could help
Thank you. This was an interesting demonstration.
Exceptional tutorial on cleaning artifacts, I am a fellow detectorist out of Pensacola, Florida and was thinking of purchasing a sonic cleaner and your video is exactly what I needed to see!
I've just bought one for detected coins and I very happy I watched this video. You saved my coins.
5 to 10 second bursts is the way to go.
Good video. Very informative as to what ultrasonic cleaners can do. Thanks CB! I like your videos. Keep them coming! 👍
I think you are right, its good for dirty coins but makes heavily corroded coins look worse
Great tutorial, and thank you for presenting us with this information.
I enjoy your videos. They are interesting and relevant. It seems that coins can be easily over-cleaned. A lot of restraint and a slow and gradual approach seem to give the best result. Thanks.
EXCELLENT tutorial. I too like the patina. I wouldn't consider using this method for old coins, probably only jewelry that is silver or gold. I have a small sonic cleaner for jewelry only and it does a fine job. I'll stick to the match stick method. Thank you for showing me how a coin can be destroyed, not improved by sonic cleaning. This video may save many people's old relics from being ruined.
+get in ill be trying more techniques in future
Thanks for this video Bill. Very informative and it shows what can go right or wrong using an ultrasonic cleaner, as well as what you may be left with after removing the corrosion. Definitely educational to those of us who are still new to cleaning up artefacts and the like. Cheers mate.
Fascinating! We use these machines in veterinary hospitals and clinics for our surgical instruments.
We used to call it booming but it's the same thing. Works really good.
Another great video. Aquachigger made some comments in past videos about the quality of the relic after cleaning it but I didn't quite understand what he meant by it. Your video makes the issues crystal clear. Thanks!
+pepeledog my pleasure.
+Chill Bill You are such a humble man, I just love your demeanor, voice, the whole package. Cheers Clem
Thanks for letting me know how you clean your finds...🤓
Any time!
Great video
It definitely looks better in for a short time.
Great video! Thanks for posting this
Thumbs up! Good video. I liked it.
Thank you
Some interesting and varied results there. When coins have a well developed patina I tend not to clean them but for certain artifacts and coins ultrasonic seems to work although most of the finds would probably be better just to be treated with preserver wax.
Most of my finds just sit in a bag of shame, never to be cleaned, lol
+Pondguru Outdoors I want to make mistakes for my viewers so they don't have to. Nothing but tin foil should remain in the bag of shame. ;)
i know I'm pretty randomly asking but do anyone know of a good place to watch new tv shows online ?
@Forest Rhys i watch on FlixZone. Just search on google for it :)
@Alvaro Porter yea, I've been using flixzone for years myself =)
@Alvaro Porter thanks, signed up and it seems like a nice service =) I really appreciate it !
Very informative video Clem! And it reveals what I try to explain when someone ask me about ultrasonic cleaning, it must be used with parsimony or it kills the patina!
For me, there is no better way to clean a coin than to let it dry and clean it with a toothpick or a used needle. A green tinted wax could be use at the end of the process to protect and finalize the cleaning of your find.
But there is no secret, when a coin comes out of the ground, you know quickly if it will be in good conditions or not! ;)
Regards,
Brice
+Horus' hill Brice where do you get your green wax? Do you make it? Cleaning with a pin or a toothpick is also a lot of fun. Its relaxing to pick of the corrosion under magnification, piece by piece. It is what the professionals do.
+Chill Bill Hi Clem! I bought it to a shoemaker but you can also find it on amazon for sure. Here is the link of the green wax that I use :
www.amazon.fr/Cirage-Saphir-pommadier-Surfine-chasse/dp/B007RX13FY
I apply it with a toothbrush, let it dry a couple of minutes and polish in a quick move with the same toothbrush.
Keep in touch,
Brice
+Horus' hill nice tip!
Very nice video thanks!
That buckle cleaned up quite nicely.
It seems, that the prong is moving again after the bath.
Here in the US there is a chain of tool stores called Harbor Freight Tools, who sell ultrasonic cleaners and solution.Read the solution directions carefully, as what they sells states: "Do not use on aluminium". Some foreign coins and tax tokens are aluminium. I primarily use mine to clean old radio parts in. I use Dawn brand (tm) dish soap, and it works well for me. Good review with examples. Thank You.
+L E Burnham Dawn is the best on the market in my estimation for just about any type of cleaning.
Thank you Chill Bill for this video. I picked up your channel from watching our friend Aquachigger and subscribed. This was a great demonstration. I actually can't wait to see what the green wax does to these coins. I have never used that before and hope you show these coins and any improvements from the wax.
Very thorough! Many thanks.
Thanks, interesting to know the span of time you have to keep the macchine runnin' without damaging the items.
Its incredible how fast it starts to take the patina off.
What this video shows is how destructive ultrasonic cleaning methods can be for a coin's patina. Ultrasonic cleaning should be done with the utmost of care and certainly not for too long a period of time, since it does not distinguish between encrustations and the patina. Especially for ancient coins the patina significantly adds to the numismatic value. The damage left by harsh ultrasonic cleaning is irreversible and, depending on the extend, it can render a coin of possibly splendid preservation and high value totally ugly and worthless.
The best way to clean a coin, if you must, is to put it in your pocket for a few weeks. An empty one is the best, but a full pocket works too but is more harsh. You check every day or so to see the progress. Not for a very valuable coin of course but for one you want/need to get the dirt off.
For a cheap coin it may be an option. But quite often only cleaning can bring an answer to the question whether a coin is valuable or not. Best way (especially when there's possibly something valuable under the encrustations and dirt) is to use a mechanical cleaning method (a gentile brush, scalpel, wooden toothpicks (preferably combined when appropriate)). It's quite a time consuming process I agree, but it seems to give the best results when done with care and patience. Ultrasonic cleaning can be used but only to remove relatively loose sand/soil and only at (very) modest intensity and for a short period of time. Chemical methods and cooking in hot water are generally a no go since they often completely ruin the surface of a coin.
Very nice and interesting video!
Fascinating stuff, thank you mate.
I totally love your accent! 😍
I have an accent also I'm from Detroit
Very interesting . I found that buckle to be quite interesting with that peculiar mark of a man wearing what looks to be pre 1800s dress .
+Abandoned NorthJersey have serveral of these with a makers mark. all from the 1700s I think.
Cool video and very interesting indeed! Thanks for uploading this. I may just go and get one of those. You have obviously gotta be very careful what you put in and for how long. Rich
Thank you for your time
il keep to a soft tooth brush ans tooth pick and oil and water on eat cleaning buds. thanks its a good video.
I really don't get the whole Patina thing if I'm honest. Who wants to look at a grimy coin as part of their prized collection. If you're not selling it on and it's for your own pleasure, get the thing stripped down and polished. They always look beautiful. If its old, there will be enough genuine knocks and scratches on it to show it's true age no problem. But to leave it green and crusty is an absolute crime in my book, a real case of the emperors clothes if ever there was one.
just the way i think. i like to get coins from the same design/era, one from the first era year of production and one from the last year produced so i can compare their design, materials, hammering, just for fun... i cant see shit if theyre dirty and grimy
sorry for the broken english 😬
Fascinating.Thank you.
Thanks for this Chill Bill!
Good and useful info. Would be interesting the results on a silver Follis. Alot of them are with partial preserved silver plate and would be interesting will the silver fall-off or will be kept unaffected. Hope you would test it if you get some in hands.
That's interesting. Thank you 🎈
Good video bill.
I worked in a jewelry store and the owner always used a couple drops of joy dish soap or dawn in it. Could get all the casting cement out of everything when left in over night. Always buffed out perfectly no pits ever (unless a bubble had formed and wasn't released) Am wondering if Hydrogen peroxide is in that cleaner your using. Try just a couple drops of dish soap and see how that works!
Deb - I agree. Chemical additives should be extreme minimums or none at all. I too, like the dish soap addition. Thanks for your input. Chuck in Kansas
I would refrain from heating Hydrogen Peroxide even with over counter at 2% could be dangerous from heating !
Very informative. Having seen this I don't think I will be using an ultrasonic cleaner.
I say cleaning isn’t a good thing. The 5 second blast was a 👍
Very interesting
Thanks for show how that works. I think it is not good what happens. Is there not another cleaning solution that you could try? Something less harsh. And have you ever just oiled them up? I would like to see how the machine works with just heated water a few drops of Dawn dish soap.
No cure for corrosion yet!
cool info bill
Think about purchasing ultrasonic cleaning that runs at a higher frequency 68/132/170 kHz: The Gentle Touch. These frequencies offer ultra-fine gentle cleaning, including removal of micron and submicron particles, cleaning applications that require cavitation bubbles to implode closer to the substrates being cleaned. 95% of cleaners run at 40 kHz great for cleaning metals like iron but far too rough for coins & jewelry. omegasonics.com/ultrasonic-cleaners.shtml
Hi Bill can you send me the name of the green wax with you taking thanks
Saphir :)
7:20 So in essence, the coin was beginning to fossilize? A chemical change in the coin, preserving the detail 'in the corrosion'. I paused to comment, so I best keep watching. I'm thinking of getting an ultrasonic cleaner for my relatively modern coin collection. Oh, and I've subbed.
AWESOME
Thanks for this! Very informative. Any idea what effect this would have on an uncleaned Roman bronze?
+Nick Laurant 10 secs should be good to get the earth off.
+Chill Bill Thanks!
Thanks for a realy interesting video look forward to the use of the green wax GL&HH
just use a chip pan fryer
coins with strong oxides do not like this kind of cleaning. Best regards from Russia
interesting video. I wonder what it would do to black silver coins.
It will brighten the brighter bits if you leave it fizzing long enough and will shift any copper corrosion in the silver.
Good video. Just goes to show sometime less is more. Better to leave the more corroded stuff for the far distant future when they are able to transmogrify the corrosion back into it's original appearance.
+round51 more is often less!
Good point. Out damn corrosion!
How many watts (for ultrasonic ) is the cleaner ? Some have a variabel wattage ,i have a 30 watt and the blast is smoother,a rotten coin stays rotten 😉,tnx for posting
I dont know... cant be many..
So 'Nuffink' is often better than 'Summfink' as regards cleaning finds :)
Obviously if you only find gold it's not a problem ;)
you should NOT attempt to clean any coins, badges and the like found by metal detecting. Rubbing and acids will definitely wear away some of the silver...debassing the value and history of those items. This is based on 60 years experience and all the technical reasoning is available on the net.
mike dawson what is the best method for cleaning tarnished silver? I usually use baking soda with water and foil, that has seemed to have great results for me.
Um cleaning the coin devalues it
Is there any thing you should use such as ammonia with iron?
you should..if you think your find is of any significant value...only have it cleaned by absolute, top professionals. All is explained fully in the subject script...
One bag of chips please to take away and some curry sauce, I thought you said sandblasting and a week in battery acid.
Hi Chill Bill, nice video I had missed. The buckle figure could be Saint Christopher with the Christ child over his shoulder? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Christopher GL&HH!
Yes, thanks. :)
when u come in back in italy?????
tell uss , will love to meet you :D
i was thinking of buy one of that u.s.cleaner too :)
Where was the coin after 30 minutes?
Great vid Bill, could you do any iron?
+DrumnDetect good idea.
Cool, 'the power of sound' 😁 oh the irony!
Im going to steel the idea. :) Post-irony.
Nice, good stuff.😁
I looked them up and there not that expensive.
Dude , Coca Cola cleans everything , leave them overnight xx
Ya didn’t clean a damn thing
can you make french fries in it?
no but you can clean potatoes
Hahahah!
30 sec commercials up front I don't watch those videos.
Tip 1 do nothing
Tip 2
see tip 1
you have to take the dirt off..... and sometimes it needs encouragement