Cleaning a barber

SnailRacer99 · Oct 25, 2011

I tried to search and see if someone had posted this already but I didn't see much. I found a barber dime that's not a key date, dark with crud, and I'd like to clean it. I've used the baking soda method with my 1964 silvers and it shines them up pretty well. Since this isn't a key should I do the same with the barber? :?:

vexhold · Oct 25, 2011

Post the before pick. It will help the 'Pros" advise you.

I am not a pro. lol

SnailRacer99 · Oct 25, 2011

So dirty

wtfisthat · Oct 25, 2011

Here's what I do boil a little water in the micorwave, get a very small bowl, line the bowl with tin foil. Put a couple tablespoons of baking soda in the water "carefully!", it will fizz and bubble over. Place your coin in the bowl on top of the tin foil, pour the mixture in the bowl. Make sure you are generous with the baking soda. Wait 5-10 minutes, lightly rub the coin with some of the slurry, flip it over and repeat. It will come out looking like new!

Bonesquat · Oct 25, 2011

wtfisthat said:
Here's what I do boil a little water in the micorwave, get a very small bowl, line the bowl with tin foil. Put a couple tablespoons of baking soda in the water "carefully!", it will fizz and bubble over. Place your coin in the bowl on top of the tin foil, pour the mixture in the bowl. Make sure you are generous with the baking soda. Wait 5-10 minutes, lightly rub the coin with some of the slurry, flip it over and repeat. It will come out looking like new!

Yep, this is a great method. Tried it on some mercs that looked dark and cruddy like your barber. They came out looking beautiful.

Th3 Offspring · Oct 25, 2011

would you suggest this method for this coin? i know it is quite old but it is also holed and not worth much anyway. Just food for thought so no one rips my head off lol.

SnailRacer99 · Oct 26, 2011

I'll definitely be trying this method today when I go pick up some baking soda. Thanks for the tips!

SnailRacer99 · Oct 27, 2011

Worked very well, thanks again! Here's a before and after...

Michaeltime · Oct 27, 2011

Nice dime. I got a 1903 . Its not shiney but I am good with that. I hope I start finding more silver here in Greenville Michigan. Maybe so much trash in the sidewalk to curb I just can't get down deep enough around the trash to find it or most of the strips seem to be cut flush sidewalk to curb except up by the trees. I am finding wheaties here and there. One or two at a time in different strips . I seem to remember in the late 1980s finding a piece of silver or two almost every day with a Eagle ll by White's and at depths I kknow the M6 can find coins. Lots of fun finding those Silver Half Dollars back then and wondering why someone didn't see them laying on the ground and pick them up. Also wondering how the Half got down there in the first place. I guess pulling keys out is number one reason. I can't imagine someone wearing pants with holes in the pocket that big and not noticing things missing a lot.

White's M6 Mike

Jasper1911 · Oct 27, 2011

did you wax it or put something else on it to shine it up?...I've been reading about Bartenders friend...is that a good thing to seal them with once they're dry?

SnailRacer99 · Oct 27, 2011

Jasper1911 said:
did you wax it or put something else on it to shine it up?...I've been reading about Bartenders friend...is that a good thing to seal them with once they're dry?

I just followed the directions of 'wtfisthat' and it came out looking shiny like that. I have no idea about the Bartenders friend, though I'm interested to hear the answer as well if someone else knows.

hillbillydigger · Nov 8, 2011

Wow! That was amazing! Does this work on any other coins? My Barber isn't perfect, but is a lot cleaner. I'm sad the backside is so worn and also has some kinda tarnish and pitting in center that didn't come clean. Not sure why that is. I'm not really knowledgeable about coins. It's a 1908 btw.

SnailRacer99 · Nov 8, 2011

Wow

that did make quite a difference! What I wanna know is: is this like some sort of low power electrolysis or how does it work?

hillbillydigger · Nov 8, 2011

SnailRacer99 said:
Wow that did make quite a difference! What I wanna know is: is this like some sort of low power electrolysis or how does it work?

That's what I was thinking too that its some simplified version of electrolysis otherwise I have no clue. Did anyone else get a weird smell during the process? No seriously when I lifted the coin up and cleaned front side with the slurry there was a nasty somewhat metallic noxious smell for a couple seconds. Silly me immediately worried if "omg did I just inhale some highly contagious 1908 germs?". The boiling water should have killed that though.

Anyway does this work on wheat pennies anyone know? I found a nasty one laying beside the door at the utility company when I went in to pay the electric a couple months ago and another in the parking lot at the gym. The Barber coin I actually found laying on the carpet in center of doctor's waiting room. What's with these people dropping old coins around? (I wish they would drop some gold ones or even a few diamonds. I'm not picky!)

Coin_Master · Nov 8, 2011

There are two types of "corrosion" a coin can experience.

One is on-the-surface tarnishing. Like what happens to silver after sitting around for a while, a layer of tarnish can form, from the air reacting with the metal.

This type can be simply cleaned or polished off. However, never clean or polish off old, valuable coins.

The next type is surface damage, where chemicals in the dirt react with the metal.

This often has much more corrosive damage than normal air exposure.

Cleaning coins of this nature is a moot point, because lifting the corrosion will just show the pits in the surface of the coin, often making damage much more apparent.

The best way to make this type of damage look better, is to soak it in an oil like olive oil for a few days to several months.

This will loosen the soft corrosion off the coin, and leave the hardened corrosion remaining, often bringing out more detail of the coin.

dennis harbour · Nov 22, 2011

Does the foil/baking soda actually clean the coin or does it coat it with aluminum?

Bonesquat · Nov 22, 2011

dennis harbour said:
Does the foil/baking soda actually clean the coin or does it coat it with aluminum?

It takes the tarnish from the coin and coats the aluminum with it. It's like electrolysis. Your tarnish basically gets moved from coin to aluminum. No aluminum gets transferred anywhere.

goes4ever · Nov 22, 2011

I have found black silver coins in fields and only thing I found to clean them up without making them "shiny" is electrolysis. I made a homeade unit out of a old cell phone charger, and a couple alligator clips, works like a charm!

hillbillydigger · Nov 22, 2011

It cleaned my quarter nice and shiny except for there is a pitted spot on the backside that is still black. I don't know what to do to clean that spot or if that is the best it will ever look.

MoBob · Nov 22, 2011

Hmmmm , wounder what hapened to that bad boy ! I've never had one come out looking like that . :wow:

Cleaning a barber

Senior Member

Elite Member

Senior Member

Attachments

Senior Member

Elite Member

Full Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Attachments

Elite Member

Full Member

Senior Member

Elite Member

Senior Member

Elite Member

Moved On

Full Member

Elite Member

Elite Member

Elite Member

Elite Member

Similar threads