Andres Pencils advice

Jonesey89

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Nov 17, 2016
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86
Location
Indiana Pa
My wife ordered me a set for my 31st birthday at the end of the month, and I was wondering what techniques those that have used them use. Thank you for any information
 
They're useful for really crusty coins. I've found that for most coins I can just use a toothpick after I've let them dry. These pencils come in handy when a toothpick just doesn't cut it. The trick is to make sure whatever you're using them on is completely dry beforehand. I'd also recommend that you stay away from the one with the metal wool (not sure if its steel wool or not). I scratched up a few decent coins using it. They definitely help get the crud off of old large cents that just won't clean up.
 
Thank you for the information! Do I use them basically the same as one would with a blunted toothpick then? The same pressure and such? Thank you again!
 
Keep in mind that Andre's pencils are an abrasive so care must be taken to not further damage a coin that you use them on. A regular pencil eraser will have almost the same effect.
 
Thank you for the information! Do I use them basically the same as one would with a blunted toothpick then? The same pressure and such? Thank you again!

Andre’s pencils have been one of the mainstays in my coin/relic cleaning arsenal for the last two years. When used properly, they can truly work wonders on bronze and copper - they do take a bit of practice to master, but they can be learned quickly. I highly recommend practicing on a few Wheat pennies that you don’t particularly care about to get a feel for what they can and cannot do. Yes, the overall technique is similar to using a toothpick, but the pencils are definitely more powerful. I use very small circular motions with the pencils as I clean - always resist the urge to use back and forth/“scribble” type movements which are more likely to scratch the coin surface. How much pressure to use varies depending on the situation, and can only be learned with experience (again, sacrificial Wheaties will be your best friend). Always start with light pressure, allowing the pencil to do the work through scrubbing action as opposed to brute force. You can then vary the pressure as you evaluate the results and the overall condition of the coin’s patina. I’ve been able to use surprisingly aggressive pressure at times to achieve great results with stubborn oxidation and black crust on many copper/bronze coins and relics. As a previous poster mentioned, I’ve learned not to bother using the steel wool brush tool very often - it’s too easy to burn through to shiny metal on the high spots (dates, lettering, etc) if you aren’t careful...the same reason it isn’t wise to use traditional steel wool on a coin. I personally really like the results I get using the pencils as part of the cleaning process, and I truly enjoy using them - I actually find it fun and relaxing. The pencils have definitely turned some hopeless looking coins into nice additions to my own coin book. But always remember, it is a mechanical cleaning process...the coins look great IMHO to the naked eye and under modest magnification (5x and less is all I’ve really used). But don’t expect to fool a coin expert - I’m sure they’ll know immediately that the coin has been cleaned under higher magnification. I doubt I would use the pencils on a key date copper.

All that said, I’ve had one bad experience with purchasing Andre’s pencils. I bought my original set two years ago and they finally were getting worn out (I use them a lot :yes:), so I purchased a replacement set from Amazon in December 2019. The picture on the seller’s page looked like my original pencils (all wood barrel with “Le Crayon a Andre” stamped directly into the wood), but the set I received were different - the pencil barrel was still wood, but it was wrapped with a cheesy camouflage patterned paper label with “Le Crayon a Andre” printed on it. Much more importantly, the hardened steel wool points looked and worked completely different - no matter what techniques I tried, they ultimately ruined the coins I tried them on. I don’t know if the manufacturer changed the composition of the pencils, I received a bad set, or maybe they were a cheap knock off imitation, but something was definitely wrong. I subsequently bought another set from a different Amazon seller, and received a new set that looked exactly like my old ones - and they performed exactly like my old ones. Moral of the story - if you receive a set wrapped in camouflage wrappers, I recommend sending them back and buy from a different source.
 
I think this is pretty much Andre's Pencils but a third of the cost: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074MCL1J6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have great results with my uncleaned copper with these pads.

Yes, Andre’s pencils are essentially just hardened steel wool, but in my opinion, they are much better than standard 0000 steel wool (which I also keep and use in my cleaning arsenal). The hardened points on the pencils allow you to clean more “surgically”, with better control and precision. Standard steel wool simply covers too much area and can’t get into the low spots without cleaning the high spots too aggressively, leaving lettering and dates shiny.

Of course, if you scrub with steel wool enough, both the low and high spots can be made shiny (although the high spots will be worn down significantly)...if that’s your goal, then steel wool or a rock tumbler is much easier and far less time consuming. The idea of the pencils is to clean the coin while still leaving the patina essentially intact. Choosing a cleaning technique definitely depends on your desired end result.
 
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