dirty, filthy wheats!

coppercoins · Site Admin

Dick,

Far as I can tell you have a browser setting that's wrong. Try "view -> text size" and knock the size up a couple of notches. See if that changes anything. Of course then again you'd have to be using Microsoft Internet Explorer for that to work. Any other browser and I cannot guarantee any results, this site was built to best work in Microsoft.

eagames · Expert Member

Dick,
That sounds so familiar, I think there must be a forum where copper collectors wifes or ex-wifes or honeys conspire about these things Very Happy

He he! maybe when you come back from salvation army with the used pot and a bag of cents you can tell her "hey lookie what I found there next to the used pot section"

Dick · Expert Member

I punched in a bunch of things, but It doesn't change anything here. testing, testing....Dick It only shows on the preview. I'll keep using the magnifier. Now back to those crudy coppers. I found out something new, tonight. I bought a camcorder, about a year ago, after my old one gave up the ghost. I used it (them) with the zoom lens from my color camera, to look at coins, but I didn't know until this evening that it could take a still shot! The next "experiment" will be to look thru my 'scope, and see how sharp the focus will be. I'll keep you informed, and if it does what I want, you will be seeing things a lot sooner than I had figured! Keep your fingers crossed, (toes, too if you want). We will get thru this together! Dick

Dick · Expert Member

CD, I tried a batch of "cooked Wheats" I must hav not dione something. The coinsall "had a bath", but all the crud is still there. Maybe you can tell what went wrong. I had a large pot, (about2-1/2 gal), and finally got it to boil very lightly, (not a rolling boil, as I suspect you meant), and two table-spoone , not heaping, but not flat, eoither. No foam ever developed, and they "cooked for about 15 minutes, trying to get the foam. Our water is heavily chlorinated. Will that have any effect? Any suggestions? I plan on getting a smaller kettle, that will allow the basket to sit on top, but be down inside the kettle enough to fully cover the coins. Thoughts?
SOME TIME LATER, I got a different pot. (SS, triple cooker, with deep basket, and shallow basket) There wasn't any of those you mention, CD, so I went with the bset I could find. Now this time, I had the water to a rolling boil, put in the coins, and the heaping tablespoons, (Three). Lots of foam, not necessarily green, but, after 10 minutes boiling, pulled the basket of coins, and put them in a sink, with warm/hot water, a couple small drops of Dawn, and a good rinsing, provided me with a batch of very nice clean coins! I am forever in your debt, CD! These look like the ones they use for the examples!
Dick

Dick · Expert Member

CD, I am playing with this area, and two things come to mind: when I finish, can I delete the garbage, and what can I do to increase the text size, that I am writing? I can make it nice, (for me at 24 bold), in the post, but I need to do it in the write up. Dick

Dick · Expert Member

CD, I have found that cooking for more time, (ten minutes, min,), gives (me) better rsults. Could be the water. Much chlorine. I get a brownish tinged foam, but the coins come out very nice!
Do you have a recommendation for the "low percentage silver coins, (0.100 Fine Mexican coins)? I don't have many, but would like to have them show a better appearance, without "cleaning, and/or dipping" Thanks,
BTW, Keep bundled up! I'm sure your son stayed home today.
Dick.

errorfinder · Member

perhaps it's just me,,but,, i'll , 'soak' patina-ed [virulent] virdised(SP) [copper oxidized] cents' in mineral oil for 4-6 weeks then , gently 'roll' a cotten tipped swab soaked in "goof - off" by 'guardsman' product contains; Xylene ...after Xylene 'swab'; any extra-hard to remove 'deposits'/sediments are attended to; under 3X-10X MAG [examination]1st . "mashed" broken ended tooth picks.ie i'll break a tooth pick then twist the *broken end(s) upon a smooth surface*.into [across] the globbed devices.Gently, mind ya,with the 'mashed end' wetted in 'rubbing alcohol '[walgreens Isoropyl 70%]as 'sold'.take this with a 'grain of salt', as always "test ;1st; on non-valuable 'coins' 1st,, before progressing on - to the valuable ones,.,this is only to 'share' my current "treatment of ;'problematic' copper coins..

rollmeupabe · Veteran Member

Does anyone try MS 70 Coin Brightener? All the descriptions I have read on here seem like a ton of work. It would have taken me 2 life times to search all the old wheaties I have looked at if I took the steps described.

Dick · Expert Member

Rollmeupabe, I don't want a "bright shiny, coin that looks like it was just minted. I want to be able to see the coin, without all the crud, with everything like little kids with sticky jam or jelly to plain old tar!. The toning has no effect, as far as I am concerned. How ya been?
Dick

rollmeupabe · Veteran Member

Dick, MS 70, although called a coin brightener will not change the color if used briefly and sparingly. I usually dip a Qtip in and then roll it over the reverse of the coin. Then I flip it over and do the obverse. Then I clean off the solution in water and dry by tamping with a paper towel.

I only use this procedure on circulated cents and only after looking at them in a scope gives me the hope there is something notable on the coin.

If you leave a coin in the MS 70 then it will create the color change you referred to. I left some 1943 pennies in and they came out looking brand new, except when examined under a microscope.

Dick · Expert Member

rollmeupabe, I imagine it would be okay to use, if one had just a few coins to look at. I was just curious, actually. I have about a dozen $1 peso coins , (60's) that are very dirty, and I remember when they first came out, they were pretty nice. now they are nearly black. Oh well, I don't really care, one way or the other. I have too many wheats, to try to see what there is to find. I "cooked" a few, but I'm not realy satisfied how they came out. Maybe I did, or didn't do something, that they are weird looking. Once CD gets power again, and is able to get back on the forum, I'll check with him. He, and many others are having their problems, with the little storm we sent them from CA!
Dick

Steven · Expert Member

Dick,

Dick · Expert Member

Steven, you like culls? That seems to be the " grade" of 90% of them. Out of the whole bunch, I think there were a few "die dents", a few die cracks, and a lot of missing key dates! Still missing, I hear.
Dick

Steven · Expert Member

Dick,
Not that I like culls but I do like the search to try and find something new or find a hole filler until something better comes along.
Steven

Dick · Expert Member

Steven, I Just received a dozen cent folders to put the best of them in. THat is going to be a chore! There are none of the good, or much less, any key dates. I got these from a seller on Ebay, and decided to stop buying any more, because all that I got were just culls, and a LOT of the 1940's. There are about 5 missing dates, in all. Out of ,ore than 8000 cents, there were about 25-30, RPM's. Not too good.
Dick