question about goo gone

cnladue · Veteran Member

i recently aquired a bunch of old wheatbacks,and i have been using goo gone to soak the grime off.I have noticed though that it does seem to change the color a bit.have I ruined them?and only on a few not all.

Bob P · Site Admin

I have been using Goo-Gone to clean the dirt and grease of my coins for almost 10 years now. I have never known it to affect the patina at all, and does not discolor the coins. The difference you see in the color might just be that the dirt has been removed, and that color is what was underneath. As far as I am concerned this is a very safe and effective way to clean your coins. You must always remember to soak them the minimum amount of time required to get the gunk off your coin. The longer it sits in the solution, there is always a chance that it could affect it. Never rub the coin either as the dirt particles loosened up by the Goo-Gone could scratch your coins. I normally wash them under warm water and blot them dry. It has worked well for me all these years, and I still use it today.

cnladue · Veteran Member

here is one that has a strange toning ,parts are even a bit purple.this pic is very very close to real color.

aballein · Veteran Member

that looks about right for a "cleaned coin" if i can use the term loosely. a majority of the dirt gathers around the devices and preserves the original luster/color as opposed to the fields that get worn and where the dirt is likely to come off more easily..... just an observation....

cnladue · Veteran Member

but it if is a 'CLEANED COIN'does that not make it less valuable?

aballein · Veteran Member

i use the term loosely in reference to your original post about the goo gone. technically you are cleaning the coin but not with an abrasive cleaner and not putting hairlines on the coin. as long as you arent using an abrasive or wiping the coin i dont think you are "cleaning" the coin ie. damaging or removing anything on it, just some dirt. same applies to acetone, its not an abrasive and it doesnt damage the patina therefore its generally an accepted method of "cleaning up" a coin. with that being said i dont think you are losing any value on the coins you freshen up....hope that makes sense

coop · Expert Member

Cleaning a coin does reduce the value. What you did though was not cleaning. What Aaron was reffering to is that someone else before you got the coin may have cleaned the coin. You just removed the dirt to expose the cleaning. It is not as critical on circulated coins as BU ones that have been cleaned. Why? Because when a coin is cleaned with an acid, it removes a layer off the coin. When a layer is removed off a BU coin, the coin is no longer mint state. It may look shiny at first, but never has the appearance again that it had when it was a BU coin before cleaning.

aballein · Veteran Member

yeah what he said!

cnladue · Veteran Member

coop,if you were to ever write a book, with your pics in it too,i would most certainly buy it!

coop · Expert Member

Thanks. I've started one, but it may just end up as a web page instead. Probably on ebay ME page that way I don't have to pay for any space on line.

Sorry for the large number of images, but it is something I like to do and make new images/avatars/overlays/grids/collages almost every day. I've been playing with Photoshop for over 10 years and still learning something new. Sorry if I steal your images also as I use them for my purposes also, so I hope you don't mind. I even use just parts of images that suits my needs. You never know what you can do with them. If anyone would like a special avatar of their own, I'd be glad to make up special requests. I've probably already have one just like what you would want (unless if has your image on it) already made. LOL

cnladue · Veteran Member

coop could you make me an aviater with the reverse of my saddle triple strike? maybe it could say neener-neener!

Bob P · Site Admin

I guess we will be hearing a lot of 'neener. neener'...Won't we Carol??

coop · Expert Member

I made two. One of both sides. I sent them both to Bob. Just let him know which one you like best.

cnladue · Veteran Member

wow wow wow !Coop you are indeed a great artist.Have you always been an artist?and are you a teacher in your professional life?you most certainly have a gift at explaining the complex concepts in an interesting way!Thank you so much and i want the reverse .I have always been amazed at the ancient ruin look about it.I think it has great aesthetics.In regards to the neener-neener qoute ,well I almost fell out my chair when I read that from MR Diamond.He is normally a bit um..dry?I love it!