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cramias New user 25 Posts |
I recently purchased a stack of English Pennies, and when I received them, the coins were bright and shiny, like a new penny. The C/S coin and shell I have are both aged copper, darker and not shiny. What can I do to age my English Pennies? Searching google brings up many descriptions for how to age and tarnish copper to achieve a green patina, but I don't want to go that far, I just want these things to look like old pennies rather than new.
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Dr_J_Ayala Inner circle In search of Vlad Dracul and his 2169 Posts |
Depending on the method, you can use any one of those suggestions for putting a green patina on the coin but stop far short of the suggested ageing time (if for example it calls to age the coins in some sort of solution, which is why I say it depends on the method).
One thing I have used in the past to darken copper coins is to use a 1:2 ration of baking soda to HOT water, putting it in a spray bottle and spraying the coins with the dissolved solution. Let it air dry. Depending on how dark you want the coins to be, you can leave it as is or repeat the process as needed. Try playing around with vinegar and iodized salt solutions, as well as with ammonia. They all produce different effects, and if you do not like the outcome (and if you have not overdone it), you can always shine the coins up with a copper cleaner and start over. I hope this information is useful to you. |
cablerock Veteran user 362 Posts |
Just use them for a couple weeks. Refer to the "Sudbury Penny" thread to see a photo of my sudburries. Most of them are totally dark, and it was mainly from general use. I used a fine nail buffer on spots that didn't want to go dull.
I keep them by the window at night, as there is more temperature change. I feel this has helped some. I am sure there are tons of other ways to do it, but I prefer this, as it looks very natural. Just takes a bit of time. |
Calvin Tong Special user 718 Posts |
Over time, the copper coins will change to a dark patina if you handle your coins everyday.
That is how I was able to get a dark color on my Lassen UWC copper coins. However, I had repeat the process twice because the copper Sh... Did not look close enough to the copper silver insert. Requires a lot of patience.
Cal Tong
President Emeritus IBM Ring 216 Silicon Valley |
Blacksmith64 New user 56 Posts |
If you want to age them to a dark patina quickly, get to a place that sells stained glass supplies. They have a product there called " Black patina for lead and solder" that works wonders on copper too.
It's a mild Nitric acid solution. I reccomend cleaning them carefully with soap and water and a brush (very fine brass brush would work fine) first and then useing the chemical. As with all acids, be careful. Wear gloves and be close to a tap and baking soda to stop the reaction. Once it's done, try a light polish with Silvo. The contrast between bright highlights and dark recesses looks amazing! Good luck! |
Calvin Tong Special user 718 Posts |
If you are trying to match a naturally aged copper coin, you should probably ask other Café members for pictures of their copper coins which have been darkened using bleach or nitric acid. This will give you an idea of the different looks you might achieve.
Cal Tong
President Emeritus IBM Ring 216 Silicon Valley |
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