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tom_stamm Loyal user Los Angeles 248 Posts |
I pulled some old pewder jumbo coins (kennedy halves) out of storage and found some sort of black spots on the coins. They won't clean off (Brasso) and I was wondering if I should just toss em.
I looked all over the net and the only thing that I could find was something called "tin blight". New jumbo coins are heavily chromed and I perfer they have a nice grey patina. (After I produce the coin I show the coin are rubber [bendable] via the pocket watch move then drop them on the table with a clang for great effect - The grey tarish adds to the illusion that they might in fact be bif rubber coins) Has anyone seen these sorts of blemishes? Is there a way to clean them up? Thanks in advance.
Just Some Guy.
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lin Special user California 876 Posts |
It's hard to say without seeing them, but I'd guess that the black spots are more likely to have been caused by a mild acidic reaction from the oils from your skin. Are the spots fingerprint-sized by any chance?
In any case, if there's no pitting in the metal, you should be able to buff the spots out completely using a mild abrasive and either a dremel with a polishing attachment or a bit of elbow grease together with a polishing compound of some sort. The dremel is faster, but it's also sometimes a bit too easy to get carried away with... (oh, and watch out for a bit of splatter). You can buy specialty polishing compounds (jewelers' rouge, tripoli, e.g.) in sticks at the hardware store. They are usually used with a buffing wheel. They come in different grades of abrasiveness, and you should get the gentlest/finest one that you think will do the job. The package usually has a chart with the materials that the compound works best on. Ideally, the compound will be one specifically recommended for pewter; if not, go for something on the less aggressive side. The coarser the compound, the faster it will polish out the stains, but the more likely it will be to scratch and/or overshine the metal. One of the old reference books I have here suggests rottenstone (a finely ground and sifted limestone) combined with oil as a homemade pewter polish... I doubt that Home Depot carries rottenstone, but, you never know. I found a small carton of the stuff at my local independent not too long ago, so it is still out there--try the store's wood refinishing section (one of rottonstone's most common uses is to take down the shine on shellac finishes). Finally, polishing to remove the stains will almost certainly bring up the shine on the coins, but with use, it will go down again. Before storing the coins, you can give them a quick go over with a mild metal polish like Brasso to protect them from staining again. Anyone else have suggestions? I've never tried using the polishing compound sticks by hand, so I don't know how labor intensive it might be. Also, I've never used a buffing wheel, so I can't offer any thoughts on that process at all. Probably the easiest solution is to hire someone with a buffing wheel to do the job... but where's the fun in that . Lin |
manal Inner circle York ,PA. 1412 Posts |
Don't throw them out, send them to me
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Blair Marshall Inner circle Montreal, Canada 3660 Posts |
There are some great metallic paints now, I am sure they would cover the spots and look pretty good. I had a large lumberjack saw for my sawing, had some rust spots on it, sanded them a little, and then used the high chrome spray paint. Looked good. (Even more so from the stage.
B
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