Both professionals and simply enthusiastic people engage in numismatic collecting and collecting coins. They spend a lot of time searching for valuable specimens, but they spend no less time on bringing the discovered coins into decent condition, since most often they are not stored in the best conditions before: the coins may have patina and other surface deposits.
Cleaning and restoration of coins can be carried out using the following tools: a scraper, a set of various brushes and tweezers, reagents, etc. But one of the main tools, without which the work would not be of such high quality, is a magnifying device, using which you can easily distinguish the smallest details subject.
When mechanically cleaning coins, you can use a magnifying glass, but much more often a microscope is used for this: it allows you to better examine coins and other valuable objects, and also provides the opportunity to conduct research to verify their authenticity. In addition, microscopes, equipped with a digital camera (or camera) and special software, are used to digitize an image of an object of interest for its subsequent analysis, processing and storage.
For cleaning and restoration of coins, the Altami company offers digital stereoscopic microscopes(For example, Altami SM0745) and software Altami Studio. This stereomicroscope has the necessary magnification and a large working distance, which is convenient when working with it using various tools (the same brushes and tweezers). In addition, the device has a modular design - you can purchase an object table with a suitable illuminator for it. The Russified Altami Studio application used is software for analyzing and processing images in real time. Using it, you can display an image of coins observed through a microscope on the monitor screen and edit it for better results in real time: this is facilitated by a large arsenal of image processing tools (changing brightness, contrast, threshold transformations, and much more). In addition, Altami Studio is used to carry out numerous measurements (determining length, perimeter, area).
For specialists who need to establish the authenticity of coins, it is suitable digital microscope comparison with software Altami Studio Crim. With the help of this equipment, and mainly the program, it is convenient to compare objects by superimposing their images on top of each other, and thus finding their similarities and differences. Thus, analysis and research of coins can be carried out quickly and comfortably.
A set of tools for mechanical cleaning and restoration of coins and finds.
File scrapers. These scrapers have the sharpest sharpening and are used in finishing to achieve maximum evenness of the surface, but they become dull faster.
Carbide scrapers are designed for rough clearing of solid oxides and deposits, and removal of solid oxides. Very strong and hold an edge for a long time.
A smoothing pad for polishing the field of a coin, you can crush a striker, a scratch, smooth out stripes from a scraper on the patina, replacing balls.
Video of cleaning coins with a scraper:
Instructions for using scrapers.
An approximate scenario for using scrapers.
For rough clearing, we use scrapers made of carbide metal (hard alloy, win). With these scrapers we carry out a complete clearing of the pattern, because they are stronger and do not lose their edge. But with such scrapers it is impossible to make a perfectly even field and work out the small details of the coin’s design.
After rough clearing, we thoroughly clean all the irregularities with scrapers made of steel burs; with such scrapers you can even out the shape of the relief of the pattern; they have a very sharp sharpening, which allows you to carefully cut off even weak oxides.
And it is good to finish the surface of the object being cleared with scrapers made from needle files; such scrapers are as sharp as possible, which allows you to very finely level the surface.
If necessary, smooth the surface of the object with a cone (trowel). After smoothing, glossy streaks remain, which are easily rubbed out with a fiberglass brush. You can also do a soft clearing with a fiberglass brush and wipe away the stripes from the scraper.
Equipment:
- The work table is an oak block with a leather surface.
- File scrapers.
- Hard alloy scrapers.
- Bar for polishing the field of a coin.
- Coin stand for patination.
- Device for sharpening scrapers.
- Double-sided collet for fastening scrapers.
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Collecting coins is not just collecting, but also often a lengthy process of researching the purchased specimen and cleaning it. It is for these purposes that there are tools that should be present in almost any numismatist. In this article we will look at how to choose the right magnifying glass, microscope and scrapers for cleaning coins. This will help novice collectors understand their future acquisition, and experienced collectors will expand their knowledge.
The simplest and most popular tool of a numismatist is magnifying glass Even with 100% vision, we are unable to see the smallest cracks and other small elements of the medallion we are purchasing; this is where a 10x magnifying glass comes to the rescue, also known as a magnifying glass, which allows us to examine the coin with greater accuracy.
How to choose a magnifying glass?
To begin with, you should decide what place collecting occupies in your life. If this activity is in the nature of a hobby, then it’s not worth spending much, but if it’s part of your life, then, on the contrary, savings fade into the background and it’s worth purchasing a more expensive magnifying glass. But even despite the above, the future 10x magnifying glass will be more productive with small dimensions. You will never be able to tell in advance where exactly you will be offered to look at the coin and keep a compact magnifying glass with you to examine the purchase - very comfortably.
Backlighting is a fairly important element, because in poor lighting conditions, the backlight built into the device will help you see the coin without any problems. If finances allow and you are serious, add a larger magnifying glass with 10x magnification to your compact magnifying glass. Such a magnifying glass is only used for important purchases, where you need to carefully approach the issue of examining the coin.
Coin magnifying glass price
The minimum cost of such a magnifying device is very low, at 155 rubles, per copy without backlight with 2x magnification. A high-quality magnifying glass with bright LED illumination and 3.5x magnification will cost 1500 rubles, such a magnifying glass fits more comfortably in the hand and performs its functions better.
Microscope for coins
Cleaning coins manually – an activity for real professionals, now many collectors with endurance and an iron grip prefer to clean purchased, expensive coins themselves. This is quite natural, because not everyone is ready to risk a piece of a collection worth several tens of thousands of rubles and give it to an untested master for cleaning. It is for these purposes that numismatists buy microscopes and learn how to clean them themselves.
Microscopes allow you to examine the items being processed with greater precision, plus the software does its part to facilitate the cleaning process and, if necessary, determine the authenticity of the coin.
Choosing a microscope
Again, when choosing a microscope, we first look at the goals we are pursuing. If your budget is small and you need a microscope for cleaning training or simple work, you can choose one of the cheap stereoscopic devices. Such a microscope will cost about 1000 rubles, but along with the cheapness you also get many disadvantages, such as: lack of connection to a PC (you constantly need to look into the microscope when working), poor-quality illumination, low gradation and degree of magnification, low picture quality.
On the other hand, we have a niche of high-quality microscopes, costing about 7 thousand rubles. These microscopes give the user more freedom. They can be connected to external monitors or PCs, the high-quality image has a high degree of optical zoom, as well as interpolation without loss of image quality, bright illumination, which allows you to enlarge the image captured by the microscope up to 200 times.
Interesting
The software supplied with the microscopes allows you to save high-quality images of the coin by area and create a complete high-resolution image for subsequent listing for sale or other purposes.
Also, separate software allows you to download an image of a particular coin and compare it down to a hundredth of a millimeter with your copy, thus determining the authenticity of the coin.
Complete cleaning of coins using chemicals is very often either impossible or leads to damage to an expensive item. The best craftsmen perform mechanical cleaning, this procedure is comparable to jewelry work, and for a successful outcome they use high-precision tools called scrapers. Scrapers – tools for mechanical cleaning of coins from dirt.
The cost of such a tool is quite high; for an average quality set you will have to pay 2000 rubles. For this money you get a full-fledged set that can be used for both professional cleaning and educational metal processing. The kit includes:
· Carbide scrapers
· File scrapers
· Polishing bar
· Sharpening device
At the first stage of cleaning, carbide scrapers come into operation, providing rough cleaning of the surface; such devices are quite hard, do not dull quickly and prepare the coin for the next stage. The second part is processing with scrapers made from needle files, they are very sharp, but also very soft, with such tools the fine elements of the coin are refined. All scrapers can be kept in working order using a special sharpener. You can clean the surface of metal residues using the brush that comes with the kit; if you don’t have one, you can purchase a set of small brushes of different hardness in advance. Such brushes will not only remove excess from the working surface, but also, having sufficient rigidity, will help to finish the smallest areas.
The method of mechanical cleaning of coins described in the article is an illustration of the author’s experience, which has been accumulated over a long time. When using the method, you need to understand that it does not guarantee a positive result, and you are subjecting your material to testing at your own peril and risk.
Many people wonder: how to clean (preserve) finds, give them a divine appearance; you cannot put a dirty coin or artifact into a collection. There are many cleaning options, ranging from chemistry to electrolysis, dozens of recipes for all occasions, everyone chooses for themselves! Personally, 10 years ago I chose mechanical cleaning for myself, although I tried all the methods.
What is required for mechanical cleaning of objects: microscope, scraper, bristle brushes, wooden, boxwood needles, can be made of bone, brass, aluminum, silver. Cotton swabs, cosmetic pads and the desire to do this tedious task I can describe everything in detail in the topic if anyone wants to learn more about mechanical cleaning, or even study the whole process, I won’t hide anything (I’m sharing my secrets).
Workplace
The main thing is the microscope!
The best domestic options are: MBS-9, MBS-10, from Olbantsky ones with USB connectors - those that are more expensive
The main working tool is a scraper.
The steel triangular micro blade is made from dental burs that have served their purpose and have been tormented at us a lot.
As well as bristle brushes, brushes of various hairiness, whatever you like, I chose domestic bristles for myself; cotton swabs are also needed for wiping the object during cleaning.
And the most important thing(I completely forgot about the old one). Synthetic resin - PARALOID B72, for securing unstable areas of the object being cleared and initial fixation of the material.
And, perhaps most importantly, if you plan to clean an item mechanically, start thinking about preserving it as early as possible! The best way to preserve an item is to place it in a moist environment, such as a vacuum-sealed food container filled with wipes soaked in distilled water or a container with cut-out lost-and-found compartments. Putting a find in a pocket along with other items means causing a lot of damage, the finds should lie separately and not touch each other, and moisture will prevent drying and thus the item will successfully end up on your desktop and you will have less work to preserve and subsequent clearing!
Cleaning a coin
While the find is wet, you need to inspect its condition, remove dirt with a soft brush if the preservation of the object allows this, make sure that there are no foci of “bronze disease”, place it in the distillate for about 24 hours, regularly turning the sides (especially for coins). This is necessary to desalt the object, in this way you will dissolve the salts that were deposited on the object while it was in the ground and laid the basis for the formation of patina (at best) and contamination.
After you have desalted the item, you need to dry it. For this I recommend our favorite Russian drink - ALCOHOL.... those who don’t like it can use acetone.
If everything is fine with the item (there is no “bronze disease” and it has been desalted and dried), it needs to be soaked. Impregnation requires an unusual material - Paraloid B72, a synthetic acrylic resin. 5 gr. paraloid x 100 ml. acetone i.e. 5% solution. We place an object (coin) there for complete impregnation; the solution fills all invisible voids and cracks, stabilizes loose deposits present on the surface and inside. The time the object remains in the solution is while the bubbles are rising.
Now the coin (item) is completely covered and impregnated with resin, plasticized, then it’s up to the scraper and microscope.
A clear example of clearing.
The coin was found in a tract called “Salt Plant”, which indicated not only the saltworks of the 16th century, but also that the finds would most likely be terrible. So it turned out that 90% of the raised material was used for scrap metal, the soil is literally saturated with salt, and consists of almost nothing but ash. Huge cast-iron boilers were used to boil the salt from the brine and heated them day and night, cutting down forests in the area.
A salt crystal has grown right on the coin; the entire surface is covered with salt deposits mixed with calcareous compounds.
Intermediate stage of clearing. The entire process described above (washing, desalting, drying, fixing) was guaranteed to be carried out.
The final result of working with a coin.
During the work, only a scraper with a triangular sharpening was used, no chemicals, all deposits were cut off to the original field of the coin, the original red-brown patina was not affected, with the exception of one area, where cuprite grew into a dendrite and the oxides were re-replaced into copper - the result of “local” chemistry soil. In this place it was necessary to cut off the growths, leveling them to the general level of the embossing. Repeated impregnation with paraloid was carried out several times - unstable areas were fixed.
The places where the metal shows through were cut off during the process of removing the growths; in the future, they themselves will become covered with patina and the color will become equal. I think chemistry will not give such results, no matter what the supporters of lemon and sulfur ointment say.
P.S. hello electrolysis
Where in the world can we look for these microscopes and scrapers?
Regarding scrapers and microscopes! in Yekaterinburg there are so many shops with goods for jewelers that I don’t even know what to recommend, well, for example, the Ruta store on Posadskaya, if I’m not mistaken, they have everything... just like in Greece. It is better to take a thin (needle-shaped) scraper and preferably more than one; you often have to thread it on a finishing stone. It’s also better to buy stone at Ruta, I recommend it - Arkansas (type of stone).
I regularly saw microscopes in the same store, choose with a normal focal length, from 9 cm (MBS-9) and so on.
Contamination varies depending on the soil; is the approach to cleaning objects from different soils the same, or are there different nuances?
There are always nuances, it all depends on the condition of the item, each soil produces its own deposits or nothing happens at all, I think you have found coins in luxury condition? Cleaning still begins with examining the dirt under a microscope.
Tell me the main signs of bronze disease and its consequences for the object.
Wild patina or “bronze disease” affects coins and “kills” them in a fairly short time. Many have seen bright green copper chlorides on coins; when touched, such areas begin to crumble, usually under the green crater, going deep into the coin. If the process is not stopped, the coin will collapse within a few months. The disease can be detected in a damp chamber; as soon as green appears, sound the alarm, bronze disease is very contagious, even a pocket in an album will continue to infect other coins. You can fight by keeping the object in a solution of BenzoTriazole (BTA) 3% solution in alcohol. The most interesting thing is that when the humidity is less than 46%, the disease does not manifest itself; it becomes active immediately after 46% and begins to progress.
Desalting is a mandatory part of the cleaning process or it can be omitted if the object is not raised in salty soil. Can tap water be used for desalting?
It is advisable to use tap water for all finds from the ground, only distillate! Tap water contains chlorine, the main causative agent of bronze disease, which is why our finds later turn green and crumble!
Do I understand correctly that the object is impregnated along with the contamination, and as a result of impregnation, the contamination is better removed by mechanical cleaning?
Absolutely right, at the very beginning, carefully remove everything that can be easily removed with a brush, and secure the rest. The scraper cuts off all deposits. The main thing is to constantly monitor cutting and not get carried away with the process.
Where to buy PARALOID B72?? I looked on the Internet once, but I couldn’t find it
The Chernaya Rechka chain of stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg sells them in the form of granules and solutions (15%) and accepts orders in advance.
"Bronze Disease"
Here is a clear example of the manifestation of bronze disease; the coin was found by Sansan a month ago, during a hot period.
Thanks to the abnormal heat, the disease process has gone dormant, but the source of the disease is still present. Treated with a solution of BTA 5% in alcohol. After fixing, drying, cleaning.
Coin before cleaning.
After cleaning, the source of the disease is visible, the surface has already been damaged, cavities have been opened, the disease itself has been stopped, now retouching and re-cleaning of the retouched area is required, this will return the appearance of the coin.
The foci of the disease are highlighted in red; they will be retouched in the future; after retouching, I will definitely show them in the same topic.
Using the example of a “sick” patch, we will analyze cleaning and solving the problem with bronze disease.
The first thing to do for finds in this condition is to remove excess soil and not damage the find. The soil contains particles of sand, which is an abrasive and can damage the patina, so you can immediately place the object in a container with distillate and carefully, right in the water, begin rinsing with a soft brush, after which we inspect the coin for any remaining dirt in the recesses and try to remove all residues, using wooden or plastic needles.
Upon examination, it becomes clear that Wenzel is seriously “sick”; we are pleased that there are no signs of illness on Orel’s part.
Fragment of an area affected by bronze disease.
Immediately visible are traces of the disease, swollen dendrites and bright greenery, the basis of which is copper chloride, which is precisely the worst enemy of collectors and restorers; it is with this that they most often have to fight. To begin the fight against “bronzuha”, you need to desalt the coin, place it in a distillate to dissolve the salts located in active foci, as well as in the patina; with the help of the distillate, all soluble salts are washed away and additionally soften areas with remaining hard deposits that cannot be cleaned with wooden needles. The time the coin spends in the distillate is about a day; during the soaking process, you need to turn the coin, this is necessary so that the salts come out evenly on both sides.
We select a container of suitable size, preferably transparent, in this case a plastic PET packaging, and look for a slightly smaller plastic lid with a flange, from which we make a lattice on which the coin will be placed.
Now the coin is suspended in the middle of the container, this is necessary so that the salts coming out of the coin settle immediately to the bottom of the container, without interacting with the coin.
Fill it all with distilled water and leave it for a day, occasionally turning the coin. Water must be poured to the very top of the vessel and closed tightly with a lid or polyethylene, this is done so that active oxygen from the air does not get into the water and does not further oxidize the coin. You must always remember that distilled water can dissolve not only salts, but also harm the coin, so you should not overexpose objects, otherwise the structure of the patina will be disrupted or cavities may open.
After a day, you can remove the coin and, having blotted it with a gauze napkin, place it in a 5% solution of benzotriazole in alcohol the next day.
BTA-benzotriazole is a strong poison, work with extreme caution!!!
At the moment, the coin is at the BTA solution stage, I think in a couple of days I will be able to show the result of fixing and cleaning.
I put BTA into the solution again for a 100% guarantee to completely block the disease process.
The situation is completely different in places with foci of bronze disease, under each growth there is loose cuprite, often you have to additionally do local impregnation with paraloid, and fix individual areas. Unfortunately, the disease has had time to work thoroughly on this coin; after complete clearing, areas will need to be retouched.
Here are the last pictures, everything is cleaned, the disease is blocked, the coin does not turn green in the humid chamber. I will select a pigment for retouching to cover the cavities on the monogram side.
Hmm..cuprites...dendrites))..can you find out more...well, there are terms. Why do they form these cuprites...dermites, etc..etc...as I understand it - from the composition of the soil (saturated mineralization?)
They are formed as a result of “local” soil chemistry. I think everyone has found coins ideally and then completely affected by greenery, it all depends on the location of the find and the composition of the soil, if it is a pasture, then the coins are “tryndets”, they are provided with nitrogen compounds, on chernozems there are a lot of bacteria that contribute to the formation of a “greasy” patina, they carry clay a lot of chlorine, limestones, etc. all this affects objects. Cuprite is the best protection for copper coins, the film is quite strong, but not too resistant to aggressive environments, the acidic environment corrodes cuprite and makes way for the formation of ulcers, this is where the process of formation of bronze disease begins, cuprite swells and forms a loose mass over time , sometimes part of this formation is reduced to metal and secondary copper is obtained, which forms a dendrite (growth). Perhaps this is the effect of electrochemistry or a lightning strike, but the process cannot be stopped; the coin continues to rot and forms a complex cake of malachite, azurite, sulfites and other compounds. You can read in more detail and with a scientific approach ===> http://art-con.ru/node/511#2
The interesting topic of studying ancient coins, the history of minting, and paper bills through magnifying lenses has already been raised several times in our articles. And the high popularity among fans of materials science, collecting, and factors in the historical development of monetary culture is closely intertwined among many with the desire to study microbiology, which is why this current, fresh review has been written. If you understand the principle of microscopy, you can guess that even a basic level biological model in the hands of a skilled user can turn into microscope for numismatics. Of course, this will not be the intended use; clever application of microscopy techniques will make such a device universal.
Those. For a novice researcher, child or student, it is advisable to have multifunctional equipment that solves an expanded range of problems: from viewing living tissues and microorganisms to the nuances of the surface of metal products.
Microscopes for numismatics are divided into three categories: stereoscopic, with two-dimensional visualization, with digital image output on a computer screen. The first type is more expensive and professional, designed for observing opaque volumetric structures. It is distinguished by the presence of a binocular attachment that forms a stereo pair. It is characterized by a large working distance (from the table to the objective lens), which facilitates comfortable manipulation of objects - moving, adjusting, turning in different directions.
The second type refers to educational microscopes, in which, in addition to the main goal (viewing the microworld), an auxiliary top illumination is implemented, which determines an additional research method “in a bright field, in reflected light” (this method is exactly necessary for numismatists). If there is no built-in illuminator, it is recommended to use an autonomous source (lantern, lamp, luminaire).
The essence of constructing a visual picture lies in the ability of an incident light wave to be reflected from a coin and transmit its exact image to the optical system with detailed details of embossing patterns, cracks, scratches, abrasions, roughness, ingrained particles of dirt, and rust. This will ensure efficiency, will have a positive effect on determining the age of the thing, will allow you to consider the long-term (or centuries-old) history of the coin, find out what happened to it, how it was used, how it was stored.
The third modification of microscopes for numismatics is a compact USB magnifying glass that connects to a laptop, since there are no eyepiece tubes or eyepieces in the design. The result of the increase is broadcast in real time on the monitor. This makes it possible to take photographs, quickly edit them, saturate and change the color tone, and improve graphics. And also - to measure the diameters and lines of the most significant areas - the set of tools is varied. The device comes with a disk with drivers, software, and instructions for installing them (the process is not complicated, it’s similar to connecting a webcam, which everyone who works on a PC is familiar with).
Recommendation: in all 3 cases described above, during operation it is necessary to take into account the maximum height of the observed object so as not to damage the lens when focusing. In the beginning, you need to focus on low magnification (it provides a wide view, allowing for centering). When adjusting focus, touch the handles and tripod gently so that there is no shaking - this helps to quickly achieve image clarity and contrast.
