Thursday, February 1, 2007

My New "Natural Patination" Process Completely Revealed


I have developed a method for expediting the repatination of coins after electrolysis and I am sharing with you. I call the technique “Natural Patination.” The photo of the coins you see included with this article are coins I have patinated using this technique. Please pay close attention to my instructions and you should get the same results as I do. I have worked for months on this process and I think I have the method perfected.

First, the method only works with coins I have zapped with sodium carbonate. Other electrolytic solutions may work but I have only worked with the SC. After your coins are completely clean and you have finished with the zapping process are you ready to begin. Pull the clean coin from the solution and wipe with either a soft cloth or soft paper towel. Do NOTHING other than wipe the coins dry. I am assuming your coins are completely clean at this point. In other words, there is no encrustation remaining on the coin.

Allow the coins to dry with the SC still on the coin. You do not perform the vinegar dip nor do you wash the coin. The SC remaining on the coin causes a more rapid oxidation of the coin and what would normally take weeks will take only hours to days using my new technique. I am getting wonderful results as indicated by the coins you see in the photograph. I place my coins in small plastic containers and go through the coins every day or so to see which coins are ready to “seal.”

At this point, when the coin has the patina value I want I place the coin in white vinegar for about three minutes. The vinegar halts any additional toning of the coin. Pull the coin from the vinegar, wash with a mild dishwashing liquid and water, wipe the coin dry and allow to dry overnight or for several hours. You may want to expedite the drying by using a hair dryer or heat gun. Allow me to caution you to make sure the coin is thoroughly dry. The next step is to seal the coin with wax and if wax or any sealant is placed on a damp coin one will get a “blushing” effect. The blushing effect is the result of sealing moisture under the wax or other sealant. I am sure you have seen the effect if you have cleaned coins for any length of time. The damp coin effect leaves the coin with a cloudy look. It is very obvious at its worst.

I ask that you follow all my instructions for cleaning coins in order to obtain the wonderful results I get. I work very hard at mastering my craft and I cannot be responsible for any deviation from what I ask you to do. That includes the SC and the mixture ratio I ask you to use. I am a bit perplexed when I get an offline question about how much vinegar one should add to the sodium carbonate or how much salt goes in the solution. We all need to be on the same page as we work though these coin cleaning techniques. Thanks for allowing me to instruct you. Please bookmark my blog and check back often. I will begin to instruct in photographing with artificial light pretty soon and if you love our hobby as much as I do you will find the photography to be very exciting. The URL of my blog is as follows: http://ancientpeddler.blogspot.com/ Be sure and look at the various articles I have included for the benefit of our ancient coin enthusiasts. God Bless.. Jerry..

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