(Please click on thumbnails for larger picture if you need to)
List of items needed:
the non-metallic container, items you made, wooden spatula (or anything non-conductive to stir with), distilled water (if you don't have this, use warm tap water running it through a filter, not the best but will do!), Salt and Baking soda.
1. SETTING UP TO CLEAN:
The transformer should be unplugged still. Take your container and fill it up about 3/4 of the way with the distilled water. Next, take the fork or spoon that is attached to the wire and drape it over one side of the container, you can further bend it or mold it from here to get it to stay. On the other side of the container, position the stand to hold the wire, that will hold the coin, so that it is over the electrolyte. Using the clip on the stand, clip the remaining wire to it, letting it dangle in the electrolyte, so you can get a feel for how everything is going to fit. You can always just look at the pics below to get an idea of what I am trying to say here!! As you can see in the 3rd pic, I have a can of walnuts to stabilize my stand, not good to have it loose to fall or move. Unclip the wire from the stand and proceed to the next step!
2. ATTACHING THE COIN:
Take the coin to be cleaned and clip it to the alligator clip that was clipped to the stand clip, a lot of clips, like the first pic below. If you want to, you can take a piece of copper wire and wrap it around the coin, this will protect the coin from direct contact with the clip. However you attach the coin, it has to make good solid contact for this to work! Back to the stand, position the coin in the electrolyte so that the coin is just below the surface and completely covered, clip the wire to the stand to keep it there! Next step cleaning!!!
3. THE CLEANING PROCESS:
Now, the moment you have all been waiting for, power!!! Make sure your setup looks similar to the first pic down there then plug in the transformer. Now you have everything powered up BUT WAIT!!! Nothing is happening!!! Remember we only have distilled water in here now, time to add salt or baking soda to make the electrolyte. Start pouring the salt or baking soda in the water using the spatula to gently stir it in. After several seconds, you will see the coin start to fizz, as seen in the second pic below. IMPORTANT!!! If the fork or spoon is fizzing and the coin is not, unplug it, you have the coin and the utensil on the wrong wires, swap them than try again. You may have to move the two closer together to get it to fizz quicker like I did in the third pic below. The fourth pic just shows what I mean by the electrolyte getting dirty and mucky. Now that you have begun the cleaning process, see the Cleaning Rules and Hints in the next step.
4. CLEANING RULES AND HINTS:
Now that we started cleaning, here are some helpful things! Depending on how strong your transformer is, or the amount of corrosion on the coin, will determine the amount of time it takes to clean the coin. The more salt or baking soda in the electrolyte will also speed the process, more of either of them, faster clean time. Some can take 5 minutes where others can take an hour or so. This is a hint to help you gauge the time. Take a penny that you WANT to destroy and start cleaning it. Leave it in the electrolyte, taking it out and checking it every 10 minutes (rubbing in your fingers is good), keep checking it until it starts to feel brittle and pitted taking note at the time, that is the too long mark. You can also experiment with the positions of the coin and fork or spoon. If you are going to clean a lot of coins, check the transformer every once in a while to make sure it isn't getting too hot, you don't want to burn it up!
The way I like to clean the coins is to start the cleaning process, leave the coin in for about 5 minutes, then take it out. As you can see in the first pic below, I take baking soda and mix it with water to make a paste, using the lid of my container. After I take the coin out (after the 5 minutes) I use the paste on the coin and rub it in my palm or fingers to take off the deposits that were loosened by the electrolysis, see the second pic. If the coin still needs more cleaning, I rinse it off with clean water, then repeat the process until I am satisfied!
I hope this tutorial is helpful to you! I will probably be adding things here and there as they come up, change, or I realize I forgot something (like the pics I still have to take)! Enjoy!!!
Chiz
Now that we have everything done and over with, click on the next page for some before and after shots!!!