Green metal?

Question

I was trying to remove the rust from some metal (international coins) but I think I exposed them to too much air because they have turned a distinctive shade of green. How can I fix them and restore them to a shiny state?

A lot of the coins aren't copper. Will copper cleaner still work on them? And vinegar is what I used the first time (what turned them green).

I'm trying the lemon and ketchup on a few of the coins to see if they work, if neither of them do I'll try and find a cleaner at the store. Here's hoping (because some of them are pretty rare Iraqi coins from pre-Saddam).

Answer 1

This website details a cleaning process, and recommends CLR for green spots.

http://www.celatorsart.com/cleaning3.html

As dumb as this may sound, I would also try soaking the coins in Coke. I've used Coke to clean many random items in the past, and it worked quite well, most likely due to its acidic nature.

Answer 2

Copper turns green when is oxidized (like the Statue of Liberty). The best bet would probably be to polish the coin with a copper polish.

Answer 3

I hope it wasn't a rare coin. If it was you best leave it as is because it will diminish it's value. In fact since you have already tried to remove the rust it may have lost it's value...

Sorry

Thank you for your question

Answer 4

ketchup works mainly from citric acid, so cut out the middleman and squeeze some lemons! try with baking powder/soda. the green is malachite forming

Answer 5

you can use silver clener or the polish used to polish metals i have some of that stuff but i cant remember the name

Answer 6

Maybe vinegar or brown sauce would help

Answer 7

rub them down with ketchup or vinegar.

Answer 8

were they copper? if so I think you can buy some commercial products

Answer 9

its just oxidation. clean them with metal polish and stop touching them.

Answer 10

ketchup