Heating Coins

[Matthew Raica]

I've read many places on here tha it is recommended that you heat coins after you have finished cleaning them to git rid of any excess moisture.  Has anyone tried other methods besides a conventional oven, such as a toaster oven?  My wife isn't too keen on the thought of me heating little metal discs in her brand new oven, so I am searching for an alternative.  Any thoughts, advice, etc.?

[Ghengis_Jon]

Keep them out of the microwave. 

5 minutes @ 250F shouldn't really trouble her, especially if you warm all your candidate coins at once. 

Remember, its always more productive to ask your wife's forgiveness than it is for her permission....

[Jerome Holderman]

Personally, I just leave the lay out on some paper towel for a couple days before I flip them.

But you could first tell your wife that you will just heat them with a torch while watching TV. After the initial shock wears off, the idea of having them in the oven may not seem so bad 

[Matthew Raica]

Thanks!  I may, just for the sake of experiment, pick up a $15 toaster oven jsut to give it a try, I have plenty of slugs to experiment with.  I have also just been leaving them sitting out for a couple days and haven't had any ill-effects yet, but then again I've only been doing this for about two months.

[awl]

I learned from the microwave the hard way. 

[Scotvs Capitis]

I discovered heat gun works well. 15 seconds of heat on coins that have dried for several days gets them too hot to pick up. I can wax them when they are still hot and the wax flows nicely and seals them.

I have a cheap little heat gun my wife found at a scrap book supply place for doing that fake embossing and thermographing with plastic powder. It gets as hot as a large packing heat gun, maybe hotter, but has a smaller nozzle for more careful control.

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

I've read many places on here tha it is recommended that you heat coins after you have finished cleaning them to git rid of any excess moisture. Has anyone tried other methods besides a conventional oven, such as a toaster oven? My wife isn't too keen on the thought of me heating little metal discs in her brand new oven, so I am searching for an alternative. Any thoughts, advice, etc.?

Hi Gunny,

Pure sunlight has always worked best for me, my friend. Or at worst, a very low oven temp...no more than 150 degrees or you'll toast the coin's patina. Bad, ya know? Trust me, I know...

Just curious, how's your project coming?

K

[basemetal]

As part of the arresting of bronze disease the heating of a coin to drive out moisture, if you happen to have a gas oven with gas ranges of course, putting the coin in the direct flame (with hemostat, pliers, or similar unless you are tough enough to just hold the coin-kidding!) is a quick way to do so. The oven is the same but slower.  But do remember the high temps that will result in a VERY short time.
Of course a propane torch would do the same, but in my case the kitchen stove is right there......