Cleaning bronze with lemon juice & baking soda?

[nerd]

I read about using this combo for cleaning bronze, not coins, from another site and was wondering if anyone here has tried it on a coin or not. I have never cleaned a coin and I want to make sure I don't use something that will hurt it.

[areich]

Lemon juice is an acid and will hurt a bronze coin by removing the patina.

[nerd]

I was thinking the acid wouldn't be a good thing! New to this so I wanted to be sure! Thank you.

[casata137ec]

Lemon juice is very bad for bronze coinage.

Chris

PS If lemon juice is an acid and baking soda is a base, wouldnt they just neutralize each other and leave a lemony pasty mess?
C.

[renegade3220]

Lemon juice is very bad for bronze coinage.

Chris

PS If lemon juice is an acid and baking soda is a base, wouldnt they just neutralize each other and leave a lemony pasty mess?
C.

Lol. Well sort of. Lemon juice is a strong acid And baking soda a weak base. So it would take a bunch of baking soda to neutralize a small amount of lemon juice.  Maybe the spirit of the idea is to mix them, let's say 50/50, to make a less acidic solution, thus giving the help of crud cutting of the acid without the same harshness on the patina. Olive oil being a weak acid can do the same, but darkened the patina, is messy, etc. You could also control the acidity of the lemony paste as well

I still wouldn't try it personally.

[nerd]

I will just soak them over night in distilled water and then attempt some work with a dental pick and a denture brush in the morning!

Thanks for all of your info and help!