Ave!
Kevin is the undisputed king of cleaning as far as I'm concerned, so whilst I am going to say something that kind of sounds like I'm contradicting him, I am doing it from a position of absolute respect and student style awe
I use a dremel type tool as well, and I will use a SBBB with it occasionally. When I do use it however, I can honestly say I rarely use water, or any other fluid. I find that I can see the coin surface better when it is dry, and I never seem to get any brass transference onto the coin surface either. Maybe I'm just lucky!?!
Marc et al,
I most cases I use the Dremel
tools seen below on a dry coin surface.
[see below]
From left to right they are: F55, F45, P80, B10 and B15.
For brevities sake, if you're simply cleaning a coin covered with soft dirt, begin with the P80. Probe/press down at a 45 degree angle with gentle pressure. Due to the very
sharp point, in many cases the dirt will actually break/split off from the coin's surface. Continue with this tool until you have a clear idea of the coin's
portrait, legends, and Rx details. At this point, you can switch to the F55/F55 to further clean the
portrait, open fields, Rx details and legends. Return to the P80 for extreme detail cleaning. That's sounds simple enough, doesn't it?
Now here's the real trick, kids...
For years, after scraping, probing, dremeling, etc., after each use, I would wipe the dust/debris off with a cotton towel. Until a few years ago, I didn't realize that I was actually pressing the dirt/dust back onto the coin's surface, hense, not actually removing much of the dirt that
had been loosened by the
tools.
Now, after every short Dremel tool use, I hand-brush off the dirt with the
tools seen below that I use to buff finished coins. A common toothbrush will
work for you.
[see below]
Sometimes it's the little things that can make a big difference.
Best,
Kevin