Reddit reviews 4 oz Mint State Restoration Ancient Bronze Coin & Artifact Cleaner
We found 1 Reddit comments about 4 oz Mint State Restoration Ancient Bronze Coin & Artifact Cleaner. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Cleans copper, bronze, nickel and brass without harsh chemicalsAll natural ingredients will not damage coinsTurns months of soaking into hours of soaking for Ancient CoinsStrong enough to remove tough verdigris and corrosionRe-usable & less expensive than most cleaners
I've never used it, but it seems to be an acidic stripper. Doing that type of action is only used as the last possible attempt to save an encrusted coin. When you get to that last ditch method of stripping, then lemon juice or vinegar works well as a mild acid. So I don't see a point to this mixture.
The advertising I see says "all natural", which to me is a tip-off that there is something a bit dodgy. Why would being "natural" be better than other methods, and what does "natural" mean? I used to work in analytical chemistry, and "natural" doesn't really describe anything of value in this case. They may as well be advertising "less fattening" or "ligand free". It's meaningless hype.
People don't like to do the slow soak and scrub, or the tedious dry cleaning methods, and are always looking for that magic bullet instant cleaning method to knock all their coins clean instantly, but there really isn't anything like that. If there was a magic solution, there would be no dirty coins.
Leaving a verdigris layer is often the preferred look for coins. This product strips it all away.
Cleaning coins takes a lot of work and patience.
EDIT:
http://www.amazon.com/Mint-State-Restoration-Artifact-Cleaner/dp/B00574RPC0#customerReviews
Here is a link to the product, and notice the before and after photos of the coin. The coin they chose has very little pitting in the metal, so people get the idea that this solution will give them unpitted coins. That's not true, and from the before photo, I think this would have cleaned up much better if a layer of the verdigris patina had been left on it. Just my opinion. This coin didn't need to be stripped to the bone. I see some red on it, so it may not have come out so great. Really encrusted coins often have chewed and pitted metal, so don't expect this product to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
The reviews on that page have most people complaining about the product. A couple of the reviews mention it not touching their coins, and I suspect they were trying to remove dirt, or some other encrustation that is not going to be dissolved by an acid.