HOW TO CLEAN THOSE METAL
DETECTOR TREASURES!
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How to clean your metal detector treasures
How do you clean what you found? Well, that’s a good question. It really
depends on what you found and what is covering it but here are some suggestions.
First we have to assume that what you found with your metal detector
is made of metal and most likely, a soft metal like gold, silver,
copper or brass. You may even find pewter or lead artifacts like
pottery or bullets from historical battles. These are also soft
metals so you don’t want to use abrasives like sandpaper, tumblers,
metal brushes or sandblasting unless you have to. The best bet
is to start with a little dish soap and warm water. Use an old
toothbrush to help things out. Typically the soft metals are not
susceptible to corrosion so the water does not bother them but
dry them anyway.
If the artifacts or treasures have ridges and valleys like jewelry
or coins, try an ultrasonic cleaner. You can buy these at most
department stores in the jewelry department. You don’t want to
sand, sandblast or even tumble coins. You could destroy the markings
that make them valuable.
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