Hi guys, I have just finnshed making a set of 4 soft coins dollar size for 3 fly type routines.
The smoothing process has made some of the coin faces less than shiny in the parts that got sanded down....the coins were very noisey indeed and needed quieting down.

I read somewhere that any coin can be nickle plated giving a hard, brillantly shiny coating to the coins, if this could be done at home it would be great.

If any members have any input I would like to hear it.

The coins I used were UK commemerative coins from 1977, the queens 25th wedding anniversary or something.
They have no real value but are nice and heavy, have milled edges,and will do me quite nicely.

Regards Alan

Hi, there is a product used by the antique restorors trade called 'cold silver' (in Australia). It is a liquid which you rub on and appears as silver and can be polished. Check out antique restorors or jewelery stores.

Ian

Alan;
Why not just buff the surface of the coin metal itself?
Jim

You sanded them down in the first place to quiet the coin-to-coin contact noise. Nickel plating the coins will increase the noise they make upon contact with one another. Jim Riser has the right idea; first sand the flats with increasingly finer grades of wet paper (up to 2500 grit is not too fine for your purpose) and then, if you want more shine, use a semi-soft flat surface (such as leather stetched over a granite plate) and a fine polishing compound. By polishing with a semi-soft, flat surface you can avoid removing the patina in the remaining minting details that make them look like real coins. If you just buff out the coins you risk making them look like props rather than the real thing.

Regards,
Thomas Wayne

Mr. Wayne;
I figured that since The Pianoman wanted a "brillantly shiny" surface (read as looking like props), he could just buff them out. If a performer prefers them to look like real coins, a flat lap type buffing would be more appropriate. In the interests of time I would mechanize your procedure explained above. For additional 3-D appearance, I would most likely chemically oxidize the coins before a final light buffing. This would bring out any relief left on the coins and make them appear more like real coins than palming coins.

BTW - Pianoman,it is quite possible to nickel plate the coins at home. But; be aware that plating will not hide surface defects. The base metal needs to be highly polished for the plating to take on a mirror like finish. The final plating then receives a buffing. The easiest way to do this at home would be with electrodeless nickel plating. The hitch is that the main solution is around $60 per gallon and if quantities are to be done, a nickel replenisher is required. The plating done by this method can be very heavy and nice. Many professional platers use this method.
Jim

Add a zinc powder to an alkaline solution.. (mix water with basic lye) and the zinc ions will replace the existing ones.. I tried it on a copper coin.. To speed up the ionic replacement, you just need to heat the solution..

Forgive me if this is off topic, but just wanted to remind everyone that "Home Shop Machinist" is currently running an interesting series of articles by Jim Riser on the intricacies and gotchas of metal spinning.

If you want an even greater appreciation for the amount of skill and thoughtful labor that goes into his products, visit the newstand and pick up a copy.

Have a look at this.

http://www.caswellplating.com/

They have kits to do just about any type of plating you want. I am thinking about nickle or gold on my Okito boxes to ward off tarnish.

Go to Sears & Roebucks and buy Jewelers Rouge. It is a very soft red stone.

Put a 3" buffing wheel on your home drill. Apply rouge to wheel by holding it against the cloth wheel. Now wear thick leather gloves. The coin will get hot. Buff the coin until it is smooth and shiney.

You should have used this method in the first place. Keep applying rough as it seems to wear off. It is the finest polishing stone available.

If you wind up with a flat shiney disk you have gone to far.