I remeber reading something somewhere about cleaning pressed pennies. What can I use to shine them up?
This can work but quite frequently a clear-coat can turn white and begin to flake off over time. Both MAAS and Flitz provide a protective barrier that will help to prevent future oxidation providing the it is periodically reapplied. (about once a year) Buffing with a Dremel is as you stated pretty much a last resort because you will essentially be removing a thin layer of metal in order to get to unoxidized shiny metal.Nice, detailed instructions, there! But, about that last bit - the polishing compound thingee.... it really depends on why you want to clean them - if it's just for personal enjoyment, shellack them with whatever you want. I work in a Museum, though, and that's about the worst thing to do to something, from a preservation standpoint. If you are hoping to sell the pennies in the future to some collector, adding anything to the original object will likely reduce its value. For that reason, I'd recommend just thorough cleaning that doesn't affect the object. (Or maybe I'm overthinking this altogether)
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