How do I coat my pennies?

Pour into a small cup half of what you think you need let it harden, drop penny pour the rest.

How do I separate the excess lacquer that will harden into the shape of the cup?

Could you “paint” them with clear nail polish? I would only do the tops, I think, but you could also do both sides (with a day in between to let the first side harden).

That was my first thought, actually @longgone. But I want something more industrial strength.

There is nothing clear that will hold up over time that you can easily apply. Clearcoat for a car would be the one thing I think that has the best chance that you can easily do yourself. It will minimally yellow in UV light. You spray one side, let it dry then turn it over and repeat. Do it a few times.

You could make smaller resin bricks that encase the coins

So many choices for clear coat! I have no idea what the differences between them are….I looked on Amazon.

Check you tube. I looked at “coating pennies on cement” and it came up with a lot of videos.

Well my concrete contractor said they need to be coated and dried before I set them in the wet concrete.

Once you set them in the cement maybe coat them with a clear coat? I just had my cement driveway painted and they did a clear coat of something on top. It wears off over time.

Or…

Maybe set the pennies in clear epoxy and then lay that into the cement?

Well…I guess I could put them in and wait for the concrete to cure and then put the clear coat on. It doesn’t have to be coated on both sides.

I don’t know if the clear coat used over my paint adheres to pennies?

https://www.real-penny-tile-projects-made-easy.com/

Fireplace is so cool. Your idea outside is really cool too.

I coat of clear resin should do the trick.

How about laying them out then covering the lot in epoxy?

My concern was getting both sides. But I don’t think I have to worry about oxidation in the side that’s in the concrete….do I?

The copper coat will certainly oxidize, but I checked and it turns out that pennies post 1982 are 97.5% zinc.

I don’t think you need to worry about the side in the cement; although, cement does get wet if that matters? I don’t know how water might affect the pennies.

It’s not water @JLeslie. It’s the oxygen in the air that causes rhem to oxidize and tarnish.

If I seal it with car grade clear coat that will stop the oxidation, right @HP?

For how long? How many years will said coat preserve a car’s paint from oxidation? One way or another, it will be an interesting experiment.

You could use marine grade varnish. It holds up in UV light, weather and extremes of temperature.

@Dutchess_III Would a coin collector be any help?

Oh! Good suggestion @snowberry!

How would a coin collector help @si3tech?

Whatever you use won’t take kindly to abrasion. The fact that you’re going to put it on a sidewalk might be problematic.

How about this

You could contact the manufacturer and tell them what you want to do. Ask them if it would hold up.

One idea is use the marine grade varnish, and plan to re-apply a light coat every 6 months or so. You might want to clean the area well first.

Plastic won’t hold up. It will deteriorate, crack, scratch easily and turn yellow within a short time. If you’re thinking of using something to cover it with then clear glass tiles set flush but covering the pennies would be your best bet.

Water and air.

https://www.tech-faq.com/what-causes-copper-to-turn-green.html

https://www.doityourself.com/stry/5-things-that-cause-copper-to-tarnish

But, the water might not matter so much with the face-down side of the pennies since that part isn’t very exposed to air.

Have you googled it? You might get a lot of ideas or find out it won’t work, if you google. I’m thinking any thing plastic will scratch and won’t hold up in the weather. Resin won’t hold up because resin can scratch, same with polyurethane. I’ve seen pennies put onto bars with polyurethane, but that’s interior, not exterior, and nobody is walking on a bar. (at least not in a large quantity of people).

I think y’all are right. Back to the drawing board.

I would go with @snowberry‘s idea and find some clear marine-grade varnish. Maybe you want to shine them up a bit using vinegar to dissolve the dark brown oxide layer. Rinse in clean water to get rid of the vinegar then dry, and you’re good to go.

I have 4 cans of sun and moisture marine spray on order. I think if I spray them on wax paper I should be able to get them off after spraying, and drying, should be easy enough.

Those are all good ideas, but if you use your spray with the pennies sitting on top of wax paper, the wax paper will adhere to the pennies. You could try balancing your pennies on top of small pebbles and then spray them. Once they are dry, turn each penny over and rebalance it on other pebbles and treat the other side of the penny.

If you really want to shine pennies up, use a proper cleaner for the job. You could try your local hardware store but here is a review of metal polishes. Brasso is available where I live.

https://pelhamprobus.com/best-metal-polishes/

I have a friend who owns a plating shop. I’ll ask him if he has any ideas.

Thanks @jca2.

You have the right idea, @Dutchess_III. My friend said spray each one and just push them into the cement.

Yay!