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Things You'll Need
Instructions
Put on heavy-duty rubber gloves and goggles to protect your hands, arms and eyes. Wash the specimen with dish soap and warm water. As you wash it, remove loose mineral chunks and sand with a wire brush. Get the specimen as clean as possible with this method. Remove and allow the copper to air dry.
Place the dry specimen into a large, durable 5-gallon plastic container with a sealable lid. Add enough hydrochloric acid to the container to completely cover the specimen and tightly seal the lid.
Leave the specimen for about five minutes to remove carbonite and calcite from the copper, as well as any oxidation discoloration. Open the lid after five minutes to check your specimen. If there is no noticeable improvement, leave the specimen in the acid for up to one hour before removing the copper from the acid.
Extract the specimen from the acid solution and rinse it with clean water. Place the specimen in a container filled with baking soda and warm water to neutralize the acid. Wash the copper thoroughly in clean water, removing additional loose minerals with a wire brush as necessary.
Dip the copper in diluted nitric acid for a minute or less. Remove and rinse with water until the water runs clear. This may take up to 30 minutes. Dunk the clean specimen in copper brite or standard copper cleaner. Rinse it again and again for the next two hours if needed, until the specimen and rinsing water are free from yellow discoloration. Towel dry the specimen or allow it to air dry. Spray it with acrylic lacquer the following day if desired.