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Metal finishing Q&As since 1989
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Penny Experiment: Possible to deform a penny?
Is there any possible way to bend or disform a piece of copper, or a penny? And from a previous reply about pennies: will whiskey, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and shampoo make copper or pennies rust faster or corrode faster? And are they the only substances that will do so?
I await your answer. And I hope that I wasn't pestering you at all.
Sincerely,
Sandy C [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Wtloo, Ontario, Canada
2002
2002
Hi, Sandy. You are not pestering, but there is a problem: you are expected to seriously commit your mind to your homework :-) Don't you think that if you put your mind to it, like you are supposed to, your first question would seem a bit silly? You are wondering if there is any way in the world to "bend or disform a piece of copper, or a penny"? When you go to an arcade, a machine asks you to put a penny in and watch it be bent and disformed into a commemorative design. Did you seriously wonder whether hammers, drills, files, sandpaper, blowtorches, and jackhammers would just bounce helplessly off of a penny without bending or disforming it? :-)
Please put pennies in little cups of whiskey (with your parents' permission), rubbing alcohol, vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon (adv.)], lemon juice, vegetable oil, and shampoo for a week and see what happens. While you're at it, put some in water, coke, and ketchup to see if any other substances will make pennies corrode faster. Good luck!
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Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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