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First of all, the safest rule of thumb is to never use any abrasives of any sort; even rubbing (vs. patting) the silver insert with a soft cloth will leave hairlines. As for using liquid (NOT Paste) "dip" to remove toning, it generally works, with the following caveats:
1) Make the dip very brief (it reacts even after out of the dip);
2) Rinse in Cold (NOT Hot) water (distilled water ensures no mineralization discoloration); and then
3) It is Critical that the Acidic dip be Neutralized immediately as the last step. If not, the Strike will re-tone even worse within days. The safest way to do this is with a bath in DENATURED Alcohol. A baking powder & water paste will have the smae effect but you must be careful not to nudge the paste at all or the crystals in it will leave hairlines.
4) To avoid potential water spots, you can "pat" with a soft cloth or use a hair dryer to blow the water off/dry it.
Lastly, be aware that copper is an extremely reactive metal (tones quickly; retones even quicker). When I have tried this with pure Silver (7s or $40s or $200) Strikes, my results have always been prefect. However, with $10s, I generally only do it if the toning is pretty unsightly - given the possibility for worsening the look long-term.
Best wishes -- and these are just my experiences -- if others have good results with different methods, I am just advocating the most conservative method (which is the most possibly acceptable in the Coin market without causing the dreaded "cleaned" label).
Dave W.
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