Cleaning Coins, redux - Not the same old question...

[Muddyshoes]

Hi all,

Have read some really great threads on using various tumblers as well as secret recipes for polishing coins before banking them.

My question is about the first step of the process which hasn't been that thoroughly discussed, and that's the FIRST step of cleaning after you dig those suckers out of the ground.

What method do you folks use for doing the FIRST step of removing years or decades of encrusted hard dirt or clay off of coins? While I'll walk around at a zombie pace for hours metal detecting only to dig a couple coins out of the ground, standing at the sink with a pile of stinky, dirty coins, some Dove(tm) detergent and a toothbrush spending 5 minutes cleaning one at a time isn't on my list of things I have much patience for.

I literally have a quart bucket full of wheat pennies I've collected since I started hunting in the mid 70s and stopped in the mid 80s, and lots of cool encrusted trinkets waiting some day to be rescued from the dirt that's on them. Just never got around to doing anything in mass. I remember at the time, some guy who actually used an old washing machine to clean his coins.

It's time to go through my stuff and clean them once and for all, and was just wondering what methods you guys are using for that first step in cleaning. Once the dirt's off, then I think the rest of the cleaning will go more smoothly.

- Ron

 

[John-Edmonton]

Unless a coin is special, where I want it to get a special cleaning, I just load up my tumbler with coins (3/4) add water and tumble them for a couple of hours. I have tried elixirs, gravel and found the the coins rubbing on each other does a fine job with an easier cleanup.

 

[ccs]

I use liquid dish washing soap,about a table spoon full. And I use amonia, just enough to cover the gravel. Tumble for 3 hours. Nothing works better.

 

[dirtydon]

The big thing I do when using a tumbler, no matrter what I use for liquid, let it run for about 15 min. then change the liquid. If not, I'ill be trying to clean coins in VERY dirty water. After doing this for a few timnes, let it run for a longer period of time..

 

[MNCoinhunter]

Yup, just a squirt of dish soap, aquarium rocks and water in a small tumbler. Just check 'em once in a while until you are satisfied with the results. I let mine run overnight and they were good to go. Bank teller was impressed anyways. I may try John-Edmonton's method without the rocks to see if I can eliminate one step.

 

[Jerry-Wi]

I tried John's method of no gravel last winter. Works great on everything with the exception of quarters. I found that they mess up the action of the tumbler barrel unless I put in some pea gravel. That may be just my tumbler. It is home made and the barrel is a foot long piece of 4 inch dia PVC pipe with an internal paddles for agitating. Did not try quarters w/o other media in the rubber barreled tumbler.

An idea that I have for what it is worth is building another tumbler only this time using one foot diameter PVC and drill small holes to let water in and also to drain out. This way the tumbler can be put in a pan of water and the water changed as needed with out having to open everything up. I like to tinker

Jerry

 

[dabbie1]

This really works great.First step Put half a cup of gravel or stones in tumbler drum. Iused small pebbles from my back yard,Add table spoon of dawn dishwasher detergent and quarter cup water,Let run for 2-21/2 hrs. Rinse throughly.Now add 1 table spoon of vinegar and one of salt with quarter cup of water Let spin for 2 hrs.rinse good again,coins come out as new. thanks Wayne

 

[andrew9091]

all very good posts....I consist of a lick out of excitement....my squirt bottle, then I go home and use baking soda.
Im sure Ill get a zillion posts saying oh no dont lick you will die from disease....oh well : )
Peace my friend.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Put them in the sink and spray wash them getting most of the dirt off them and then soak overnight in dish detergent which should loosen up the stubborn dirt and then spray wash them again in the sink and let dry spread out on newspaper..Should be clean enough for the coin star etc.machines even though expect a 10 percent loss of value. They clean in vats afterwards for their percentage taken off the top..Lots of key dates where a penny is not a penny kind of thing so advisable to check them out rather than let someone else reap the profit..

 

[Jerry-Wi]

all very good posts....I consist of a lick out of excitement....my squirt bottle, then I go home and use baking soda.
Im sure Ill get a zillion posts saying oh no dont lick you will die from disease....oh well : )
Peace my friend.

If your tongue turns green it means you have contracted Copper Penny Syndrome.

Jerry

 

[Dwayne2010]

I see a whole lot of rock tumblers on ebay. How do i know which one to get? There are a tonne of them and I know absolutely nothing about rock tumblers

 

[Muddyshoes]

I just bought this one at Harbor Freight. It's on sale for $39.99. I just used it to clean about 1,000 coins, everything from silver, to clad, to pennies and it worked well. The biggest complaint is the small drive belt which has a tendency to get chewed up. I believe that it's because people overload the drum by putting too much weight in it. As a result, the tumbler apparently comes with 5 spare belts now. I finished my 1,000 coins with no belt problems, no leak problems and the coins came out after no more than 2 hours tumbling at a time, using some dish soap, water, and artificial aquarium gravel. Some of the runs I had to dump out the water after an hour and refill and run again.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-lb-rotary-rock-tumbler-67631.html

I don't think you can beat it for the money. If you're a high volume coinhunter, they sell a larger version of that same model with 2 drums.

http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html

Their website says "On Backorder," but the 2 stores near me had loads of them. They might have them online in stock but just not updated on their website.

A lot of people use Lortone tumblers, but their inexpensive models look pretty darned close to the ones Harbor Frieght sells...just they are blue instead of red.

Good luck!

- Muddyshoes

 

[flash5153]

For cleaning wheats. I cut a small circle, in a board, the same size as a penny. and half as deep as one. (a very shallow circle)So it fits into the hole and the upside is higher than the board. All just to hold the penny from moving.
Then,,,,,,,,, small brass brush. Found at hardware stores ,looks like a tooth brush with brass bristles. And brush away.

It cleans them very well. On occasions you will get a wheat that is in very bad shape, and this method will take the patina along with the first layer off. There is no helping these no matter what you do. But 95% of wheats clean up very good.

I had cans of dirty wheats before I learned this method and use to clean them by holding them with fingers. after a bit it starts to hurt. It took me weeks to clean them all ,,,after the board ,,,and now I clean them as I find them. It takes about 30 seconds to clean a penny.

Don't try to remove the patina,,only the dirt. It brings out all detail available almost instantly. If you try it ,,I bet you will like it.

 

[andrew9091]

I say we all are awesome......so many methods, so many people...its great !

 

[rich55]

I like the fish rock and dawn soap I got a two barrel tumbler So I can put Penney's on one side and clad on the other I feel the barrel 3/4 full of rocks and then add the cons I feel it with watter until the coins are fully covered I add a table spoon of dawn soap, I do add a table spoon of baking soda, Some come out looking like new and the Bank has no problems taking them with out any problems..I also like letting them turn over all night long.I hope this helps it looks like the standard way of cleaning coins..You can pre soak your coins in olive oil if you have some with tough stains on them or i like using a tooth brush and baking soda on hard stains I don't clean any thing that is old I keep it the way I found it..........