My hunting partner has a quart size baggie of some type of white powder that he uses in his tumbler to clean coins but doesn't remember what it is. He got it in a club hunt a few years back and looks like baking soda but says it's not that. Anybody know what powder this is? It does a good job getting the coins clean in a tumbler and removes the old dark spots on coins. Thanks, John
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
coin cleaning powder
- Thread starter John(Tx)
- Start date
I have used some of this before that come in a kit with the red or blue gravel depending on what coins you are cleaning. Cant remember the name for sure, but think it was something like" magic tumble clean" or something like that. Myself I found something that works better for me in the tumbler and that is aquarium gravel and real lemon juice and water. On pennies they clean up real nice in about a hour or 2 while the clad takes longer depending how bad they are. I put in the dirty coin and ad the gravel until about half full and water just to a little over the top of the gravel and a good squirt of real lemon juice I get at store in a bottle and tumble and rinse when done. Just don't tumble clad in with the copper as they have to be separate.
Rick
Rick
GeorgeinSC
Well-known member
I do not know what the powder is made of but I have seen it advertised on Kellyco's web site. They are one of the sponsors on this forum.
Critterhunter
New member
There are various recipes if you google that to tumble coins. I always preferred white gravel as I felt colored types sometimes gave the coins a strange tint. Also, if anybody is looking for a tumbler but doesn't want to order one and wait, Harbor Tool & Freight walk in stores have 3 or 4 models on display to pick from. I think they might even had some coin cleaning powders they sell right along side them in their stores.
I ordered my tumbler years ago from elsewhere, but if I ever buy another I'll get it from Harbor Tool & Freight. Not just for the dirt cheap prices, but also because I noticed they have replacement rubber drive belts for the ones they sell that use them. One or two of their tumblers are not tumbles but vibration style. I might go that route next time because then perhaps no belt to dry rot or fail, and also I found my tumbler over the years needs me to prop it up at odd angles so the drum will roll properly on it.
A while back I had some polishing powder meant for taking scratches out of windshields. I threw some of that in there alone with some v-nickels that didn't have any numistic collecting value money wise just to see what they'd do. Man, they came out looking much better than I ever got nickels to clean up, but since then I hear there are better ways to clean nickels (stick one in a potato maybe, or use Warschchest sauce, which I'm sure I spelled wrong).
Another tip I read a few months back for silver coins, that *might* clean them without people being able to tell, is to heat up a shot glass full of peroxide in the microwave for a few seconds until it comes to a boil, and then throw the silver coin in there. They said to time your cleanings so as not to remove all the tarnish on the coin and thus, since no abrasive is used, it might not be classified as cleaned. Don't take my word on that though. I did throw a clad quarter in a shot glass boiling with peroxide and man it fizzed like crazy. I can see how this stuff might work very well on silver.
Mainly I use an electrolysis process I built to clean things like silver coins of no numistic value, as I hate non-shiny silver, or I just rub them between my fingers with a little baking soda and water. I prefer the electrolysis process for things like silver rings with tiny spaces I can't get to and clean. I've also used it on copper and bronze coins or such and it works well for them too when they have a thick layer of crud on them, but I may try the peroxide thing and see if that does the job too.
For some reason collectors want uncleaned coins. I always thought that was curious, like not wanting to wash a classic car and shine it up. I can see if the cleaning process is abrasive it would swirl scratches into the coin or wear away fine details, but there are methods to clean silver without doing either of those things I suspect, if not the peroxide or electrolysis methods above perhaps?
These days I don't tumble my clad. Instead, I wash it in a bucket of warm soapy water to get the dirt off, let it dry, and then head up to one of those Coinstar machines at grocery stores and dump it in there. It's worth the 9 cents per dollar not to have to tumble them or roll the coins. I saw somewhere that Coinstar, as part of their fee, cleans and polishes the coins themselves. They also then sort out which coins are not able to go back into circulation and exchange them with the department of treasury to get new ones. For that kind of service they are doing, 9 cents on the dollar is a small price to pay is the way I look at it.
On the other hand, I recently bought somebody a coin counter that will sort the coins into types and in the right quantities so they are ready to be rolled and are properly stacked for that, or they fall right into the paper rolls if you use them too. I priced them at a bunch of local stores and Sprawlmart had the best one feature wise for $26, which will not only do dollar coins too, but I was amazed at how fast it would sort stuff as you dumped handfuls of coins in. It also plugs into the wall so no need to run it on batteries like others.
It's so hassle free that now I'm thinking I'll just buy one and roll my coins with it, so I don't have to pay Coinstar 9 cents on the dollar anymore. Still, I'd feel funny about exchanging non-tumbled coins at the bank, so I probably will stick with Coin Star. If you are interested in the coin roller I started a thread on that a few months back in the General Interest forum with a picture of it.
I ordered my tumbler years ago from elsewhere, but if I ever buy another I'll get it from Harbor Tool & Freight. Not just for the dirt cheap prices, but also because I noticed they have replacement rubber drive belts for the ones they sell that use them. One or two of their tumblers are not tumbles but vibration style. I might go that route next time because then perhaps no belt to dry rot or fail, and also I found my tumbler over the years needs me to prop it up at odd angles so the drum will roll properly on it.
A while back I had some polishing powder meant for taking scratches out of windshields. I threw some of that in there alone with some v-nickels that didn't have any numistic collecting value money wise just to see what they'd do. Man, they came out looking much better than I ever got nickels to clean up, but since then I hear there are better ways to clean nickels (stick one in a potato maybe, or use Warschchest sauce, which I'm sure I spelled wrong).
Another tip I read a few months back for silver coins, that *might* clean them without people being able to tell, is to heat up a shot glass full of peroxide in the microwave for a few seconds until it comes to a boil, and then throw the silver coin in there. They said to time your cleanings so as not to remove all the tarnish on the coin and thus, since no abrasive is used, it might not be classified as cleaned. Don't take my word on that though. I did throw a clad quarter in a shot glass boiling with peroxide and man it fizzed like crazy. I can see how this stuff might work very well on silver.
Mainly I use an electrolysis process I built to clean things like silver coins of no numistic value, as I hate non-shiny silver, or I just rub them between my fingers with a little baking soda and water. I prefer the electrolysis process for things like silver rings with tiny spaces I can't get to and clean. I've also used it on copper and bronze coins or such and it works well for them too when they have a thick layer of crud on them, but I may try the peroxide thing and see if that does the job too.
For some reason collectors want uncleaned coins. I always thought that was curious, like not wanting to wash a classic car and shine it up. I can see if the cleaning process is abrasive it would swirl scratches into the coin or wear away fine details, but there are methods to clean silver without doing either of those things I suspect, if not the peroxide or electrolysis methods above perhaps?
These days I don't tumble my clad. Instead, I wash it in a bucket of warm soapy water to get the dirt off, let it dry, and then head up to one of those Coinstar machines at grocery stores and dump it in there. It's worth the 9 cents per dollar not to have to tumble them or roll the coins. I saw somewhere that Coinstar, as part of their fee, cleans and polishes the coins themselves. They also then sort out which coins are not able to go back into circulation and exchange them with the department of treasury to get new ones. For that kind of service they are doing, 9 cents on the dollar is a small price to pay is the way I look at it.
On the other hand, I recently bought somebody a coin counter that will sort the coins into types and in the right quantities so they are ready to be rolled and are properly stacked for that, or they fall right into the paper rolls if you use them too. I priced them at a bunch of local stores and Sprawlmart had the best one feature wise for $26, which will not only do dollar coins too, but I was amazed at how fast it would sort stuff as you dumped handfuls of coins in. It also plugs into the wall so no need to run it on batteries like others.
It's so hassle free that now I'm thinking I'll just buy one and roll my coins with it, so I don't have to pay Coinstar 9 cents on the dollar anymore. Still, I'd feel funny about exchanging non-tumbled coins at the bank, so I probably will stick with Coin Star. If you are interested in the coin roller I started a thread on that a few months back in the General Interest forum with a picture of it.
Critter,
I don't think you would be happy with the vibrating tumbler for cleaning any of the newer coins like a reg tumbler. I do find that for cleaning my Wheaties it seems to work good as most will still have the nice tint to them and not too shinny. I use the aquarium gravel and add a little of my awsome cleaner I get at the dollar store and turn it on and then add water until you see a nice rolling action, put the cover on and run for several hours and check them, if not too bad I rinse them off and dry it out and put them back in dry with crushed walnuts shells for about 4 hours and separate the pennies from the crushed wall nut shells and put the pennies back in the tumbler with clean water only and turn it on for about a half hour to wash off any of the dust and then air dry.
I have a 25# rotating tumbler a 5 # and the 25# vibrating and use them all in my coin cleaning I do for myself and others, I also have a electrolysis set up for some of the silver I find that is black and check it often and when it come out of this I use cigarette ashes or those out of my wood burning stove and rub that into the coin with my fingers and wash off and most all the silver, but not all will come out great looking.
I have had good luck doing this with what I have and cleaned many coins for others, but these are just the common silver and Wheaties and all of the clad and memorial pennies.
Rick
I don't think you would be happy with the vibrating tumbler for cleaning any of the newer coins like a reg tumbler. I do find that for cleaning my Wheaties it seems to work good as most will still have the nice tint to them and not too shinny. I use the aquarium gravel and add a little of my awsome cleaner I get at the dollar store and turn it on and then add water until you see a nice rolling action, put the cover on and run for several hours and check them, if not too bad I rinse them off and dry it out and put them back in dry with crushed walnuts shells for about 4 hours and separate the pennies from the crushed wall nut shells and put the pennies back in the tumbler with clean water only and turn it on for about a half hour to wash off any of the dust and then air dry.
I have a 25# rotating tumbler a 5 # and the 25# vibrating and use them all in my coin cleaning I do for myself and others, I also have a electrolysis set up for some of the silver I find that is black and check it often and when it come out of this I use cigarette ashes or those out of my wood burning stove and rub that into the coin with my fingers and wash off and most all the silver, but not all will come out great looking.
I have had good luck doing this with what I have and cleaned many coins for others, but these are just the common silver and Wheaties and all of the clad and memorial pennies.
Rick
Rick in Pa
New member
I put my coins in the tumbler with aquarium gravel, powdered COMET cleaner and water. Keep the pennies separate or the clad will get dark.
Birdseed
Member
It is a 99% bet that the white powder is "Alumina" or aluminium oxide. It is a common abrasive, used in industry and also by lapidary enthusiasts for grinding stones in tumblers.
If there is an auluminium smelter anywhere near you they will have thousands of tons of the stuff as it is the principle source of aluminium.
Interestingly it is chemically the same as sapphire and ruby which are precious crystalized forms.
I have used it to burnish coins in both vibrating and rotary tumblers, and both wet and dry. For me, best results have been to put coins in a barrel with enough broken glass or marbles to just over half fill the barrel, then add water until it comes up level with the load, Add about three quarters of a cup of medium grade alumina powder then set on the tumbler. Coins that are not very dirty will only take a couple of hours, really crusted coins may take a day or two.
I am talking about Australian coins which are made of a cupro/nickel alloy. Coins from other countries may need vastly different times. Experiment and see.
It is a good idea to tumble your broken glass with a bit of emery powder for a day or so before using with coins to tame down the sharp edges. Wash through a sieve to get rid of the emery and sludge and any shards.
Good luck
If there is an auluminium smelter anywhere near you they will have thousands of tons of the stuff as it is the principle source of aluminium.
Interestingly it is chemically the same as sapphire and ruby which are precious crystalized forms.
I have used it to burnish coins in both vibrating and rotary tumblers, and both wet and dry. For me, best results have been to put coins in a barrel with enough broken glass or marbles to just over half fill the barrel, then add water until it comes up level with the load, Add about three quarters of a cup of medium grade alumina powder then set on the tumbler. Coins that are not very dirty will only take a couple of hours, really crusted coins may take a day or two.
I am talking about Australian coins which are made of a cupro/nickel alloy. Coins from other countries may need vastly different times. Experiment and see.
It is a good idea to tumble your broken glass with a bit of emery powder for a day or so before using with coins to tame down the sharp edges. Wash through a sieve to get rid of the emery and sludge and any shards.
Good luck