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
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Coin Cleaning??????????
- Thread starter After-1-
- Start date
This is how I clean my dirty, crusty coins in a tumbler. Besides the gravel rock use 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup vinegar, tumble for 30 minutes. Rinse with water. Do not mix coins, pennies only. Quarters and dimes will be fine together. Do not mix pennies with other coins, Hope this helps. John
I have a vibrating tumbler I use on my wheat pennies as the reg tumbler is too harsh. If they are real bad they may not clean up real good, but most of the Wheaties come out natural looking and around the rim they maybe a bit shiny looking from rubbing on one another.
What I do is put in the aquarium gravel and the Wheaties and start up and add water until they are rolling action then ad some all purpose cleaner called Awsome I get at the dollar store and put the lid on and let them vibrate for a good 6 hours and take them out and rinse them off good and let them air dry and if some didn't come out real clean I will add them back on the next batch. Now with the vibrating tumbler has been rinsed and dried out inside I will use some crushed walnut shells made for cleaning brass shells for reloading and will run these for a good 4-6 hours and then take them out and the crushed walnuts shells and wipe out the tumbler and add the pennies and some plain water to rinse off the dust on the pennies for about 15 minutes and then run under water and let them air dry. They look real good other than the rims where they rub together are a little shiny.
This method is for the common Wheaties and IH pennies, but not for key coins or rare ones.
My common new pennies and the clad are separated and run in a reg tumbler with the gravel and water and real lemon juice for cleaning to take to the bank.
Rick
What I do is put in the aquarium gravel and the Wheaties and start up and add water until they are rolling action then ad some all purpose cleaner called Awsome I get at the dollar store and put the lid on and let them vibrate for a good 6 hours and take them out and rinse them off good and let them air dry and if some didn't come out real clean I will add them back on the next batch. Now with the vibrating tumbler has been rinsed and dried out inside I will use some crushed walnut shells made for cleaning brass shells for reloading and will run these for a good 4-6 hours and then take them out and the crushed walnuts shells and wipe out the tumbler and add the pennies and some plain water to rinse off the dust on the pennies for about 15 minutes and then run under water and let them air dry. They look real good other than the rims where they rub together are a little shiny.
This method is for the common Wheaties and IH pennies, but not for key coins or rare ones.
My common new pennies and the clad are separated and run in a reg tumbler with the gravel and water and real lemon juice for cleaning to take to the bank.
Rick
If you want to clean an Indian just for display and are not worried about value as any cleaning can reduce the value.. Then..
Get a potpourri cooker http://www.ebay.com/sch/Potpourri-/20555/i.html?Type=Potpourri%2520Simmer%2520Pot put about an inch of hydrogen peroxide in (From the medicine cabinet) plug it in and let ti get hot.
Drop in the coin and watch it bubble for about 5 minutes, take it out and scratch at the crust with a toot pick for a couple of minutes. Repeat until clean.. about 3 hours of picking depending on the crust. You will need a box of your very own tooth picks as the wife will be upset when she goes to get one and they are all gone.. Good Round Hardwood picks last longer.. and can be sanded sharp again when you flatten the point.. it is sort of like when you get your teeth cleaned.. without the nasty sound.. scratch scratch scratch .. scratch scratch scratch. ... ... ... .. .. .
Look in the box of gifts to regift or (Save for yard sale) you may find a Potpourri cooker there! ;-)
Good luck.
This one was so crusty I did not know it was an IH and almost went in the tumbler
[attachment 316954 1901IHheadssmaller.jpg][attachment 316955 1901IHtailssmaller.jpg]
Get a potpourri cooker http://www.ebay.com/sch/Potpourri-/20555/i.html?Type=Potpourri%2520Simmer%2520Pot put about an inch of hydrogen peroxide in (From the medicine cabinet) plug it in and let ti get hot.
Drop in the coin and watch it bubble for about 5 minutes, take it out and scratch at the crust with a toot pick for a couple of minutes. Repeat until clean.. about 3 hours of picking depending on the crust. You will need a box of your very own tooth picks as the wife will be upset when she goes to get one and they are all gone.. Good Round Hardwood picks last longer.. and can be sanded sharp again when you flatten the point.. it is sort of like when you get your teeth cleaned.. without the nasty sound.. scratch scratch scratch .. scratch scratch scratch. ... ... ... .. .. .
Look in the box of gifts to regift or (Save for yard sale) you may find a Potpourri cooker there! ;-)
Good luck.
This one was so crusty I did not know it was an IH and almost went in the tumbler
[attachment 316954 1901IHheadssmaller.jpg][attachment 316955 1901IHtailssmaller.jpg]
I've had the best results from using a brass brush under the faucet. It wears down the encrustation without removing any intact metal. Added benefit is that you only scrub till the crusty is gone and not a moment longer. In the end the results will largely depend on whether the surface is pitted or not - if it is nothing is going to restore a smooth surface.
If a copper surface ends up too bright it can ve re-oxidised to a nice brown patina by exposure to atmospheric oxygen - this is how pennies turn brown in the first place. H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub] is an oxygen donor which may help speed the process - especially if heated.
A little oil, whether olive, forehead or otherwise can can enhance detail in a badly worn coin but this largely a matter optics - how it reflects the light light - but will do little to remove crunk from the surface unless it is something sticky and organic. There is a saying in chemistry: "like dissolves like". If an encrustation was formed by an aqueous solution, use an aqueous solution to dissolve it. If the offending material is hydrocarbon in nature, use a hydrocarbon solvent to dissolve it.
-pete
If a copper surface ends up too bright it can ve re-oxidised to a nice brown patina by exposure to atmospheric oxygen - this is how pennies turn brown in the first place. H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub] is an oxygen donor which may help speed the process - especially if heated.
A little oil, whether olive, forehead or otherwise can can enhance detail in a badly worn coin but this largely a matter optics - how it reflects the light light - but will do little to remove crunk from the surface unless it is something sticky and organic. There is a saying in chemistry: "like dissolves like". If an encrustation was formed by an aqueous solution, use an aqueous solution to dissolve it. If the offending material is hydrocarbon in nature, use a hydrocarbon solvent to dissolve it.
-pete
