coin cleaning

[vernt]

I'M GETTING ENOUGH OF A COLLECTION OF CORRODED COINS THAT I NEED TO CONSIDER CLEANING THEM TO SPEND. CORRODED CONTEMPORARY COINS SEEM USELESS. A TUMBLER SEEMS TO BE THE BULK WAY TO GO. CAN ANY OF YOU GIVE ME SOME GOOD ADVICE IN DOING THIS SINCE I'VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE. WHAT ARE SOME CONSIDERATIONS? IS THERE A PREFERABLE MAKE AND/OR MODEL TUMBLER. CAN I MAKE A HOMEMADE CLEANING MIXTURE THAT WILL WORK FINE? THANKS.

 

[Anonymous]

I only get about $120.00 in clad a year. I have a Lortone model 3A, which is the smallest capacity tumbler they make. The barrel holds about 16 - 32 fl oz. I usually have to tumble 3 - 4 batches of pennies, and 2 - 3 batches of quarters/nickels/dimes, once a year. If I was finding more, I'd do more batches. There were times I was tumbling once a month, usually a batch a pennies, and a batch of quarters/nickels/dimes.

Some of the beach hunters get so much clad, they need a bigger tumbler, or one that can handle 2 - 3 barrels at a time.

I use a handful of aquarium gravel, fill the barrel with enough coins to come up to 2/3 full, just cover the coins with hot water, add a squirt of dishsoap, seal it, and away we go. I usually tumble a batch for 4 hours, although, on some really nasty stained clad, I've been known to go longer. Also, when I dump the clad and strain it to dry, I separate the ones that are still stained, and run them through again.

HH from Allen in MI

 

[vernt]

n/t

 

[McNickle]

I have a medium size rock tumbler,and after alot of aggrivation...This is the method I use to tumble newer pennies, Clad ,and even Some common wheaty dates...
I separate pennies and do them in a batch by them selves...I then separate the dimes and quarters,and do them,and every couple years I do a batch of nickles,,,,adding to the ammount of cloth used.....But most don't find it neccesary to separate the nickles from the rest of the clad.........But since I collect Jeffersons (excpecially Older and the silver ones) I take the time to add more Cloth Medium).........Anyways...........

I wait till I have an amount that will fill between 1/2 - 2/3 of the tumbler cup......I cut a T-Shirt into 1/2 X 3" stips,that I will re-use to clean further batches of coins......

Fill the cup 1/2-2/3 full of coins ,adding 5-6 strips of cloth to every 1 inch of coins as I fill.
I give it 1-2 sqirts of simple green,and add 2 CAPS ( Not Cups ,,,LOL) full of Pinesol. I then fill with Distilled water (or Tap water) to 1/8" past the level of the coins.....Seal the Cup and Tumble 2-3 hours MAX !

I then take and empty the contents into a common kitchen strainer...remove the strips of cloth and rinse the coins out in the strainer.....I take the wet coins and spread them on to an old towel on the floor....wait till dry and either roll them in coin wrappers or ....(I just wait till I have a big jar full before wrapping or taking to the bank).


I first tried the coin tumbler using the medium that came with it...Or even Aquarium gravel...S o o o H a r d to get the gravel or medium seperate from the coins....What A PAIN !!! Then I tried using the little Plastic Pellets that come with a tumbler kit ( About 2-3 times the size of Aquqrium gravel) figuring they were light and would be easier to separate from the coins....They were easier to separate ,but still time consuming!!! Try using 1/2 X 3 " cloth Tee shirt ( NOT Terry Cloth...it comes apart to easy and is a more time consuming to seperate than Tee shirt cotton.....
After all.......who wants to tumble memorial cents for 4-6 hours then separate the gravel or medium from the coins....for 1/2- 1 hour....To get 5-10 dollars worth of PENNIES ???????????
What ever method you use....let us know how it works out for you......H.C._______________HAPPY CLEANING L.O.L.