Doing some money laundering

[tvr]

Sorted a few years worth of finds today that was mostly unsorted in boxes and zip-lock bags. This evening I set up the tumbler to clean coins and wife walks in and says "Are you laundering money?" I said "I'd be using the washing machine if I were doing that." We both laughed.
I was surprised to see I had 11 one dollar coins in the mix. If you had asked me how many dollar coins I have dug, I would have said three or four. I also identified a ring that was in the junk pile as 14K white gold. Moved it to where my stash of 14K gold is.
The first batch of tumbled coins are sitting in the strainer to dry. Several more batches will follow.

 

[jim tn]

That a boy, get that money back in circulation while its still worth a little something. HH Jim tn

 

[Dancer]

Tvr, that batch of "laundry" came out like real beauties. Many of my long lost Clad are heavily stained. Always trying different solutions. My main one is pre rinsing in a bucket of soapy water with salt & white vinegar. Than start tumbling. I love digging deep targets but when it comes to cleaning it can get to be a challenge. My worst ones go to parking meters, coin machines.
I bet finding that 14K was a thrill.

 

[tvr]

Tvr, that batch of "laundry" came out like real beauties. Many of my long lost Clad are heavily stained. Always trying different solutions. My main one is pre rinsing in a bucket of soapy water with salt & white vinegar. Than start tumbling. I love digging deep targets but when it comes to cleaning it can get to be a challenge. My worst ones go to parking meters, coin machines.
I bet finding that 14K was a thrill.

These are getting the salt and white vinegar tumble with some aquarium gravel as the medium; then a lot of rinsing after to get the mixture off. Sure makes a big difference in a fairly short time.
I was very happy to "find" a gold ring in the mix that I thought was junk. Always good to find gold!

 

[tvr]

Dang! One batch of dimes in the tumbler had a penny in it. Now I've got about 1/3 of the dimes in that batch looking pinkish. Hate when I make that mistake.

 

[tvr]

I had not used the salt and vinegar mix on zincolns before and had an interesting experience. Fist batch was in about ten minutes and the end of the tumbling barrel blew off. Good thing I had the tumbler on a large cookie tray. Cleaned it up, put things back in to tumble and about 7 minutes later, same thing. Next I turned the tumbler so I could see the back of the barrel. Sure enough after a few more minutes it started to bulge out. Took the barrel off and burped the barrel. Did that once more and it settled down. On the next batch of zincolns, I ended up burping the barrel four times before it would just run through for half an hours or so. Every batch of zincolns did the same thing. When done, even the pock marked ones with zinc showing through look pretty presentable. Zinc must produce some gas when exposed to the vinegar and salt mixture. None of the batches of nickle, dime quarter or copper pennies did that. I had sorted the copper from zinc clad pennies with the F75 sitting on the kitchen table, sensitivity at 4 so it did not sound on house EMI, 4H tones. Copper penny high tone, zincoln high mid-tone. Sorting like that went fast.

 

[Ronstar]

Cant even salvage zincolns here. If they have been exposed or in the ground for even a week they are not recognizable anymore, I just throw them away

 

[Mark kus]

Dang! One batch of dimes in the tumbler had a penny in it. Now I've got about 1/3 of the dimes in that batch looking pinkish. Hate when I make that mistake.

That happens to me all the time a darn penny sneaks in there and pink change!
mark

 

[Mark kus]

I had not used the salt and vinegar mix on zincolns before and had an interesting experience. Fist batch was in about ten minutes and the end of the tumbling barrel blew off. Good thing I had the tumbler on a large cookie tray. Cleaned it up, put things back in to tumble and about 7 minutes later, same thing. Next I turned the tumbler so I could see the back of the barrel. Sure enough after a few more minutes it started to bulge out. Took the barrel off and burped the barrel. Did that once more and it settled down. On the next batch of zincolns, I ended up burping the barrel four times before it would just run through for half an hours or so. Every batch of zincolns did the same thing. When done, even the pock marked ones with zinc showing through look pretty presentable. Zinc must produce some gas when exposed to the vinegar and salt mixture. None of the batches of nickle, dime quarter or copper pennies did that. I had sorted the copper from zinc clad pennies with the F75 sitting on the kitchen table, sensitivity at 4 so it did not sound on house EMI, 4H tones. Copper penny high tone, zincoln high mid-tone. Sorting like that went fast.

That's the reaction from the zinc and vinegar its corrosive to them try a little CLR its what I use
Mark

 

[tvr]

That's the reaction from the zinc and vinegar its corrosive to them try a little CLR its what I use
Mark

I was surprised at how many badly pitted zincolns came out flat and smooth enough to slide across a counter and probably get counted in a coin machine. They did clean up incredibly well. I've used CLR before and was not happy with the results.

 

[Dancer]

I've had a pocked zincon sneek into a load of dimes or quarters using salt and vingar. Everything turned black. I toss my bad ones into the driveway at my campground.

 

[Listener]

I don't know if any of you are using cream of tartar and just water to clean zincoins or not but it really works well. I have been using it for over 20 years in my 3 lb. barrels and Lortone tumbler. I use the blue aggregate I get from Finch Products in Pelham, Tennessee. I use the blue aggregate for cleaning both clad and pennies, separately of course. I usually mix a tablespoon of salt in white vinegar and around 125 clad coins and one drop of detergent, and tumble for 1 hr.
For pennies I just rinse off the aggregate, put in 125 pennies just covering the aggregate and pennies and then put in a table spoon of cream of tartar and tumble 1hr., dump in a strainer and rinse well. Most come out like new, but I throw out the badly pitted ones and the few black ones that won't clean up no matter what. I also put in one drop of detergent Seems if I use much more than that I get bloated tumbler and will sometimes blow the lid off. I like the epoxy coated aggregate better than the aquarium gravel, after trying both.
I hate it too when I leave a penny in with the clad and get the pink tone.
Jerry

 

[tvr]

I don't know if any of you are using cream of tartar and just water to clean zincoins or not but it really works well. I have been using it for over 20 years in my 3 lb. barrels and Lortone tumbler. I use the blue aggregate I get from Finch Products in Pelham, Tennessee. I use the blue aggregate for cleaning both clad and pennies, separately of course. I usually mix a tablespoon of salt in white vinegar and around 125 clad coins and one drop of detergent, and tumble for 1 hr.
For pennies I just rinse off the aggregate, put in 125 pennies just covering the aggregate and pennies and then put in a table spoon of cream of tartar and tumble 1hr., dump in a strainer and rinse well. Most come out like new, but I throw out the badly pitted ones and the few black ones that won't clean up no matter what. I also put in one drop of detergent Seems if I use much more than that I get bloated tumbler and will sometimes blow the lid off. I like the epoxy coated aggregate better than the aquarium gravel, after trying both.
I hate it too when I leave a penny in with the clad and get the pink tone.
Jerry

Had not tried the cream of tarter with the pennies. When I get another batch collected, I'll have to try that. I use the aquarium gravel because I've got buckets of it from a number of aquariums I once had set up ... and it doesn't do a bad job.

 

[Scottowl]

I once made the mistake of putting some zinkies in muriatic acid.
It made quite a fizzy mess.
I don't recommend this method!