Don't try this

[Oldguy]

I found a crusty Indian penny a few days ago, 1898, not worth much, so I tried to clean it up a little using my small cheap ultrasonic cleaner. I usually use warm water and a little Dawn dish soap then a soft tooth brush but this coin didn't clean up. I then added a small amount of CLR (calcium, rust, and lime) cleaner to the water. Apparently CLR dissolves copper, it removed most of the coin's features including the date. I learned what not to use and at least I didn't ruin a valuable coin. Yeah I know "leave coin cleaning to the professionals".

 

[GeorgeinSC]

I have tried ultrasonic cleaning with absolutely no success. I have been cleaning clad and memorials with a rotary tumbler and aquarium gravel. It has been taking quite a few (10-12) hours to get them clean enough to run thru the coin counter at my credit union. My son told me that he used a vibrating tumbler and chicken Grit. I tried it in the rotary tumbler with a little water and a dash of soap and four hours later I had a nice bunch of clean clad.

 

[Monte]

I use a Lortone 2-barrel tumbler, separate my pennies, nickels and clad and clean each type separately. After washing loose dirt of and 'treating' them, they tumble in dish soap and aquarium gravel for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It's the 'treating' procedure that gets the ugly dirt and crud taken care of. Matter of fact, it was just yesterday when I realized it's getting to be year's end when I clean all this years coins. I do it all, sorting, washing and tumbling, in about a 4 hour session, and sometimes shorter. I tumble at years end for a little extra Christmas shopping money.

Monte

 

[GeorgeinSC]

With aquarium gravel If I do not tumble them for quite a long period of time 10 to 12 hours they come out still a dark brown and they will not go thru the coin counting machine at my credit union. I dont know why but it they are not shiny silver they get rejected. I also use the Loretone Tumbler.

Chicken grit works much better for me.

 

[airscapes]

indian heads are Bronz.. Hot peroxide and toothpick do wonders on them.

 

[mdowling]

I use a tumbler and walnut shavings from wood turning ,works well.

 

[ironsight]

"Don't try this" as opposed to "hold my beer and watch this"

Could be i'm lazy, have no time or its a low priority for scrubbing squeaky clean 100+ yr. old coins.
What i do is soak em in soapy water, very very lightly soft bristle tooth brush em, rinse, dry and thats it.

If any of them are worth anything numistically, i don't scrub em squeaky clean, just soak in soapy water, rinse then pat dry with a paper towel.
Ruining the patina and causing micro scratching by aggressive cleaning on those old coins dramatically drops their collector's value.
Most coin collectors prefer to get them patina and all then cleaned professionally if the coin is worth anything.

 

[Monte]

and I will e-mail you back the steps in coin cleaning I use, and most of the dark and dingy clad coins come out very decent.

Monte