Hey guys, coming back to get your very valuable advice on a piece of equipment some of you use to clean your finds: a Tumbler. I had seen you tube videos praising the use of a tumbler to clean silver of all sorts, and was thinking about investing in one in the near future. This week end I went to one of our monthly club meeting and spoke with one of the member about using a tumbler. (as a side bar, I had brought a 1897 50cts Barber found last week in a park nearby). The gentleman told me that he used a tumbler but warned me about not using it to clean my coin; he added that he only used it to clean his clad so he could cash it. What do you guys think about either opinion? Have you used a tumbler to clean silver, not just jewelry but also coins? if so have you noticed any deterioration in the coin faces (increased scratches or any kinds of blemishes) which can devalue the coin? Would you recommend me to purchase one? as usual, I always value your opinion greatly and am looking forward to reading your input. Thanks to all.
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Tumbler?
- Thread starter ThierryA
- Start date
Your club member told you right...
I tumble dirty clad in a two barrel 'Thumblers Tumbler' The Wife and Daughter got me for Fathers day a few years ago... just to get it clean enough to either spend or run through a Coinstar...I dont even separate copper from clad, I just pour in my pouch and tumble it all together to knock the crud off..
Non KEY date silver coins with NO numismatic value get either electro or tumbled to clean them up a bit just for my personal visual satisfaction...of course a guy would never attempt to clean any Key date or rare silver coin at all! .
All this said, I dont think a tumbler is needed unless you are finding well over $800 in dirty clad per year, and plan on being a real clad monster for many years to come...its an ROI issue regarding clad...
A tumbler is a really great tool to have if you are knocking down huge stinky clad numbers on a daily/yearly basis, and running dirty coins through the Coinstar several times per week...most dirt coins dont ever get shiny enough to spend over the counter no matter what you do..the longer they are in the ground, the worse it gets....my tumbler basically keeps the dirt and crud off clad out of the sink trap...although thats an easy enough clean out too..so you really dont NEED one, unless you are a lazy mega clad hound like me!..
They are not intended for SILVER, unless its just some crappy old stuff you think you want to see all nice and shiny without having to rub it with a jewelers cloth while you are watching TV..so a guy can eat chips and drink..then, yes, a tumbler is cool.. .
Mud
I tumble dirty clad in a two barrel 'Thumblers Tumbler' The Wife and Daughter got me for Fathers day a few years ago... just to get it clean enough to either spend or run through a Coinstar...I dont even separate copper from clad, I just pour in my pouch and tumble it all together to knock the crud off..
Non KEY date silver coins with NO numismatic value get either electro or tumbled to clean them up a bit just for my personal visual satisfaction...of course a guy would never attempt to clean any Key date or rare silver coin at all! .
All this said, I dont think a tumbler is needed unless you are finding well over $800 in dirty clad per year, and plan on being a real clad monster for many years to come...its an ROI issue regarding clad...
A tumbler is a really great tool to have if you are knocking down huge stinky clad numbers on a daily/yearly basis, and running dirty coins through the Coinstar several times per week...most dirt coins dont ever get shiny enough to spend over the counter no matter what you do..the longer they are in the ground, the worse it gets....my tumbler basically keeps the dirt and crud off clad out of the sink trap...although thats an easy enough clean out too..so you really dont NEED one, unless you are a lazy mega clad hound like me!..
They are not intended for SILVER, unless its just some crappy old stuff you think you want to see all nice and shiny without having to rub it with a jewelers cloth while you are watching TV..so a guy can eat chips and drink..then, yes, a tumbler is cool.. .
Mud
WaterWalker
Well-known member
A tumbler WILL clean all silver, BUT if the coin has any numismatic value, it will be destroyed.
It will also clean other metals and it can polish stones. The key is the abrasive media and the time
an object is tumbled.
A tumbler is a burnishing operation, it MOVES metal. The amount moved depends on the media
you use in the tumbler. Ceramic pyramids will move much more metal then walnut shells. Ceramic
will clean up ocean found coins much faster because they are more abrasive. The coins would be
visually passable for spending. Whereas walnut shells would hardly remove any crustaceans. Yet
if the metal was clean, they would put a nice shine to it.
To clean my coins I use the ceramic pyramids with Boraxo in a professional burnishing solution.
I let the coins tumble for 4-6 hours, rinse, dry, count, wrap, stack and take to the bank with no
remorse for passing cruddy looking coins into circulation.
I use the same Boraxo and burnishing solution but switch the pyramids for some fish tank gravel
and sand when tumbling silver or gold. I also shorten the tumbling time down to 15-30 minutes
periods. I may tumble for several periods, depending on how much cleaning needs to be done.
I keep an eye on anything in the tumbler as not to destroy the item's visual appeal or value. I also
put a timer on the tumbler if I so desire not to over tumble a batch of objects.
Filing: is a material removal process, reducing an objects size
Burnishing: is the plastic deformation of a surface due to sliding contact with another object
Polishing: is the abrasive process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or
using a chemical action
It will also clean other metals and it can polish stones. The key is the abrasive media and the time
an object is tumbled.
A tumbler is a burnishing operation, it MOVES metal. The amount moved depends on the media
you use in the tumbler. Ceramic pyramids will move much more metal then walnut shells. Ceramic
will clean up ocean found coins much faster because they are more abrasive. The coins would be
visually passable for spending. Whereas walnut shells would hardly remove any crustaceans. Yet
if the metal was clean, they would put a nice shine to it.
To clean my coins I use the ceramic pyramids with Boraxo in a professional burnishing solution.
I let the coins tumble for 4-6 hours, rinse, dry, count, wrap, stack and take to the bank with no
remorse for passing cruddy looking coins into circulation.
I use the same Boraxo and burnishing solution but switch the pyramids for some fish tank gravel
and sand when tumbling silver or gold. I also shorten the tumbling time down to 15-30 minutes
periods. I may tumble for several periods, depending on how much cleaning needs to be done.
I keep an eye on anything in the tumbler as not to destroy the item's visual appeal or value. I also
put a timer on the tumbler if I so desire not to over tumble a batch of objects.
Filing: is a material removal process, reducing an objects size
Burnishing: is the plastic deformation of a surface due to sliding contact with another object
Polishing: is the abrasive process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or
using a chemical action
Cleaning coins is like baking bread. There are countless recipies. 
For common clad,I just throw my coins in the tumbler, (do pennies separately or they will tarnish the others) and the coins come out nice after 3-4 hrs. Silver coins and rings I run through my tumbler with stainless steel media. Below is a link to that process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbuiV3RJou0
For common clad,I just throw my coins in the tumbler, (do pennies separately or they will tarnish the others) and the coins come out nice after 3-4 hrs. Silver coins and rings I run through my tumbler with stainless steel media. Below is a link to that process.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbuiV3RJou0
Rob in (Ca)
Active member
I have not used my Tumbler in a few years now, as I now take all my Clad to (coin star machine's) (it's a vending machine) just about all the super Markets have them now. Here on the (west coast)
These coin Star vending machine's accept real dirty clad ... ( not crusty zinc's) I Just took all of last years clad last week and got a whopping $107.00 . Now on the crusty zinc's, I throw those in the Garbage, as It's just not worth me spending all day cleaning a bag of zinc's all day, for 98 cents worth.
These coin Star vending machine's accept real dirty clad ... ( not crusty zinc's) I Just took all of last years clad last week and got a whopping $107.00 . Now on the crusty zinc's, I throw those in the Garbage, as It's just not worth me spending all day cleaning a bag of zinc's all day, for 98 cents worth.