tumbler

[Docsoo]

I just got a tumbler from Kellyco. Unfortunately it comes with absolutely no instructions or tips for cleaning coins and no compounds or anything to add to the mixture. Anyone have any methods that work for them that doesn't involve ordering and buying exotic and/or expensive cleaning agents all the time? Thanks

 

[jabbo]

Get some aquarium gravel from the pet store. The gravel is about the size of split peas. Can be used over and over. Add some vinegar to the water. I have a tumbler with a black rubber barrel and the clad coins always came out brownish-gray, never bright. So then I put some new, never in the ground ,bright shiney clad coins and some new nickles in and ran it for 3 hours. Well, they too came out dark, the same brownish-grey color. Then I realized that the black rubber barrel was the problem. Now I use a wide mouth glass jar (organic peanut butter jar) and the coins come out a whole lot brighter. Never clean pennies and clad together, the clad will turn copper color.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I use the Black rubber barrel one too and I use the aquarium gravel, water and a good shot of real lemon juice and tumble the pennies for a hour and they look like new. Now clad takes longer and sometimes I will tumble for a couple hours and rinse and take out the clean one and tumble the rest for another couple of hours. Most look real good, but sometime some just don't come real clean. I also found another way to clean the clad and a lot faster too, but it involves muriatic acid so you have to be very carefully. What I do is put the water and gravel in and add just a little acid, but be very carefully and it may even start smoking a little. I will tumble for about a hour and rinse the coins off and put them back in with some gravel, water and some lemon juice and tumble for 10-15 minutes and rinse off and dry and some will even look better then new.

 

[mattockman]

Does that mean you stick the jar in the barrel? If you do....I am sure it must fit tight so it doesn't roll out? What is the rpm of the motor and is it important to have a certain rpm or not? I have tried vinager and lemon juice and it seemed to turn clad rainbow colors.....I didn't tumble them just soaked them...cause I don't have a tumbler yet...but want to get one. Thanks in advance.....

 

[jabbo]

Using only the jar, fits in the space on the rollers, put a soft plastic liner in the lid. Jar is smaller diameter, holds less, spins pretty fast, coins tumble faster, works. I have the Chicago 3 Lb. tumbler, $35 new on ebay. The cheap molded rubber belts that it uses break after just a few hours. I made a leather belt, some guys use heavy rubber bands, they say rubber bands last longer the the original belts. When I get a chance I will try lining the rubber barrel with plastic from a cut bleach bottle, and a flat piece of plastic for the top and bottom.

 

[mattockman]

n/t