What do you use in your coin tumbler to clean coins?

[shane41]

Just wondering if any one has any ideas about the way you clean your clad coins.. I have a coin tumbler and the small pebbles that I bought from Kellyco with the cleaning powder. They work grate, but the powder is rather expensive. 1 pound bag for 12.45 plus shipping. Does anyone use any other kind of powder to clean the clad coins in your tumbler??. I usually clean my clad coins in the winter months. Last year I took about 300.00 of clad coins to the bank after I had them cleaned.
Any ideas would be help full.. Maybe there is some other kind of powder that someone uses that I can buy right in my area, that is not that expensive, plus your paying S & H charges.. Shane

 

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[luvsdux]

Aquarium gravel and a bit of dish soap works great.
luvsdux

 

[shane41]

Aquarium gravel and a bit of dish soap works great.
luvsdux

Thanks for the info.. Will try it out on my next batch of dirty clad coins

 

[DANGLANGLEY]

Hi Shane,
I have always used sand to clean my clad. It works very well and is cheap. Good luck

DANGLANGLEY

 

[mlayers]

Fill tumble half full with fish gravel around 1/2 cup of coins put water just to the top of coins and a couple drops of dish soap. Tumble for about 2 hours. Then I take my tumble out side and dump the contens into a strainer and pick my coins out nice and clean......Matt

 

[shane41]

Fill tumble half full with fish gravel around 1/2 cup of coins put water just to the top of coins and a couple drops of dish soap. Tumble for about 2 hours. Then I take my tumble out side and dump the contens into a strainer and pick my coins out nice and clean......Matt

Thanks for the info.. Appreciate all the help Shane

 

[shane41]

Hi Shane,
I have always used sand to clean my clad. It works very well and is cheap. Good luck

DANGLANGLEY Is the sand regular sandbox type sand? I guess you use it as a dry clean without adding water to the sand.. Thanks for the info Shane

 

[extractor]

Aquarium gravel is what I use. keep the pennys in a seprate batch.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Aquarium gravel and a bit of dish soap works great.
luvsdux

Same thing I use...........

 

[Ratman]

Aquarium gravel , white vinegar , two table spoons of salt . Works great for clads and will also work on pennies . Just remember don't mix pennies in with your clads when you tumble . Tumble pennies seperately ...

HH

Mike

 

[Frankn]

I haven't tried it yet but a friend of mine swears by powdered walnut shells. Said he gets it in volume from Harbor Freight thru their catalog.

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[Cool Hand Fluke]

I use red volcanic pumice rock that I break up into small pieces with a hammer. This type of rock is extremely abrasive. It will take off the worst stain on any clad coin. Just add a little ajax powder and tumble for about 12 hours. Red pumice is a popular landscaping rock in CA, not sure about its availability in other states. I get all I need for free.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Fish aquarium gravel is available almost every where, it is cheap and it works very well. My clad comes out very clean and shiney, but since it is being cashed in shiney isn't really a factor, just clean.....

 

[spartacus53]

I never even thought of buying a coin tumbler My solution was cheaper and just as effective, and I kill 2 birds with one stone

I bought regular pockets for pants and attached a zipper to make it a sack of sorts. Just add coins, aquarium gravel and toss in the wash. It does a decent enough job in 1/2 the time Plus the coins smell so good after a bath in "Downy".

 

[bootybay]

I use what they call jewelry shot.. its kinda like bee bees but some are rounded, some are long..like rice.. it does the job on my coins and especially my jewelry when making my own jump rings for chainmaille jewelry.. ( it gets the burrs or rough edges off the rings when tumbling).. you can buy them at any place that sells jewelry supplies..or just use bee bees...but I add a few drops of blue dawn dish soap, all my jewelry and coins come out shiny..

 

[Woodland Detectors]

I tumble stones here for the kids , so we just use the standard ceramic pellets.
Don't over fill the barrel.

 

[Goes4ever]

I USED to separate pennies, then I thought why should I waste my time? I am merely cleaning the clad and turning it back to the bank. So as long as it is clean I don't mind if the pennies turn other coins colors. I use stones, water and dish soap for 2 hours, dump it out and refill with water, soap 2 tbs of sand and run for 2 more hours, coins come out real clean

 

[TrashFinder]

I have a Harbor Freight $40 tumbler. I played around with different things and here is the formula I came up with: Use almost any bath tub scum spray bottle type cleaner - 50 pennies at a time. Just enough cleaner to cover the coins. Then - use parakeet type gravel (small sandy stuff that is sharp edged). It only takes a table spoon or so of it with the cleaner. Seal it up as directed and let it run a few hours. Then, pour off the sludge into a cup (save it for the next run), take the tumbler canister outside to a hose or outside faucet and run a good stream into the can, and the sand will wash up and out. (DO NOT USE A SINK WITH A SEWER DRAIN AS THE GRAVEL WILL SETTLE IN A TRAP, OR MAY SETTLE IN THE SEWER LINES!) Be sure to mix it up while doing that. Dump the coins out on a towel and lay out to dry. They will mostly be shining. Sharp edges will still be on the cons! The thing that is oppressive are the clad pennies look dark but, if you look closely, it is the Zinc holes that make them look dark, but they are clean holes!

 

[Lifes A Garden...Dig IT]

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/c...3635-cleaning-clad-zincolns-nice-results.html

Also use aquarium gravel with lemon juice and several drops of dish liquid

 

[CincinnatiKid]

I always separate cents from other clad. Cents surely darken other clad. Tumbled or not, I still can't get local CoinStar machines to accept the majority of my "dug" clad? Hope you have better luck.
Peace