Ultrasonic cleaners

[gerryk]

Has anyone used an ultrasonic cleaner for coins and or jewelry? I got a cheap one and used it to clean coins i find while metal detecting but it doesn't seem to do anything. I am wondering if its that i got a cheap cleaner and a better one would clean better or are they all useless for this?
Gerry

 

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[kw509]

Has anyone used an ultrasonic cleaner for coins and or jewelry? I got a cheap one and used it to clean coins i find while metal detecting but it doesn't seem to do anything. I am wondering if its that i got a cheap cleaner and a better one would clean better or are they all useless for this?
Gerry

Use a rock tumbler with fish tank gravel. Put your coins & gravel in then fill with water until fully submerged. Then add a few drops of Dawn dish soap. Tumble for 24 hours & they will all look like new again!

 

[maipenrai]

I also had an ultrasonic cleaner, battery operated, and it didnt seem to do anything. Maybe only for cleaning glasses.

 

[49r Relics]

The types made for cleaning ammunition (reloading) are about the only ones that are worth using but overall, it is not always the best way to clean a coin. They are also expensive. I have heard that due to the fact that gold is such a soft metal, it is recommended that you clean a gold coin with this technique because any other technique that involves touching or rubbing a gold coin may ruin it.

 

[Tom_Restorer]

Hi,

Ultrasonic cleaners are absolutly useless! They only remove a little bit of dirt wich can be done also with a toothbrush!

PS: This cleaners damage FOR SURE gilded pieces!

 

[Pointman]

I bought an expensive one used. It would do only a fair job cleaning my clad pennies with plain water. I used vinegar and would run about 100 pennies at a time for 30 minutes and it did a better job then scrubbing or just washing in water. I would end up having to run about 10 out of 100 again to get them real clean. Most of them came out clean enough that I wouldn't believed that they were buried at one point.

Overall, I find it much easier to do it this way then to do it manually, but I would have never paid $150 for my machine brand new.

 

[Hunterhound]

Use a rock tumbler with fish tank gravel. Put your coins & gravel in then fill with water until fully submerged. Then add a few drops of Dawn dish soap. Tumble for 24 hours & they will all look like new again!

How much fish tank gravel should you put in? And won't this scratch up the coins/jewelry, especially if it's gold? Can all coin types (copper, clad, silver) be cleaned this way? You may have been joking with this post and it may be completely obvious but I'm new to this section of the forum and am trying to build up knowledge of techniques that have worked for you guys for when I start finding some good stuff. Thanks.