cleaning my clad

[Hendo0601]

So I have only been at this detecting thing for about a month now and I have a good pile of clad going...except it's all filthy! I tried a few methods of cleaning it but they were still pretty gross and corroded. I don't have a rock tumbler so that wasn't an option. I tried electrolysis on a few coins but that takes forever and it turns them colors lol. What to do? Ding dong the doorbell rang and it was the postman delivering a package for my wife. I open it up and it's an Ultra sonic cleaner! She bought it to clean tattoo and piercing equipment with (she's a tattoo artist) but it said on on the side you can clean coins with it! I asked her permission to use it and she said ok just don't ruin it lol. I filled the reservoir with water and turned the Internal heater on, and when the light went off telling me it was at temp in dumped in about half my clad...and a few cap fulls of CLR. Probably not the best idea I have ever had because the zincolns started to bubble! I turned the ultra sonic part on and let it run two cycles of 480 seconds. Removed the coins and rinsed them and set them out to dry. The other half of my coins I simply used dish soap. I let the machine run for 3 cycles of 480 seconds each, rinsed and let them dry. WOW what a difference this thing makes! Quarters that were once black are now shiny, nickels stained red are silver again! I told my wife she will need to buy another one because I'm keeping this one. The best part is they are not too expensive, this one with the built in heater was a little over 100 bucks! I will definitely be using this little puppy to clean my clad from now on!! Top picture is before, bottom picture after.

 

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[justdon]

Looks good.Makes me think about buying one because i don't have a rock tumbler either.

 

[Higgy]

Rock tumblers and vibratory tumblers are dirt cheap at Harbor Freight.

 

[mlayers]

you can get a rock tumbler at Harbor Freight for under $50 and I have had mine for 7 yrs.

 

[BigWaveDave]

that's a lot of money to spend on money that you are going to spend.

 

[Escape]

that's a lot of money to spend on money that you are going to spend.

The truth is hobbies aren't often about sound financial decisions. More about having fun.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

I have a "tumbled" at least $1000 of clad. Less than 30% will be accepted by CoinStar machines? I have buckets full. I also posted about this previously. Others told me to send the coins to them and they would deal w it. Funny
But, truth is, US clad is junk! I even took dug, tumbled clad to bank. I they acted as though the coins were counterfeit? I even had 'em rolled.!?
I just dug a 2014 Lincoln, "zincoln", that is nearly unidentifyable.
Good luck
Peace

 

[pkb]

any body try a washing machine like the one for your cloths ?

 

[Hendo0601]

I suppose if you put the coins in a pillow case and tie off the end that might work....but it would be tough to balance the load during the spin cycle and your washing machine might try to "walk away" lol

 

[Keppy]

I never clean my clad there is always someone or that some place that you can get rid of them..

 

[BigWaveDave]

The truth is hobbies aren't often about sound financial decisions. More about having fun.

Agreed. I have fun rolling garbage clad and zincs that I found, and depositing them into the bank. That deposit goes towards my Spring Training season tickets every year... also, even MORE fun...wait for it.... is reading posts from CRH'ers about the junk clad and zincs they got from the bank

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I just may hook up my rock tumbler to an exercise bike and get two things done at once!

The other half is always unplugging my tumble when I'm cleaning coins, aggravates the heck out of me!

 

[Higgy]

I just may hook up my rock tumbler to an exercise bike and get two things done at once!!

What you really need is Gilligan pedaling, and Professor standing by with a clipboard.

 

[lookindown]

I just wash mine in the sink. I take them to my bank twice a year and they run them through their coin machine. They have never said a word about them being discolored and many of them are black. They are discolored but not corroded. I throw the corroded zincolns away.

 

[SusanMN]

I just wash mine in the sink. I take them to my bank twice a year and they run them through their coin machine. They have never said a word about them being discolored and many of them are black. They are discolored but not corroded. I throw the corroded zincolns away.

Absolutely. Eight years of running clad through various coin machines and I have never clogged one. All it usually spits back is an occasional bent coin and foreign ones, so there is no need to tumble your coins.

 

[lookindown]

Absolutely. Eight years of running clad through various coin machines and I have never clogged one. All it usually spits back is an occasional bent coin and foreign ones, so there is no need to tumble your coins.

Yeah, as long as there is no physical dirt or crust on them, they will go through the machine...the machine doesn't care if they are black or silver.