Cleaning clad coins

[bulletproof002000]

What method does everyone use to clean their clad coins?

 

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[vpnavy]

While waiting for some suggestions...
Research/Techniques > Cleaning & Preservation​

 

[eastcoastdetectorist]

I soak mine in vinegar and then warm water.

 

[mick56]

Lortone rock tumbler.

 

[T.C.]

Lortone rock tumbler.

 

[MSpeiser]

Lortone rock tumbler.

That's exactly what I have been using for 25 years. I have a double barrel. I try all kinds of different solutions but keep in mind, DO NOT have a single copper cent mixed with the nickels, dimes and quarters. It will turn everything goldish color.

 

[fistfulladirt]

A cheap $25 tumbler I bought at Toys-R-Us, all plastic and gear-driven, has served me well for ten years now.

 

[No gold in NY]

Tumbler with detergent and my own crushed quartz. No acids. There is still exposed copper in the clad.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Lortone rock tumbler with some very small pea gravel as the abrasive. I tumble all of my clad coins at the end of each year, and they are clean enough to take them to the bank and cash them in, so I can run and buy some silver.

 

[SanMan]

What method does everyone use to clean their clad coins?

Tumble, then roll them up and sell them to local vendors.

 

[bulletproof002000]

Thanks for all the info, I picked a double canister rock tumbler. I have already cleaned up $95 in clad, now just need to roll it.

 

[sprailroad]

I use a rock tumbler, say 50 CLAD quarters, add lemon juice just enough to cover the coins, 2 teaspoons of table salt, and your rock stuff, I tumble them for two hours, take them outside and dump into a strainer, and give a good heavy rinse with the garden hose to remove all lemon and salt residue. All that red and brown clad comes out nice and kind of shiny, the lemon/salt thing I learned from another T-Net member some time ago. When I said fifty quarters, I'm going on the idea of 100 pennies per tumbler, so to me, 100 pennies, say 75 nickels, 100 dimes, and my 50 quarters. Having said that, do not mix nickels with any dimes or quarters, you will have some dandy looking PINK nickels, I also keep a separate batch of rock material JUST for the nickels, because of any copper trace on the rock used for clad. to keep track of that, some years ago I ordered two bags of red and one bag of blue rock (blue for nickels) to run on a dual tumbler. OK then, what NOT to do. Do NOT use the lemon juice/salt with PENNIES. NO! I did that one time of course, and I believe with the lemon/salt/copper/zinc mix, I was cooking a bomb or something, that rubber tumbler barrel about turned into a little basketball ready to explode. I learned two important words, "chemical reaction". For the pennies I use a "Magic tumble clean" powder I order from a outfit called Finch Products. It works pretty good on the pennies. Two tablespoons of it with 1/2 cup water per 100 pennies. I run them 2 to 3 hours. But for the clad, the lemon/salt works way better. And there you have it. At least the way I do it. Works for me.

 

[mdmike]

i find that using citric acid alone... (similar to lemon juice?) that the clads took on a copper appearance from rubbing edges to faces... did your coins do the same?

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Rock tumbler with the usual mixture (lemon juice...etc.) of things.

 

[SanMan]

I use that Scott Murray tumbler pictured in my first post.

In it, well, take notes,.......

Aquarium gravel, water, some lemon juice, some vinegar, a couple of squirts of CLR,
coarse salt, and if want them really shiny I let them run for a long while with Bon Ami.


Aquarium gravel - Pet store

Lemon Juice --99¢ store
Coarse Salt --99¢ store
Vinegar ------99¢ store
Dish Soap----99¢ store
CLR ---------99¢ store
Bon Ami -----99¢ store


You can find stronger % vinegar than at the 99¢ store,....
But go for budget processing and use the $1 stuff.

The CLR is a copy of CLR, spray bottle looks the same.
But it is the knock off calcium-lime-rust stuff.
Works great for a buck.

The Bon Ami is actually a knock off too, look for some "soft scrub something"

For Clad:

I load up the drum so much water, so much ingredients, let it run for hours.

Open it up,.... the water is black.
I lay it in the sink and let the faucet pour water into the drum while stirring.

With the rinse done I give a look, if 90% look good, I stop there.

The 10% I put aside until I have a batch of coins that need more tumbling.

They go in with less water, Bon Ami, and a long stretch tumbling.
(good rinse after)

There are times that I add a short squirt dish washing liquid.


And every so often you have to do a good cleaning of the media, I use dish soap.


Pennies:

"Always run pennies by themselves"
Everything else, have at it.

The quick for pennies lemon juice, vinegar, coarse salt, and a little less water.

 

[sprailroad]

i find that using citric acid alone... (similar to lemon juice?) that the clads took on a copper appearance from rubbing edges to faces... did your coins do the same?

No, not at all. The clads came out very nice. Simple stuff to use, lemon juice, salt and your gravel....

 

[A2coins]

Rock tumbler salt and lemon juice that's it gotta do pennies separate comes out very very clean

 

[UncleVinnys]

OK, think I'm almost ready now!!!

 

[UncleVinnys]

OK, think I'm ready now!