Tumbled my Kennedy Half dollar!

[jraven]

Tumbled my Kennedy Half dollar! May have left it in a little too long... Came out shiny though...

 

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[rmptr]

Well?

What media did you tumble it in?

 

[jraven]

Well?
What media did you tumble it in?

Michaels Tumbler, Aquarium gravel , dish soap and ammonia..

 

[Groovedymond]

Can I ask a silly question? I have been looking at the coin cleaning forum, and other similar posts, and I have to ask. Why tumble them?

Each coin that I see that has been tumbled is sure shiny and bright.. but there is obvious pitting on the coin.

Your Kennedy for example... not that I can tell.. but it looks like it was simply dirty in the original. After the tumbling.. it looks like there is pitting all over the place.

I have noticed this same result on other coins people have tumbled.

So.. does a tumbler REALLY do that to a coin? IF so.. why would anyone want to do it?

 

[jraven]

Can I ask a silly question? I have been looking at the coin cleaning forum, and other similar posts, and I have to ask. Why tumble them?

Each coin that I see that has been tumbled is sure shiny and bright.. but there is obvious pitting on the coin.

Your Kennedy for example... not that I can tell.. but it looks like it was simply dirty in the original. After the tumbling.. it looks like there is pitting all over the place.

I have noticed this same result on other coins people have tumbled.

So.. does a tumbler REALLY do that to a coin? IF so.. why would anyone want to do it?

Well the Kennedy did suffer pitting. I left it in too long..I've done hundreds of others with no problem.. I would not put anything in the tumbler I thought was rare or had a lot of value. Only if I was sure I would not damage it... I'm still a rookie with the tumbling. The Kennedy may have simply looked dirty, but that is a stain that is almost impossible to get out , without tumbling...

I just use the tumbler to clean large amounts of clad... And a few modern dollar/half dollar coins. It's probably the easiest way to do it with the least amount of damage... I tried the salt and vinegar method... That dulls the coins worse than any tumbler... If you know any other way to clean the coins as good as the tumbler let me know....It's also fun....

Here's a link to my post on other coins I have cleaned.... I don't think anyone of these has been damaged... The pic might not be a close up, but I think you will get the gist of it......

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,169384.0.html

 

[greydigger]

Have you tried electrosis? (May have spelled that wrong)

 

[jraven]

Have you tried electrosis? (May have spelled that wrong)

Never tried electrolysis, looks like it would work great...But might take along time to do a lot of coins. I hear not to use on valuable coins tho. It will cut their value in half!

 

[mikewaz]

Funny you should mention this, because it's on my to-do list for the winter.

I've got bags of clad that I need to clean up to take to the bank or just put
back in circulation, and to me this is the way to go. Never for the good finds though.

I tumbled a bunch with my kids tumbler a few years ago before I knew much about
it and got some pretty scary results, like pink nickels, so make sure you segregate those
coins first.

Mike

 

[Barbersinger]

Aquarium gravel seems a bit harsh for tumbling coins. I'd use something that heavy for breaking down rough gemstones such as agates. Try some polishing media from a sporting goods reloading supply section. I use one that is fine pieces of walnut hulls with jewelers rouge added for polishing brass shell casings. Don't know why it wouldn't work on coins? Haven't tried it yet.

 

[mastereagle22]

The chemical reaction from the Vinegar is what is pitting the coins. If you tumble without the vinegar you don't get the pitting. Takes longer though to get them cleaned up.

 

[Rd2nowr]

I got some tumbling media from Harbor Freight. They look like little plastic pyramids. With alittle dish soap they clean the clad up really well. And no pitting! Tim