Rock Tumbler

[Jdett411]

What's everyone use to clean their clad coins? I been hearing a rock tumbler. Obviously only use coins worth their marked value. But I found this at a thrift store for $3 figured its worth a try.

 

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[sturrat]

That's the same one I use for my clad. I have used it for 18 years.

 

[elijahhenry10]

Why clean it? Just wash it off and get the loose dirt off. It spends the same way clean or dirty...

 

[Jeremy76]

What do you put in with the coins? Water I'm sure, any kind of grit?

 

[SusanMN]

There is no need to clean clad. It will run through a coin machine or be accepted by the bank just fine without cleaning.

 

[sturrat]

I tumble it for about an hour in dishsoap and water. I don't spend my clad. Just let it add up in a container

 

[wainzoid]

I usually tumble the worst of my clad. I use water, a touch of Dawn, and some aquarium gravel.

For anything of value I tumble with walnut shell and corncob. The walnut shell is more abrasive than the corncob. Often the corncob has some wax or polish in it, and its softer and less abrasive. Both medias are softer than coins/metal so it can't hardly hurt them. You can get the media where they sell reloading supplies.

I have dug a few AU barbers, and after a couple hours in the tumbler they look mint

 

[Jason in Enid]

Tumblers are great! Fill the barrel about 1/3 - 1/2 full, put in a handful or two of aquarium gravel, cover with water and drop of soap and let it run.

Those saying not to clean your clad must not dig much! Most dug clad is caked in dirt and clay and would quickly jamb up any bank's coin counter. When you're digging thousands of clad coins a year, there is no way it's feasible to be cleaning that by hand, even to just scrub the dirt off.

 

[Jdett411]

Awesome. Thanks for the info. So the $3 spend was a great investment. I was actually thinking about getting the one from Harbor Freight for $39 too. Amazing what you come across at a thrift store.

 

[swantek]

I scrub mine of as good as I can and put it in my boys moocow coin bank. The only clad I keep is bicentennial.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

I would tumble it for sure...I have jammed 3 coin machines in the last year...and it was the ONLY time I didn't tumble it, I even washed them all with soap and water..but it still jammed...Nothing beats having a Store Rep come up and look at the dirt colored coins and look at me like Im an idiot..it only takes an hour or so, and I use cheap dishwasher detergent, no stud and plenty of Grit