Cleaning Coins in Vibrating Tumbler

[IDETECT]

Does anyone use a vibrating tumbler to clean coins? If so, is there a model you would recommend?

I have a rotating one, but it doesn't do a very good job. I've heard the vibrating ones used for cleaning bullet casings do a great job with like corn cob and walnut shell mix. The ones I've been researching all use dry media and I'm wondering how well they'll do on the type of clad we find. Thanks for your help.

IDETECT

 

[REVIER]

Vibrating tumblers don't clean coins well at all.
Drum type tumblers do an excellent job, if yours isn't you might be using the wrong recipe because I have cleaned over $1000 with mine, also lots of other stuff and it always worked great.
I use a Harbor Freight dual tumbler, some aquarium gravel, a couple drops of dishwashing fluid and some low sudsing ammonia to keep the foam down and as an extra boost.
All kinds of other recipes out there too, some use vinegar, some use other media, whatever you are using evidently is not working so change it up and save your money because you won't be happy with a vibrating tumbler no matter what recipe you use.

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[IDETECT]

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad I asked before spending the $. I've been using white aquarium gravel and dish washing soap. I only tumble for an hour. How long do you let it go for? I'll experiment the ammonia and vinegar separately too.

 

[REVIER]

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad I asked before spending the $. I've been using white aquarium gravel and dish washing soap. I only tumble for an hour. How long do you let it go for? I'll experiment the ammonia and vinegar separately too.

If it's really dirty more than an hour.
What you see in the pics I posted took a few hours.
Sometimes I just set it up before I go to bed and let it run all night.

It took year to get clad that dirty, give it time to get it clean again.

 

[GeorgeinSC]

My Eldest son uses a vibrating tumbler. For media he uses Chicken Grit which appears to be granite. He has had good luck with that combination. The Grit is fed to chickens to help them grind up their food. It is available at farm supply stores. I also use the grit in my rotating tumbler.

 

[Larry (IL)]

I don't know about the vibrating tumbler, but the rotary tumbler works good for me. Try running your tumbler for a longer time, I go for 12 hours to get the stubborn ones clean. I also add vinegar now and seems to help, especially in the pennies batches. I also give the whole batch a light mist of WD 40 when done cleaning to restore the shine and the bank has less coin counter jams too.

The bank has no problem with these even though there are still a few darkies in the mix.

 

[Grilled Scallops]

Rotary tumblers are amazing. I just got done cleaning 780 nickels with mine. Cleaned them with plain water and aquarium rocks. Did about 100 at a time, tumbled for about 4 hours, switched out for another 100. Some were real gritty too, old ones from the beach. The coinstar took them all.

 

[BillF]

I use a small amount of dishwasher soap(dry) in my tumbler. Seems to work well without producing much suds. I used liquid dish soap once, about 2 drops, and it made so much foam that it pushed the lid out of the drum and spilled everything out on the floor. It was in the basement so it was no big deal to clean up and it's very possible it was more operator error that the fault of the soap. What ever you use, check it after a short time to make sure everything is intact, otherwise it could sit and run all night with nothing in it.

 

[Listener]

I use a rotary tumbler 3 lb. w/ epoxy coated gravel About half full. Got the gravel from Finch products LLC call 931 467 2018. I clean a little over 100 clad coins with white vinegar just covering the gravel w/coins. A tablespoon of salt and a drop of dishwash soap. Tumble one hr. Pour in a strainer and rinse thouroughly, lay out a towel and place in rows and pat dry.
For pennies I clean abt. 125 with just water covering same as before. One tablespoon of cream of tarter and a drop of dishwash soap for one hour. Rinse and dry. Always does a good job.

 

[Parkit]

I use a rotary tumbler also, trying hard to not overfill it. One thing I learned recently was to add Kaboom! cleaner. WOW, what a difference. I usually don't care if the coins come out shiny, as long as the dirt and gunk come off enough for the coin machine at the bank to accept the coins, but that Kaboom stuff made mincemeat out of the RUST. So now my recipe is aquarium gravel, a little sand, a good squirt of dish soap, and about half a cup of Kaboom. Tumble for 12 hours, sort through a screen, rinse, dry, bag for the next bank trip.

Here are some pics from my last batch. I wish I'd taken a "before" photo, but I didn't know the coins were going to come out so nice. Believe me, they were REALLY bad and VERY black, the dime at the upper left in the paper towel photo is a good example of how they ALL looked. The "not so shiny" quarter is to show the pits from previous corrosion, and you can see how well it came out. I still have occasional coins that seem to stick together (thus not tumbling, and not coming out pristine), but by and large I can't believe how well that stuff works to get the black nasty coins actually CLEAN.