Tumbling Coins

[JAC]

What kind of media do you use when tumbling coins and other cruded up items. I have a couple of tumblers I use for reloading brass (for ammo reloading)

 

[JAC]

Test

 

[C-Dredge]

I do not clean silver or wheat cents or anything that is even casually collectible. For my everyday clad, I have a Harbor Freight Rock tumbler. I use Stainless steel pins. The solution is water, dish soap and some Lemishine.

 

[hoser]

Mine is a 3# tumbler and all I tumble is spender coins. Media is white aquarium gravel, dawn dish soap, some white vinegar, and water.

 

[Martin_V3i]

Regular driveway/tot-lot gravel. We are only tumbling damaged coins anyway. Why the stress since simple gravel is free to the taking?

 

[JAC]

I was thinking treated corncob media, not really abrasive, or should I just not clean anything?

 

[vmc1161]

Mine is a 3# tumbler and all I tumble is spender coins. Media is white aquarium gravel, dawn dish soap, some white vinegar, and water.

That's what I would do Except the vinegar. Next time I'll have to try it. I don't get many coins anymore hunting farms and such.

 

[hoser]

It seems to work a little better for me. The vinegar is a light acid and helps cut the crud a little faster.

 

[CalReg]

I send my clad through 2 cleanings in my tumbler. The first is just warm water, dish soap and aquarium gravel. This loosens up the crusted bits. After tumbling for 45 minutes, I toss out the mixture and rinse off the coins. The second cleaning involves warm water, dish soap, vinegar, CLR (calcium, lime and rust remover), and salt then tumble for another 45 minutes. Clad comes out like new, although some will retain a pinkish hue to them.

 

[Diggndabeeps]

I have a Tumblers UV10 Vibe tumbler that I've used for polishing rocks. I've been thinking about trying it with clad with some Alum Oxide 500 or 1000 grit polish, using small ceramic pellets as the media. Is there anybody with experience with that idea here? Thanks

 

[Diggndabeeps]

Results with a vibratory tumbler. Only tumbled cents and a couple dimes. Used ceramic pellets with 500 grit powder and water for an hour. Nothing great but at least I can read the years now.

 

[BobOso]

screened driveway gravel and dish soap

 

[garviso8511]

It seems to work a little better for me. The vinegar is a light acid and helps cut the crud a little faster.

Make sure you clean your tumbler after you use vinegar and salt it will corrode your tumbler fast