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Rock tumbler vs coin tumbler

funnyfarmman

Elite Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
642
Location
Old farm SE of Witchita KS
I posted this before "black monday" but here it is again. My original question was is there a differance between coin and rock tublers. I got two replies I saw that said no. I bagged and tagged 2007 coins and decided the kitchen sink is not the place to clean coins, so I was looking for info on tumblers, or other ways to knock the dirt off clad that is going to the bank.


Thanks,
cb
 
Freight Harbor makes inexpensive tumblers, but their belts tend to break quickly. I'm planning on getting a Thumler tumbler next summer - they look much stronger than the Freight Harbor models, but they're more expensive too.

Another option I've been considering is an untrasonic cleaner. I found all kinds on ebay starting at $14.95 and up. (But the seller seems to charge $14.00 for shipping too, so that puts me off a little.) I've read that they're about as noisy as a tumber, but quicker. But unlike a tumber, I think you can only do a few coins at a time since you want all sides of the coin exposed to the vibrations in the water.

Has anyone tried cleaning coins with an untrasonic cleaner?
 
IMO, cleaning under a sink to get the loose stuff off and then shaking them up in a plastic container w/ vinegar and salt is a lot cheaper and quicker of a solution than the tumbler. Most people say shake for 15 mins but most of my cleaning attempts have been 2-3 minutes of shaking. They are not brilliantly clean - but clean enough for a bank to take.
 
IMO, cleaning under a sink to get the loose stuff off and then shaking them up in a plastic container w/ vinegar and salt is a lot cheaper and quicker of a solution than the tumbler. Most people say shake for 15 mins but most of my cleaning attempts have been 2-3 minutes of shaking. They are not brilliantly clean - but clean enough for a bank to take.

I agree. I clean all my clad finds this way and not only is it cheap but it works great!
 
Freight Harbor makes inexpensive tumblers, but their belts tend to break quickly. I'm planning on getting a Thumler tumbler next summer - they look much stronger than the Freight Harbor models, but they're more expensive too.

there is a guy selling belts for this tumbler on ebay. it's like 5 belts for about 6$ shipped. he says they are 1000% better than the belts that come with the machine. he's a power seller with about 20k feedback so i'm sure it would be good stuff. do a search on "rock tumbler" and you'll find it.
 
there is a guy selling belts for this tumbler on ebay. it's like 5 belts for about 6$ shipped. he says they are 1000% better than the belts that come with the machine. he's a power seller with about 20k feedback so i'm sure it would be good stuff. do a search on "rock tumbler" and you'll find it.

Thanks Flyerdog. I saw that too - about a week after I destroyed the gears on my machine; I had replaced the belt with a vacume cleaner belt. The machine worked OK for about 6 or 7 hours, then the drum stopped truning. The giant belt and stress has turned the plastic wheels the belt sits on into vaporized plastic flakes. So I kept the drums but tossed the machine.

HH

Rich
 
I recently put some coins in a plastic bottle with vinegar & salt but when I was finished shaking them the coins all had a pinkish color to them. Whats the deal with that? :?::?::?:
 
I recently put some coins in a plastic bottle with vinegar & salt but when I was finished shaking them the coins all had a pinkish color to them. Whats the deal with that? :?::?::?:

Did you mix the pennies in with the dimes, quarters, and nickels?
 
Yes I did, Let me guess, I wasn't suppose to put the pennies in with the rest right?? Is there a way to clean them? By the way all the change weren't anything special, just gonna take to the bank.
 
Yes I did, Let me guess, I wasn't suppose to put the pennies in with the rest right?? Is there a way to clean them? By the way all the change weren't anything special, just gonna take to the bank.

Yep, you need to shake the pennies separately... Otherwise, you get pink coins. You could try separating them now and shaking the dimes, nickels, and quarters again in vinegar. It might take the pink off. Also be sure to rinse them very well and in my experience patting them all dry with a towel works best. If you don't rinse the coins well enough they will dry a bright green color.

Also you can dump the vinegar out when you are done onto your driveway and it will leave a bright almost fluorescent green stain. Or you can dump it on your neighbor's driveway when they aren't looking...
 
HAHAHAHA lol, Okay I will try it when I get home, My neighbor is an A** to, I should do that. lol
 
Freight Harbor makes inexpensive tumblers, but their belts tend to break quickly. I'm planning on getting a Thumler tumbler next summer - they look much stronger than the Freight Harbor models, but they're more expensive too.

Another option I've been considering is an untrasonic cleaner. I found all kinds on ebay starting at $14.95 and up. (But the seller seems to charge $14.00 for shipping too, so that puts me off a little.) I've read that they're about as noisy as a tumber, but quicker. But unlike a tumber, I think you can only do a few coins at a time since you want all sides of the coin exposed to the vibrations in the water.

Has anyone tried cleaning coins with an untrasonic cleaner?

I tried the untrasonic cleaner with all types of fluids and it just doesn't work very good.
I bought a used Thumler tumbler from the classifieds in this forum and am very pleased with it.

Cliff
 
NO there is not a difference between a coin and a rock tumbler. They are one in the same, they have different names for marketing reasons. When you buy a tumbler try to get something without plastic as parts. Jewelry companies sell tumblers for cleaning hand made jewelry these are the best ones that I have found, also comes with a price, but they won't fall apart either. If you buy expensive you don't have to buy repeatedly. I have one that I got for my jewelry that I used to make it takes 48 hours to clean jewelry but that's for a mirror shine. coins could be done in matter of hours or even less. I spent about 600.00 on mine, but you don't have to spend that much. If you could afford a couple of hundred that would be the way to go. good luck with it.
 
I still find a lot of different opinions on the rock tumblers and so many that are out there, I would enjoy hearing from you guys about the most durable ones? I rather get one that won't break after 2 weeks so paying a little more is fine. I am new into the hobby and I might just go with the old fashioned way of cleaning things in a plastic container.

any suggestions?
 
I dont even tumble or clean them at all, I use the in the snack and soda machines and those machines are not picky.:lol: Just let the dirt fall off naturally in my pocket and plink them in.;) I'll even mix them in with the change I give at stores.....it all spends the same.....:yes:
 
Brass Tumbler

Will a brass tumbler work as well as the rock tumbler or does it cause too much damage?
Thanks
 
All tumblers work on the same principle, you pay for quality and capacity. Think most people fail, because the overload their tumblers. The rating is for the total, combined weight, the container, the items to be polished, the abrasive, and the liquid. Probably not a good idea to run it at the maximum rating either, if you want the machine to last.

The cheap, small, ultrasonic cleaners don't seem to have any effect on dug coins. Last time I used it on my electric razor, I used 97% alcohol. After the blades, figured I'd give a few pennies I dug earlier, on only rinsed of to check dates, and whether they were wheat. The alcohol was only slightly dirty, pennies didn't look any better. Brushed them with an old tooth brush...
 
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