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harbor freight vibrating tumblers

Dflan83

Elite Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2010
Messages
1,126
Location
Fayetteville, TN
anyone use one of these to clean coins? if so how well does it work? They have some good deals on them at the HF next to me
 
tumblers

Didn't you see the OPs post? He found a can of gold Eagles, wanted to shine 'em up a bit

But what were the financial results? Tumbling a coin or coins with numismatic value usually lowers its numismatic value, at least based on my past experience.
 
But what were the financial results? Tumbling a coin or coins with numismatic value usually lowers its numismatic value, at least based on my past experience.

Any method using rocks, metal filings or pellets, even walnut shells or any other rough media or just tumbling coins by themselves in liquid mixtures is going to degrade a coin's condition if only slightly.
Cleaning can be a rough business.
According to the coin guys if you even look at any coins of value cross eyed you are abusing it and any more than that you are destroying it.
The softest brush will still put micro scratches on coins, for collectors anything less than professional cleaning is a sin.
Many find or buy coins and clean them anyway...most aren't doing this to premier extremely valuable specimens but more common types that might have more worth than melt or face value but are not super rare.
It drives the coin guys nuts but if the owners are never going to sell them and they prefer having nicer looking treasure in their collections to look at it is their property and they can do what they want with them.

I use my tumbler to clean mostly clad, I have run well over $1000 through my double drum set up over the years because it can be embarrassing when you kill a Coinstar machine with extremely dirty clad which I have done a few times and retailers will look at you funny if you use a lot of really dirty money to pay for things at one time.
I don't care if my change is perfect but I feel better if I knock at least the surface dirt off if it before I spend it.
Also tumblers can be used to clean copper and brass and other cool things we dig up pretty easily and I have done that several times with great results.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=196128

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=190366

Sometimes I use mine to clean up what turned out to be a bit more rare items, old tokens, a rolled gold pocket watch, a few older coins, but they were so dirty and crusted over I didn't know what I had until I cleaned them a little, then I stopped once I did and changed to less abusive methods.

If you are a serious coin collector and are in it for the money you shouldn't even consider using a tumbler to clean any quality coin but most have more common sense than that.
I have seen posts from hunters lucky enough to find an 1877 IH, a 1909s VDB cent and even a 1916d merc and others and they know enough not to do a whole lot of cleaning no matter what condition they are in...I hope this happens to me someday.
On the other hand tumbling a half full drum full of modern clad coins for a couple of hours to clean them up I don't even think twice about.

An on sale double tumbler I bought from Harbor Freight with a 25% off coupon has turned out to be one of the, if not the smartest decision and most useful tool I have purchased in the years I have been in this hobby and as long as I use it logically and intelligently it can be a great time and energy saver.

Use them on the wrong treasures and they can be a Destroyer of Worlds.
 
Last edited:
Very timely post! I was just giving some thought to these, as I already have a HF vibrating, and it seems rather slow, if not completely ineffective.
I'll go pick up the rotating double-tub.

Thanks much, folks.

Roger
 
Thanks for the info guys and yes this is mostly for knocking off most of the dirt on clad

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
 
Thanks

Thanks. I'm not concerned at all with what others do with their own finds and agree tumbling is just fine for coins with no numistatic or historic value. Just trying to determine the best way to clean up historic finds or coins that might have numistatic value.


Any method using rocks, metal filings or pellets, even walnut shells or any other rough media or just tumbling coins by themselves in liquid mixtures is going to degrade a coin's condition if only slightly.
Cleaning can be a rough business.
According to the coin guys if you even look at any coins of value cross eyed you are abusing it and any more than that you are destroying it.
The softest brush will still put micro scratches on coins, for collectors anything less than professional cleaning is a sin.
Many find or buy coins and clean them anyway...most aren't doing this to premier extremely valuable specimens but more common types that might have more worth than melt or face value but are not super rare.
It drives the coin guys nuts but if the owners are never going to sell them and they prefer having nicer looking treasure in their collections to look at it is their property and they can do what they want with them.

I use my tumbler to clean mostly clad, I have run well over $1000 through my double drum set up over the years because it can be embarrassing when you kill a Coinstar machine with extremely dirty clad which I have done a few times and retailers will look at you funny if you use a lot of really dirty money to pay for things at one time.
I don't care if my change is perfect but I feel better if I knock at least the surface dirt off if it before I spend it.
Also tumblers can be used to clean copper and brass and other cool things we dig up pretty easily and I have done that several times with great results.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=196128

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=190366

Sometimes I use mine to clean up what turned out to be a bit more rare items, old tokens, a rolled gold pocket watch, a few older coins, but they were so dirty and crusted over I didn't know what I had until I cleaned them a little, then I stopped once I did and changed to less abusive methods.

If you are a serious coin collector and are in it for the money you shouldn't even consider using a tumbler to clean any quality coin but most have more common sense than that.
I have seen posts from hunters lucky enough to find an 1877 IH, a 1909s VDB cent and even a 1916d merc and others and they know enough not to do a whole lot of cleaning no matter what condition they are in...I hope this happens to me someday.
On the other hand tumbling a half full drum full of modern clad coins for a couple of hours to clean them up I don't even think twice about.

An on sale double tumbler I bought from Harbor Freight with a 25% off coupon has turned out to be one of the, if not the smartest decision and most useful tool I have purchased in the years I have been in this hobby and as long as I use it logically and intelligently it can be a great time and energy saver.

Use them on the wrong treasures and they can be a Destroyer of Worlds.
 
I assume these are not for coins with numismatic value, correct?
you,re correct.....never try to clean any coin with value...I Was referring only to those we all find...the clad,zincolns etc...
 
I've had both for about 10 yrs now. I probably haven't used the vibrating one since 2008😂. Get the rotating tumbler, it allowed as u to use water , rocks, and soap. The vibrating one only allows for fish gravel or another median. Plus the vibrator doesn't clean anywhere as good.
 
anyone use one of these to clean coins? if so how well does it work? They have some good deals on them at the HF next to me

Bought one a couple years ago and have used it to clean my clad. Just throw in your change, aquarium gravel and a drop of dish soap. In a few hours you have some clean clad. BUT do not mix pennies in with your clad or everything will turn an orange color
 
Bought one a couple years ago and have used it to clean my clad. Just throw in your change, aquarium gravel and a drop of dish soap. In a few hours you have some clean clad. BUT do not mix pennies in with your clad or everything will turn an orange color

Great tip

You can get a decent tumbler on amazon http://amzn.to/2xOK0Ho like I use, basic coin 'rock' tumbler, but does the trick for clad.

I usually get quarters just clean enough for the car wash machines hahah

Basically a free car wash before every detecting outing! Hey, you never know when that hot chic is going to see you pull up to the park, right? :lol:
 
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