Can't get my clad clean. it turns grey!

wasatchau

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2015
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341
Location
West of the Wasatch
Hi all. I'm in a quandry. I've been cleaning small quantities of clad finds with vinegar and salt for the last two years with fair success. But the last two times i've tried to clean a larger quantity of clad (no pennies, roughly $120 at a time) in a tumbler, it turns grey or won't clean the 'red' off it.
Is there a specific ratio of vinegar to salt? if so, what is it? Is there a volume ratio of coins to liquid? once the coins turn grey, they won't get any cleaner no matter what i do. What am I doing wrong, and how do i correct it?

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
J
 
don't use vinegar.
use dawn dish soap, aquarium gravel, water, and baking soda,
I do my nickels by themselves.
dimes and quarters together.
pennies I clean with lemon juice.
 
Thanks. I'll try the baking soda. i clean all the coins with dawn and water in a vibratory tumbler before the next step.
i just checked the coins...they all turned clay green. gotta start over, if I can.
 
Sometimes, no matter what you do or try, clad will NOT clean up enough to pass muster over the counter....Many times even after a good tumbling, the Coinstar will still reject them....Certain vending machines are a possible alternative!

What you do is, You pop in 4 dirty Q's as if you want to purchase something, but instead of buying, you hit the 'coin return' button and out tumbles fresh clean clad! Full Face Value!


Its frustrating, especially on Q's and D's..the ones that dont clean up...trying to get full face or thereabouts...sometimes you can mix a few of those dirtys into paper rolls of freshies and pass them off in the entire tube at the bank or store when you make a purchase or get change...

As a Mega Claddie, I have learned, some coins simply will not clean up! So whats a guy to do? Explore Alternative Recompense methods! Frequently offload these incalcitrant 'dirtys' on the weekly and not let them stack up in any kind of appreciable numbers is a good idea...

I made good pay once on a road trip with a load of my dirtys that the local Coinstar wouldnt accept....I stopped at a rest area, took a few minutes and did the Vending machine 'coin return' button dealie!...Some vending machine I-65 monkey in Indiana is cursing my name no doubt!:laughing:

Hey....It aint our fault some of these cheap clad coins dont clean up! What are we to do? Offload! We aint in this for our health or giggles...:laughing:
 
Just knock the dirt off, throw them in the car and give them to the kids working the drive-thru and Micky D's or where ever.
 
When I started out I painted them silver, or green,purple,whatever.
I just wirewheel em now or coinstar em.
Now a local market has new machines that take dirty clad.:D
 
Water, gravel and a handful of bricklaying sand works for me.

Those that don't clean well, I exchange for clean coins at a vending machine so I can spend them without worrying about whether the cashier will take them or not.

Self-serve registers are also a good way of spending dirty or discoloured change.
 
When I started out I painted them silver, or green,purple,whatever.
I just wirewheel em now or coinstar em.
Now a local market has new machines that take dirty clad.:D

There ya go, a belt sander and some silver paint..

Done!

<°)))>{
 
Well...all good ideas. I reran the entire lot separately- nickles, dimes and quarters, with the same grey results. however, all but a couple went through the coin machine with $139.10 back. I'll try the gravel/sand method next time.
Mudd, I use public transit a lot. They get the worst quarters I have. Plus I turn the detected bus tokens worth $2.25/ea (48 for the year so far) into a free ride and a dollar coin when I can (old-fart fare is $1.25).
I guess I'm just frustrated because I ran 18 pounds of mixed copper/zinc pennies with the same formula and they came out shiney. I get about 75% recovery of the pennies at the coinstar. I'm putting the money away for future detecting needs, and keeping the coinstar rejects to pay the next parking ticket.

Thanks for the input. I have a lot to learn about turning clad into cash.
J
 
I use household ammonia and fish gravel and have great results , however these other methods used probably do well too. As long as you are tumbling with a base instead of an acid. When you use an acid , the acid does most of the work but it eats away the coin and you have the gray color. But when you use a base , the media ....sand or gravel , does most of the work and puts a certain amount of polish on the coins rather than breaking down the metal. They don't always come out " shiny " but they do come out natural color. If they don't come out clean enough , put them back in for a while.

Since they are being put back into circulation , I don't mind cleaning them up first.....its a little extra effort but I wouldn't call it work. Then I can spend it anywhere , any time....or put it into my bank account and nobody is gonna complain.
 
Ohiochris,
I'll try that next time.I'm with you; since i'm putting it back into circulation, I don't mind spending the time to make coins look as good as possible. I don't want to be blocked from using the coin counters at my financial institution.
Thanks for the input.
J
 
For the clad that doesn't come out of the tumbler looking spendable at the store checkout counter, I just dump them in a plastic medicine bottle and keep them in my car to use in the parking meters. No clerk present to say "HEY, WHAT'S THIS ?" :roll:

I used to use them in the turnpike toll booth basket, but I only use the EASYPASS Transponder now in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

Jim
 
Sometimes, no matter what you do or try, clad will NOT clean up enough to pass muster over the counter....Many times even after a good tumbling, the Coinstar will still reject them....Certain vending machines are a possible alternative!

What you do is, You pop in 4 dirty Q's as if you want to purchase something, but instead of buying, you hit the 'coin return' button and out tumbles fresh clean clad! Full Face Value!


Its frustrating, especially on Q's and D's..the ones that dont clean up...trying to get full face or thereabouts...sometimes you can mix a few of those dirtys into paper rolls of freshies and pass them off in the entire tube at the bank or store when you make a purchase or get change...

As a Mega Claddie, I have learned, some coins simply will not clean up! So whats a guy to do? Explore Alternative Recompense methods! Frequently offload these incalcitrant 'dirtys' on the weekly and not let them stack up in any kind of appreciable numbers is a good idea...

I made good pay once on a road trip with a load of my dirtys that the local Coinstar wouldnt accept....I stopped at a rest area, took a few minutes and did the Vending machine 'coin return' button dealie!...Some vending machine I-65 monkey in Indiana is cursing my name no doubt!:laughing:

Hey....It aint our fault some of these cheap clad coins dont clean up! What are we to do? Offload! We aint in this for our health or giggles...:laughing:

Once again Mud I'm amazed at your ingenuity. I dunk mine in cheap toilet bowl cleaner, hammer, and then use on the bus. If they are good condition I use at the store
 
After the salt and vinegar bath I tumble them for around 90 minutes. Some of the clad that was in the ground a long time are still dark but the coin machine at my bank takes them. Sometimes I soak the clad in the salt and vinegar TWICE before tumbling and that gets rid of more of the rust.
 
I soaked them in salt and vinegar overnight lightly brush with a toothbrush. Then I put them in coin rolls and by my gas with them.
 
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