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i have jars of coins that i dig while metal detecting.i always pull the wheaties and silver out.i have not sorted the coppers yet.my question is,other than a mild water rinse should i try and clean any of them.they seem to be pretty dirty after a rinse.i was thinking of cashing the clad in for rolls of pennies,but i dont want to upset the bank by bringing dirty coins.is there a way to clean besides a tumbler?thanks!

Tumbling is the best...

I throw them in a collender and spray 'em off with hot water while shakin' 'em up. Next I put the bad ones in a jug with some aqarium gravel, a little bit of dish soap, and enough water to cover the pennies up. I just shake the "you know what" out of them for about 10 to 15 minutes. I may replace the water, but not always. I empty the jug and pull the pennies out then dry them off. Any real bads ones will wait for the next batch.

Shake them up in a container with some salt and vinegar after rinsing in water.

a tumbler is best but if you don't want to buy one you could always just leave a few coins in your pants pockets when you put them in the wash.

bman wrote:a tumbler is best but if you don't want to buy one you could always just leave a few coins in your pants pockets when you put them in the wash.

Yepper...I forgot about the 53D nickel from the gas station...and the 1999(wam?) cent in my pocket. Got into a hurry and added my pants to the laundry. Both came out NICE and CLEAN!

Before I had a rock tumbler I used to put my dug coins in a sock half full of aquarium gravel. Tie two knots in it, and throw it in the washing machine with a load of laundry. Worked great.

AGgressive Metal wrote:Shake them up in a container with some salt and vinegar after rinsing in water.

How long do you leave them in the salt/vinegar solution ?

Thanks.......Pachucko

Going to clean some tonight...maybe...if I do I'll post some before and after shots!

Pachucko wrote:

AGgressive Metal wrote:Shake them up in a container with some salt and vinegar after rinsing in water.

How long do you leave them in the salt/vinegar solution ?

Thanks.......Pachucko

If you shake them up in it you should notice them becoming shinier as you go, so I just eyeball it.

I left them while I went out, about 7 or 8 hours or so, and they all look really "washed out" and dull. Guess I left them waaayyy too long.

I just want to clean the dirt off of them. They will look just like dirty coppers found in rolls from the bank. And into the copper pile they go! The vinegar will cause a chemical reaction that will fade the coppers. Basically, white rust. The key with the vinegar is to make it a fast cleaning...less that 5 minutes...then a faster rinse before the white rust starts. It's tricky.

corky569 wrote:Before I had a rock tumbler I used to put my dug coins in a sock half full of aquarium gravel. Tie two knots in it, and throw it in the washing machine with a load of laundry. Worked great.

This works great!

trying to come up with a connection between the words penny,clean, vinegar,salt, and douche. but then again, maybe I shouldnt