DIY Coin Tumbler

[user 4485]

Not sure but I thought ( wrongly) that tumbling took days not minutes.
Mackka

Nah not with coins - using steel shot it's recommended to check them every 15-20mins & the ones I've done wouldn't need much more than that (30mins) if any longer.
Doing stones etc. is a different matter. Can take several weeks & various stages thru coarse to fine grit media + polishing to get the desired end result.

 

[Simmo]

With a wiper motor, have you got the intermittent speeds etc still???

 

[1968falconxt]

Haha no Intermittent but I have a voltage adjuster to get the right speed.

I ran with stones for 2.5 hours. I was only aiming to get them clean enough to cash in and not bring up super shiny. Goldies came up real nice though.

As it was the first run I was checking every 30 mins as I did not want to destroy the coins

 

[PabloP]

While I think that the construction and design effort is great, as I collect coins I don't like to treat any of my finds in this way. The device may be more suited for tumbling/polishing stones and the like in the gem area.

Rob P.

 

[1968falconxt]

I am only tumbling spendable coins prior to cashing in to an auto bank coin machine. A lot of coins I find are basically unusable as they are so dirty or corroded.

I would never tumble any pre-deccie or collectible coin.

 

[user 4485]

While I think that the construction and design effort is great, as I collect coins I don't like to treat any of my finds in this way. The device may be more suited for tumbling/polishing stones and the like in the gem area.

Rob P.

Can't see a problem with tumbling worthless pre decimals at all! They aren't worth anything for good reason & are a lot better to look at cleaned up a bit.
I wouldn't tumble anything that has worth or could potentially be worth something down the track but a lot of pre decs will never be worth anything at all - there was too many made & too many remain now to ever become valuable as such.
As with everything do your own research beforehand but I won't lose any sleep over cleaning the pre decimals that I have in my tumbler.

Also unless you rubber lined the barrel I don't think the above would be good for tumbling stones & definitely not at the polishing stage.
It's a great build for coins etc. though. Good one xt :Y:

 

[Occasional_panner]

You could try corn cob tumbling media. You can get it at firearm stores or online.

The tumblers you use for brass rifle cases have a more of an irregular vibrating motion which disperses the cases around in the media, that's a lot gentler on soft brass.
Like this https://www.ebay.com/p/FrankFord-85...N-EZ-Case-Tumbler/2255439770?iid=271925151254

 

[Greenhornet_au]

Here is the laser cut bits. I would be welding it up tonight except I am going prospecting all weekend.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/11897/1520567638_11.jpg

Who does your laser cutting and how much did that lot cost ?

25-30 rpm Wiper motor or variable speed plaster mixer drill from Bunnings

Try some very coarse sand like fish tank fine gravel, detergent

Alternative low cost -
Chop up some stranded copper wire or stainless wire
Chop up some stainless pot scrubbing pads
Stainless BB's
Sandblasting grit

Almost anything that doesnt rust and is 5mm or smaller in diameter should work.
Even broken toughened glass or piles of small stainless nuts, and dont worry about mixing media, it actually helps.
Must be noisy without a rubber liner.

 

[Tiezto]

I just bang all my spendables thru my local CBA coin machine rust and all and have only had a very small few out of 100s not go thru without an issue. When i get home from a hunt I just wash them and give them a quick scrub with a nail brush to get the dirt off and they are fine.

 

[1968falconxt]

I got the laser cutting done through work so it didn't cost anything. It would likely be quite expensive to get all that cut as a one off through another company.

I have found that the stones are great for not damaging the coins but take hours and don't get some of the silvers as clean as I would like. I am going to try some stainless shots from ebay.

If isn't too loud since it runs with $250 of coins, a pile of stones and heaps of water. Running it dry in the garage you could hear it up the street though!

 

[Greenhornet_au]

How lucky are you for project work, LOL I would be spending a lot of time after work cutting many projects for myself.

To reduce tumble time you need more contact of the surfaces with the mild abrasive, so a course sand/fine stone or abrasive grit will do that cheaply
like you use of stones.
At a pinch grab stone gravel from a footpath, you know the fine stuff - or go to a pet shop and get a few bags for little dollars, fish tank grit.

The stainless stuff from Ebay is VERY expensive and meant for jewelery.

I also just thought that you could call around to some grit blasters as they sometimes use specific stainless shot grit to work on stainless steel so
there is no contamination to cause oxidation issues, you may get a bucket for $5, as your needs are not dependent on particle size or shape.

Much rust on the inside of your drum ?

Others use a plastic drum with paddles on the inside.

Suggestion for you - your hatch seal - just use a flat sheet of soft rubber across the back to seal and drill holes for the bolts,
maybe a 3mm - 5mm thick.
Less fiddly, easy to clean and replace.

 

[1968falconxt]

Haha yeah I do spend a lot of time after work on many projects

I'll give the fine coarse gravel a go next time. My other issue is coins keep sticking to the sides of the drum when running. I've tried adding rinse aid but it doesn't stop it.

I get a little surface rust on the inside but it comes off as soon as I start running the next batch. I'm not concerned about the rust.

Thanks for the tip on the rubber seal. I'll hunt around for some as it'll be better than what I run now.

 

[Greenhornet_au]

You may want to drill a hole in your drum in an outside edge corner for a drain point, thread it for a bolt, use a rubber washer to seal.
Make sure it is at the bottom when the open hatch is at the top

I wonder if you are emptying the tumbler immediately after the cycle or if you are leaving it for awhile, electrolysis between dissimilar metals (rust/corrosion)
may stick your coins to the sides in a surprisingly short time. Any rust on the edges of those coins ?

A course sand media or fine gravel will lodge under the coins so they will not lie flat and stop that.
Its another reason to have a rubber liner inside or plastic drum.
Oh yeah, there is no reason that you cant mix tumbling media, fine gravel and big stones, stainless, marbles, cut wire - it will all work together fine.

A squirt of liquid dish wash, or a tablespoon of 'truck wash' liquid along with the tumble media should do the job.
Maybe a handful of beach sand would help as a fine abrasive.
That should be all you need to get the coins clean of crap.

If you want the 'Brass' coins only to REALLY shine, put in a teaspoon or so of Citric Acid (Supermarket $2),
but CA may damage the Nickle and Copper coins if too strong.

Fun building stuff and sorting it to work best isnt it ?

Let me know how it goes.

 

[Smoky bandit]

Sand and gravel ect will make your coins dull and grey..but does clean them in a relatively sort time..If you want your coins like new including non valuable pre desimals use stainless steel bbs..and a couple of table spoons of borax :Y: