Ultrasonic Coin Cleaning - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 6,383
Peter THOMAS Pillar of the Community Australia 2830 Posts	Posted 09/12/2007 3:51 pm G'day, I am aware that the first rule of cleaning coins is: "Don't". That said, I have collected some very old coins (c1820), some of which have acquired a lot of unspeakable black stuff in the more recessed parts of the design. I try not to think what that suff may be. But, I am not talking patina, or toning: I'm just talking "yuk". ebay has several types of "ultrasonic" cleaners listed. They are principally directed at cleaning jewellery, but most say "suitable for coins, dentures, etc". Most are battery operated; some are plug ins. They all involve a small bath, but the size varies, upto 0.5 litre. One puts the coin, or whatever in, with water and a little detergent; turn it on; wait a few minutes; and BINGO ! Apparently, they operate by rapid vibration. Some specify that they operate at speeds above 5000 cycles per second. At least one has a high speed and a low speed. I recently saw one in use in a jewellery store. The lady who was using it said that after a few minutes, the water was filthy, and the jwellery was clean. She said she had never known of any damage to the cleaned item. Now, my question is: have any forum members had any experience of using "ultrasonic cleaners" on coins ? If so, was it satisfactory ? Can you offer any advice as to which of the several devices available might be best suited to coins ? Peter in Oz Report this Post to the Staff

Bryan1315 Bedrock of the Community United States 14454 Posts	Posted 09/12/2007 5:45 pm I have never used a ultrasonic on coins but when I was a tattoo artist we used them on the tubes to clean them before you sterilized them and they definately do a good job, the only thing I would worry about is the coin getting marks on it because of the vibration the coin is going to move around in the solution. Some of the smaller untrasonic machines like you are referring to has plastic baskets so this may not be a great big deal (the one we used had a metal basket)but if I was to use one I would try it out on a coin that wasn't worth very much to begin with first and only do one coin at a time to make sure the coins didn't hit against each other because of the vibration Report this Post to the Staff
biokemist6 Bedrock of the Community United States 12437 Posts	Posted 09/12/2007 11:09 pm I have an ultrasonic cleaner and it is fine for coins as long as the coin is held in a soft plastic basket in an upright position. Most jewelry cleaner baths have metal baskets so be careful. Mine is not a jewelry cleaner, it is actually surplus scientific equipment and it is outfitted with a heater as well It is a bit of an overkill and I do not have a metal detector. A friend of mine does a bit of fishing along the Mississippi River and frequently finds coins and various trinkets in the sand. The bath helped them out a bit but be warned- they are noisy since they work via sound waves. Edited by biokemist6 09/13/2007 08:57 am Report this Post to the Staff
Peter THOMAS Pillar of the Community Australia 2830 Posts	Posted 09/13/2007 06:01 am G'day & thankyou, based on the two replies, I'll buy one, and start with my least precious coins, and see how I go from there. thanks again, Peter in Oz Report this Post to the Staff
Topher Pillar of the Community Canada 965 Posts	Posted 09/13/2007 10:23 am I've been thinking about this for a while. I think I'm going to get one for some of my nastier coins as well. Fortunately, none of mine are worth much to begin with anyway. Report this Post to the Staff
gnome Valued Member Australia 372 Posts	Posted 09/13/2007 7:42 pm Bought mine from Priceline awhile ago. Peter. It was about $20. Not a big fan of them, in fact gave mine away, yesterday. It had only been used twice. Report this Post to the Staff
EgCollector Pillar of the Community Egypt 3470 Posts	Posted 10/13/2007 7:34 pm I have never used my Ultrasonic cleaner to clean coins, since I use it in my clinic. It seems like a good idea, but i'll have to buy another one to be used only with coins. The only tip I can offer is to use distilled water, and not any other solutions because ultra sonic vibrations produce heat and thus the solution used will evaporate. This will not only affect the coin being cleaned but also may cause health hazards if inhaled Report this Post to the Staff
Parklane64 Rest in Peace United States 2668 Posts	Posted 10/13/2007 9:03 pm Hit 'em with a torch 'til they start to glow, then pitch 'em in a bucket of water. That should knock the crap oofen 'em. Report this Post to the Staff
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