Has anyone ever tried cleaning coins in an ultrasonic cleaner? First encountered them years ago as a method for cleaning scuba regulator innards - just poking around on a website and saw a Lighthouse branded one. I know jewellers use them for cleaning rings etc - wondering how gold & silver coins would go in them, e.g. dirty sovereigns.
Interesting you bring this up now, as a mate of mine has been investigating ultrasonic cleaners recently for industrial use in cleaning large engine parts and other assorted bits and bobs. The ones he is looking at are quite big, and thus expensive, but smaller ones are pretty cheap, and within the reach of your average stacker if anyone can confirm that they are good for cleaning coins.
GP I use one every day for cleaning scuba parts.....& must say I have cleaned old silver coins that I have found with my underwater metal detector with ease. Take note but mate, that if you do use one for cleaning! Make sure you put one coin or object in the ultrasonic cleaner at anyone time, this stops them rubbing together. 2) Also never put gold on the stainless steel tray supplied with the cleaner, this scratches your beloved gold to the shitter (as I found out). For gold, make a cradle out of old scuba tank mesh.......You know the stuff! or a plastic bowl of some kind with holes ect, put in one coin at a time, & they come up a treat. I use the same acid for cleaning Gold/Silver coins as I do for reg parts. CLR calcium lime rust remover is excellent, 50:50 with water. Or 100% Phosphoric acid (same stuff they put into coke) 50:50 with water. And mate please never put any part of ya body in an ultrasonic when it is running, as it is possible to suffer a embolism
Valuable tips! Any chance of a before and after photo of a coin cleaned this way? For those on the forum who don't know, an ultrasonic cleaner generates incredibly tiny microbubbles (basically a cavitation effect) that gently abrades surface contaminants away, and as Silver Soul mentioned, sometimes in conjunction with a solvent for additional cleaning. Dive shops use them to clean regulators, with special consideration to removing any gunk or particles that might combust in the presence of O2 when using nitrox or oxygen - more than one diver or shop employee has died from an O2 fire caused by dirty regs or tank valves.
I can do a photo shoot of the cleaning process Before/ After if you wish, as I have not documented this previously. So stay tuned. Things that one must remember when using a ultrasonic cleaner: Thats all it does, "Cleans". It will not polish.
Tried a dirty sixpence and shilling for 5 minutes in small Aldi ultrasonic. Some improvement.Maybe 50%.
