How Do You Clean Dirty Tokens???

[astroboy2001]

Not sure if this is the correct forum to post this particular question...was wondering how do you clean your tokens? Especially if you get used tokens, what do you do to get them clean and shiny?

I've tried bleach (to kill any germs) and then dishwashing or laundry detergent, soaking them in a bucket then rinsing off but still does not seem 100% clean.

Is there some way that you do it that might render better results? Please share!

[luckydog]

dilute CLR with hot water, soak and swirl tokens, rinse in hot water and towel dry

or get a rock tumbler and use crushed walnut shells to clean then

[Chrisdice]

Yes, The CLR that lucky mentioned works great. For some other ideas do a search as this has been talked about a few times. good luck

[scooby_doo_m2002]

the thing I found with CLR is that MAKE SURE you dilute it enough, if you have it too strong and have cheap tokens from Japan they will not be so shinny, in fact the silver finish will come off and you will have like a copperish look bleeding through the silver color. Although I don't have a rock tumbler yet, I have seen amazing results. I usually find a day where I am bored out of my mind and use a mixture of "bar keepers friend" and water. Mix it into a paste then rub a dub... After rubbing for awhile rinse and dry throughly even makes the yucky black looking copper ones look like brand new!!!

Ps, works great on old pennies if your that bored....

[drcrippen324]

isnt it easyer to use a bucket of coke that way theres no rub a dub

[scooby_doo_m2002]

actually, I have tried coca-cola and it doesn't work, plus it is quite expensive..

[minnesotabrad]

From what I have heard a rock tumbler with crushed walnut shells work the best. You can clean tokens that way and also pachinko balls. I have heard it really shines then up well.

[Tony Junior]

Scooby is right. This is what happens if you don't dilute the CLR enough, or if you leave them in too long.

[JVCJr26]

I have to say a rock tumbler with crushed walnut shells works GREAT!! I bought a cheap tumbler and tried this with Pachinko balls and with tokens and I am very impressed with the results. Takes a bit of time especially if you are cleaning alot of tokens but it is worth it. You won't be dissapointed.

[slothappy144]

I picked up a cheap rock tumbler form Harborfreight tools they have an online store as wel.
I also have a vibratory case cleaner with different media. I need to polish up some old bicolor tokens so I will try it.

[scooby_doo_m2002]

Scooby is right. This is what happens if you don't dilute the CLR enough, or if you leave them in too long.

http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/atta...1&d=1162221376


Thats EXACTLY what I'm talking about!!!

[slothappy144]

reminds me of the chemical milling Nitric acid will do to some metals I once made a 1/2 mm penny that was still readable, the toxic cloud I made as a byproduct probably contributed to my chemistry teachers cancer but we didn't know better at the time.

[luckydog]

we used to play with mercury in our science class when the teacher left for a few mins. we didn't know any better.

it sure made a dime shiny

[H20Dreams]

I played around with Mercury before. Put it on a 14 K gold ring... Look nice. Couldn't get it off and it ate all the gold.

[slothappy144]

those wishing to avoid a nerdy metalurgy lesson can skip this post.
Mercury (Hg) is unique element, liquid metal, conductive, not actually corrosive, it breaks another metals oxidation process, actually it breakes the oxide layer, Aluminum oxidizes instantly on contact with air, the aluminun oxide protects the underlying layers of aluminum. Mercury breaks the oxide layer so the entire piece of aluminum is allowed to corrode. a really interesting read:
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science...cbccdrcrd.html

[Sid]

a nifty experiment to try...

now to get some aluminum.....

[slothappy144]

any aircraft you have lying around will have plenty on board. Hg can be found in most old thermostats and some stores like radio shack. My cousin had a bottle of it, it might explain the brain cells that died.
warning: Hg is a hazardous substance, as are all heavy metals. Send your poisonous gold to me and I will dispose of it properly.

[hanabi]

Heavy Metal 's

[GreggTheGuru]

My wife's machine came with gold colored tokens, I cleaned them by soaking them in a solution of 8 cups of water, 2 cups white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of salt for about five minutes. Then washing them with soap and water. The solution is a (very) weak version of hydrochloric acid that will remove the oxidation without removing any metal. You would literally have to soak them for weeks to do any damage with this. But you for sure don't want to skip washing with soap because residue on the tokes may cause any copper content to go green after a while...
It's cheap, and quick, but when working with any kind of chemicals make sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protecton --- safety first!
~GTG

[slothappy144]

That solution is less hazardous than eating a dill pickle! much safer than eating anything with my chili sauce!