Help Cleaning Pennies, I'm running out of time...

I haven't read through all the posts. I bought copper pot cleaner at the grocery store. Worked like a charm in just a few minutes.
 
I didn't read all the post so sorry if this is already out there but Arby's sauce works really well and quick! I think it might be the vinegar??? I'm not sure how much ya need but it really does work quick!!
 
How much does those pressed penny machines cost? Is it 50cents and penny?

Thanks,

Over in Europe (France and Germany) it cost 1 euro and 5 euro cent!

These are the souvenirs I get at Disney for myself, they are inexpensive and easy to carry home.
 

I tried a bunch of home remedies like vinegar/salt, lemon juice/salt, baking soda, ketchup. They all worked somewhat, but for some reason the next day (I didn't leave them in the solution overnight - I just left them out after drying them) they looked awful again. Some just looked old and tarnished again, some were spotty, some had reddish marks, and a few had turned greenish.
Then I tried Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish (use a small amount and brush lightly with a toothbrush, then wipe off residue with a clean cloth) and the pennies look amazing. Still do 2 days later. I got it from AutoZone, but I'm sure you can find it, or a similar metal polish, from any auto parts store.
For the record, I used all pre-1982 pennies so I don't get the zinc striations after pressing, so I don't know what the polish would do to a new penny, but I highly suggest using it on pre-1982 pennies. It's amazing how shiny and clean they are.


Have other people who have used the ketchup and other combos also find they turned out awful a few days latter?
 
A little Brasso will work perfect. I'm using it now to clean my pennies. Just scrub them with your spouses tooth brush.:lmao:
 
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There are 2 reasons the pennies cleaned with the acid based remedies tarnish quickly:
1. Acid left on the penny reacts with air
2. wet pennies oxidize very quickly wen left out in air to dry.

I suggest doing the acid treatment, rinsibg with baking soda in water then clean water, and drying them on a towel with a hairdryer.
 
There are 2 reasons the pennies cleaned with the acid based remedies tarnish quickly:
1. Acid left on the penny reacts with air
2. wet pennies oxidize very quickly wen left out in air to dry.

I suggest doing the acid treatment, rinsibg with baking soda in water then clean water, and drying them on a towel with a hairdryer.

Ok, I understand that this is a cheaper option which is certainly valid if you're trying to save a few bucks, but it's 3 steps (acid treatment, baking soda treatment, drying). Why not just use the one step metal cleaner? The pennies I cleaned with all of the other types of cleaning (ketchup or lemon juice + salt or vinegar + salt followed by baking soda in water) came out mostly clean and certainly better than they'd started out, but when I used the metal polish, they looked noticeably better than the ones cleaned by homemade remedies (and this is all before the re-tarnishing I saw with the homemade remedies). The metal polish made them look brand new and really shiny. No comparison in my opinion.
 
I picked up Brasso metal cleaner (in the cleaning supplies aisle) at Walmart for under $3. So far it seems to work well.
 














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