Cleaning up old Brass Fittings.

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Hello Everyone.

I have been asked to clean up approx. 14Kg of brass fittings.

They come from doors, gas lights an some paraffin lamps.

They are is a right mess, covered with:

Paint.

Varnish.

Years of corrosion.

Some have iron rust staining on them.

Now, if it was a few bits and just needing a polish, it would be out with a buffer and away I go.

But this stuff is too much for a 1 armed Vark.

Anyone know an easy way to get the brass cleaned up, look good for a small out of my labour?

Sorry about the poor picture,(phone camera). That is the few from the first bucket.
It will give an hint of what I am about to do.

 

[123hotchef]

a soak in coke

 

[123hotchef]

or citric acid solution

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Or employ a small child?

 

[Parm]

Get some one else to do em

 

[Migmac]

I clean my rifle cases in an ultra sonic cleaner, they come out pretty shiney, it won't deal with paint but the grime and muck no problem.

 

[steveo3002]

would a tumbler do it ?

 

[the snooper]

or citric acid solution

what he says ^^, cleans brass up a treat providing there is no lacquer or similar

 

[angellonewolf]

when painting in my house it bugs me when people before have painted the hinges i found the easy way to remove was boil a kettle and suger soap and brush with a stiff bruish after a time 10mins or so and repeat for 2nd time if realy caked in it

prob not the easyest way in the world as there is a small bit of elbo grease involved but not much

this normaly get it 95 % 98 % clean

in your case i would then try the citric acid solution or coke to give the tarnish removed

 

[Kent]

I do my rifle cases in a tumbler with corn cob media and a teaspoon of brasso. Won't get paint off mind. Do not blast it though.
My guess is get the paint off then into a tumbler but if you ain't got one that's hard

 

[arther dailey]

Dont clean that large knocker !! sell it to me as is, love it

 

[Ton-up]

Dont clean that large knocker !! sell it to me as is, love it

Large knockers are best!

(i thought I would get in first!!!!)

 

[arther dailey]

thats a good un,first real smile of the day,appreciatedarther

 

[MattF]

I use electrolysis for brass. Any corroded areas will have a copper appearance afterwards though. I believe the same effect happens when using citric too.

 

[outofthefire]

I wouldn't go mad cleaning either of those knockers, that patina has taken years to develop. I'd just try hot soapy water and a toothbrush (electric ones are best) and see how they come up.

I posted a thread the other week about cleaning copper butterflies. The cola and citric acid were both mentioned as was oxalic acid. Cola is no where near as good as its reputation, i'm pretty sure it used to have citric or oxalic acid in it as well as god knows what other chemicals. I didn't have a lot of success with either acid it worked up to a point but know where near good enough.

I was assured by a friend that soaking brass in white vinegar then rubbing it with salt while it's still works very well but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@outofthefire

I would be pleased just to give them a good scrubbing with washing up liquid and be done.

But I have bean asked to clean, shine and seal with a wax by the owner, she is paying in John Smiths tokens.
That is one of the reason I was after a quick simple way to clean them.

 

[JEZGUZ]

When I was much younger working as a waiter in a posh style restaurant all the copper pans that were used in the restaurant were cleaned with salt and lemon juice, it works a treat and also lets you know if you've got any cuts on your fingers. I'd just give the big knocker a quick wash in the sink, don't ruin its patina, it looks fine.

 

[outofthefire]

When I was much younger working as a waiter in a posh style restaurant all the copper pans that were used in the restaurant were cleaned with salt and lemon juice, it works a treat and also lets you know if you've got any cuts on your fingers. I'd just give the big knocker a quick wash in the sink, don't ruin its patina, it looks fine.

After I read this post last night I decided to mix my oxalic and citric acid together to see if that worked any better. I also put it in my ultrasonic cleaner to see if that helped. I'd say it was no better than either of the acids on there own, it's got rid of a lot of the patina but it's still going to need a good bit of polishing. I should have taken a before pic but this is the butterfly after being in the acid for just under 11 hours it saved me about 5 minutes work with a die grinder with a scotch pad in it and the wire wheel on my bench grinder.

Lemons contain citric acid and vinegar is acetic acid, the salt is what I haven't tried yet.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@The_Yellow_Ardvark

What do you propose to use to seal them? I'd avoid lacquer like the plague, tarnish/discolouring is very difficult to remedy after a while.

Mind you, by that time you'll have 'dealt with' J Smith Esq.....

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@slim_boy_fat
If it was me, I would let it tarnish with nature, but as the lady wants to keep it shinny it will be waxed with a fine layer of bee's wax. More work, but will look good.