sailorman
Well-Known Member
The sause will not cause any pitting of the brass BUT the corrosion might have. why attack the brass with course abrasive if not required only to then have to polish the scratches out after
OK, where do I start on this old friend.....
- Thread starter oldvarnish
- Start date
BarryH
Well-Known Member
I bought a hand-drill polishing kit and it works a treat. http://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/acatalog/Standard_Polishing_Kits.html
I started on my carb dash pots.
This only took half and hour. I stopped from going for the whole mirror finish as I couldn't see I would be keen enough to keep it that way.
875 Coventryclimax engine AKA an Imp lump?
As to the brass.....soda blast it then polish....
oldvarnish
Well-Known Member
I'm grateful for all these responses.
I am now considering my position and will report back, with pictures.
I am now considering my position and will report back, with pictures.
Rock Dodger
Well-Known Member
White vinegar has worked on a number of brass/bronze items I have restored. The (brown) brass maker's plate on my boat was dumped in white vinegar overnight and came up like new the next morning. An old brass lion's head door knocker was the trickiest but by mixing the white vinegar with flour to make a putty like paste you can push it in to the recesses and the vinegar does its work. This may need repeating until all the nooks and crannies are clean. Then lots of white vinegar and an old toothbrush.
Kukri
Well-Known Member
I live in a very twee little town in Suffolk at the head of an estuary with a bar at the mouth. It has quite a number of antique shops and an ironmonger who has been here since he sold me a Primus in 1970. I asked his advice and he said that all the local antique dealers use kettle descaler. The more powerful type uses formic acid, the weaker ones use citric acid.
Works extremely well. You will need to polish to finish off.
Works extremely well. You will need to polish to finish off.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Are the more powerful antique dealers the ones who are more aggressive when bidding at antique auctions?
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Is that a very clever custom throttle arrangement? Where can you buy one of those??
Is that a go faster plate on the body work by any chance Phil?
rosewood
Well-Known Member
If you can get it it is the best. Luckily the science dept at school has a huge bottle of the stuff. although it is lethal it does do the job. cleaned up the burners on my taylors cooker like new
Lakesailor
Well-Known Member
Imp (Talbot Sunbeam) 1040cc. Sold it (the engine) for £880!
The throttle was a progressive set-up custom-made by a previous owner. Unfortunately it used the choke linkage as well so operating the choke was a manual affair, standing with the bonnet open.
The grille really is a S/S sheet of perforated metal. There are various alloy shields and reflective tape on the fuel lines. The exhaust was under the inlet manifold and created and lot of under-bonnet heat.
The new motor has inlet and exhaust on opposite sides.
It also has the Lakesailor patent pending progressive throttle system. Details on my blog http://sportingtrialnovice.blogspot.co.uk/2013_10_06_archive.html
(BTW I have just used the metal polishing kit to clean up some alloy heat shields on the new installation :encouragement
Last edited:
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
Problem with this kind of question is that there are two equally correct answers, depending on where you're coming from!
An antiquarian would recoil in horror at the idea of using any kind of abrasive to clean metal. The usual advice for cleaning metal is not to use anything stronger than soap and water, and accept that the patina remaining is part of the charm of the article. A weak acid might be acceptable to remove loose corrosion products, but anything that removes metal would be anathema. Snag is that marks on the metal won't be removed, and there will be stains and what is called "patina" no matter what you do. Antiquarians, of course, regard patina as simply part of the authenticity of the object.
An engineer of course immediately thinks of abrasive techniques, and achieves an "as new" finish by using them! But the cost is that there's less metal left behind, and if you do that repeatedly, the metal gets thinner and thinner until one day it breaks. A clock case is probably quite thin metal in the first place, so that might be a consideration.
Neither is right or wrong - it depends entirely on what you want to achieve. If an "as new" finish is what you want, then you probably don't have much option but to use abrasives on something with as much corrosion as the OP's clock case. Chances are the metal is pitted under the corrosion, so chemical techniques won't give a mirror finish. If you want to retain as much of the original as possible, then mild cleaning with soap and water and maybe some mild acid to remove the worst of the loose verdigris is as far as you want to go - and you'll still have a patinated surface that looks antique!
An antiquarian would recoil in horror at the idea of using any kind of abrasive to clean metal. The usual advice for cleaning metal is not to use anything stronger than soap and water, and accept that the patina remaining is part of the charm of the article. A weak acid might be acceptable to remove loose corrosion products, but anything that removes metal would be anathema. Snag is that marks on the metal won't be removed, and there will be stains and what is called "patina" no matter what you do. Antiquarians, of course, regard patina as simply part of the authenticity of the object.
An engineer of course immediately thinks of abrasive techniques, and achieves an "as new" finish by using them! But the cost is that there's less metal left behind, and if you do that repeatedly, the metal gets thinner and thinner until one day it breaks. A clock case is probably quite thin metal in the first place, so that might be a consideration.
Neither is right or wrong - it depends entirely on what you want to achieve. If an "as new" finish is what you want, then you probably don't have much option but to use abrasives on something with as much corrosion as the OP's clock case. Chances are the metal is pitted under the corrosion, so chemical techniques won't give a mirror finish. If you want to retain as much of the original as possible, then mild cleaning with soap and water and maybe some mild acid to remove the worst of the loose verdigris is as far as you want to go - and you'll still have a patinated surface that looks antique!
KAL
Well-Known Member
If you don't want to go down the harsh chemical route, I suggest you try this. Cut a lemon or lime in half and dip it into some wood ash. Rub the brass with the lemon half, replenishing the ash as you go. It will make a filthy paste but, my word, it's really effective on brass and copper. Wipe or rinse off and buff to a shine.
If you give it a go, you can get even better value by using the other half of the lemon to make Mrs OV a G & T for when she's finished polishing!
Seriously, it does work...
If you give it a go, you can get even better value by using the other half of the lemon to make Mrs OV a G & T for when she's finished polishing!
Seriously, it does work...
oldvarnish
Well-Known Member
By chance I've just had a mammoth bonfire so plenty of ash available.
BUT, before I start, I suspect that a lot of the grunge is lurking underneath elderly lacquer. Is the only way to get this off by abrasion, or is there a miracle potion that will do it?
sailorman
Well-Known Member
metal polish will remove it or try your nail varnish remover (acetone )
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
Not many lacquers will resist a dunking in acetone.
I suspect that lemon juice plus ash is a DIY version of Brasso, with a bit of white spirit to keep it all lubricated.
I suspect that lemon juice plus ash is a DIY version of Brasso, with a bit of white spirit to keep it all lubricated.
Seashoreman
Well-Known Member
You can use a mild paint stripper, small can from the DIY store. Gloves, brush and a kitchen scourer. You may then find the majority of the brass is in perfect condition.
sailorman
Well-Known Member
Daddies is cheaper & no scratching either
KAL
Well-Known Member
Will the lacquer really have let the oxygen and moisture underneath? Suspect (without having seen it) that the lacquer may have broken down sufficiently that it shouldn't present much of a problem to remove...good luck.
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
Seashoreman
Well-Known Member
Just to revive this old thread about reviving old brass by old varnish I thought I would try something different and bought some of the following on a whim:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360874968830?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
I have to say I was very impressed with this. Place a large sachet in a basin, pour on hot water, put items in and within 5 minutes the blackest of brown tarnish has gone. Comes out slightly pink but a rub with 0000 wire wool or Brasso and as good as new. Tried this with 100 year old piano pedals and other parts, what a time saver.
This stuff has virtually no smell and is safe to handle with bare hands so no idea what kind of magic is going on.
Just thought someone might find this comment useful.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360874968830?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
I have to say I was very impressed with this. Place a large sachet in a basin, pour on hot water, put items in and within 5 minutes the blackest of brown tarnish has gone. Comes out slightly pink but a rub with 0000 wire wool or Brasso and as good as new. Tried this with 100 year old piano pedals and other parts, what a time saver.
This stuff has virtually no smell and is safe to handle with bare hands so no idea what kind of magic is going on.
Just thought someone might find this comment useful.
Last edited:
