polishing bronze deck fittings

[miket]

Suggestions please;
Best method of polishing bronze fittings that have not been polished for a considerable time.
method of slowing down the tarnishing without lacquering.
Thanks.

 

[Scarboroughsloop]

Are the fittings to stay on the boat or be removed?

You can coat the fittings in vaseline once polished, but the only real way to keep em shiny is to polish em! Personally I can't be ars*d with that and leave mine to weather naturally.

 

[LittleShip]

"Suggestions please;
Best method of polishing bronze fittings"

Don't bother............... I had all mine done when I refitted and now they are patina colour just as they were before.

Unless you want to spend every weekend with the Brasso out it just isn't worth the effort! I feel it's a bit like the classic car man who polishes under the bonnet /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Work on the beer cooler instead!

Tom

 

[ccscott49]

Dont bother, a one way trip, you´ll never stop polishing!!

 

[miket]

Well there you go! I have 2 classic cars and both have beautiful under bonnet finishes.

The boat is an 18 ft Mcnulty motor launch and will only be used for posing on the Thames and the Thames Traditional Boat Rally at the end of July, and has many Bronze and brass fittings.
Can't see any point in having "an old oversized rowing boat" when you could have a "Cor, Mum, look at that lovely old boat". Same boat, just one all bulled up and the other not.

If I want to "use" a boat, I'll buy a plastic one!

 

[Leighb]

I agree with the don't bother brigade if you want to use the boat.

If however it is mainly for looking pretty, then polishing the bronze is not the only issue, it is avoiding the mess the polish makes on any surrounding varnish.

AFAIK there is no reliable method for preserving the shine other than lacquer, but this turns into a nasty peely mess in a year or two, which is then a nightmare to remove.

 

[Scarboroughsloop]

In that case you can polish the items and tyhen smear in vaseline whislt stored. When time to pose wipe of the vaseline and a quick buff should have them looking good.....

 

[Casey]

Have 'em Gold plated - not as expensive as you might think

 

[Seagreen]

I've a fair few bronze bits myself, but was going to leave them their natural dark green. However, I may be going to the odd festival next year and I might be tempted to polish them. However, smearing cleats with vaseline is asking for trouble.

I've found Cillit "BANG!!!!" grime n lime very good for a rough clean - no more than 5 minutes - and then out with the brasso.

If you've a regular crew of younger teenagers with nothing to do, get them polishing, whilst you regale them with salty seafaring tales oiled with large Gin.

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Quick edit: if you want to see what a lot of very shiny bronze and brass bits look like, go here
and scroll down a bit. Luverly, but its a full time crew.

 

[alan006]

I have heard of people using brown sauce to polish brass, but I've never tried it so I don't know if its any good or not, perhaps someone on here has tried it?

 

[LittleShip]

"I have 2 classic cars and both have beautiful under bonnet finishes.

So does mine but I don't use it and its never been in the rain for over 6years, but you didn't say you wanted to show the boat.

The best solution is elbow grease! no short cuts (lacquer grease)work long term.

I had mine electro polished and they looked great at first but one season put payed to that!

As already stated Gold plating is the best answer and you will probably find that it is approx 50% more than chroming. If it's a few bits then OK if you have lots.......... well, it's back to elbow grease /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[ccscott49]

There you go then, I was thinking bigger boat and if it´s a show and go McNulty (I have one as well) then go for it, polish them up and smear with vaseline come winter, wont be a lot of bronze.

 

[miket]

Many thanks.

Looks like elbow grease followed by vaseline grease!!
Took off the rudder last night and did the hinge (pintail?) plates. Cor super.
Now somewhere I have some white crochet mats and a cut glass vase .........................!!!!

 

[nickroberts]

I find that the best way of polishing brass is to find some young person who needs some pocket money. You will find that the only way of getting it clean is to work really hard with a good polish (Brasso isn't the best, and I can't remember which one we use but it,s a marine version), and once it is, I'm afraid it's every week during the season.

 

[Adamastor]

IMHO: Autosol Marine Shine. (No connection- just a firm convert!) I learnt to make Navy Gold out of belt-buckles, badges, brass taps, stair-rails- even S/S urinals- terry-cloth towel, old pantihose and loads of Govt-issue Brasso! And Brasso works a treat on Linoleum floors, too! But still the best stuff is Autosol- a little goes a very long way.
If you want to lacquer stuff- this I learnt from my jeweller friends- use ordinary spray-lacquer diluted something a little more that 50% with lacquer-thinners and paint it on carefully, building thickness with each coat like varnish. It's not really robust, but sure looks the job on polished brass
Has anyone got any experience with Titanium Nitride? I remember seeing that hey did a J over with TiN on all the fittings, and they put Nitride on wearparts and drillbits. That may be another way to go.