Verdigirs: Cleaning Brass

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Castletine

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Brassed off would be a good expression to use here. I have a number of lovely but incredibly dirty portholes that need the treatment.

I have heard a variety of winsome old wives tales that range from using citric acid substances to consulting the innards of a left wing duck. As you can imagine, none of these have inspired me with the feeling of having found the proverbial pot of brass (cleaner).

Do any of you have a tried and tested formula that doesn't demand a physique like Shwarzneggar, can be done whilst balancing a Pink Gin, looks fantastic on completion and really works!

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Brasso! Now the sneaky bit, any old soldier knew this, use cornflakes or similar packets, put the brasso on the cardboard and then use it to rub the brass, works like a charm, then just use brasso on a rag, not a hrd rub now, and it will come up wonderfully. I also resort to a dremel polishing kit, but a small drill, preferably with a flexy extension and a cloth wheel, will do a wonderful job. It helps if you can remove the porthole, then you can really get after it with a bigger drill in a bench stand and cloth wheel. Hope some of this helps.

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Before getting to the Brasso stage, initial verdigris can be swiftly removed by using kettle descaler, which is either citric acid (milder formulations) or formic acid (fearsomely powerful stuff!).

This will remove all the green stuff quite effortlessly, leaving a dull surface to be Brasso'ed.

Taught that trick by local ironmonger - many antique shops nearby....

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If the deadlights are off the boat, you may like to consider tasking them to a plating shop and getting them gold-plated [seriously!]. The plating shop will have the job of getting rid of the verdigris, which they will do by immersion in a bath of Deadly Stuff, and then the plated objects won't get all tarnished again. Gold plating is not as expensive as one would expect.
Peter.

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Presumably, this approach would also work for Bronze? The Verdigris on all of our metalwork is closer to British Racing Green, and the ever-faithful Hotspot is doing very little.

Would one need to take care not to get descaler on the surrounding varnished brightwork?

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Tell us more...

...about gold plating.
What do you mean by "not as expensive as one would expect"?
Personally, I'd expect that to be more expensive than replacing the whole item!...

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Re: Tell us more...

I would suggest talking to a local plater who has a bath for gold plating. Take an item which you would like to see permanently brightly-finished with you. The film is only a couple of microns thick, so not a lot of metal is involved. I would imagine the stripping of the old surface and the subsequent buffing would cost more than the gold deposited. It is worth investigating.
Peter.

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Re: Tell us more...

OK, I'll give that a try.
I guess that some of the door handles in my boat would look gorgeous.
Though, I can't believe that this plating can last for long.
What's your experience?

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Re: Tell us more...

I haven't had to use it myself, as most of "Swallow"'s fittings are galvanised, as is appropriate with an old fishing boat. During my mis-spent youth I was into Vintage Alvis Cars, and I did meet blokes who tricked up their old Silver Ghost Rollers with some gold-plated fittings. Rolls owners seem to like going Over The Top. They had said that it was surprisingly cheap and durable. I have to take their word for it.
Peter.

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