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how to remove tarnish from brass parts?

Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Location
marysville ohio
I make some small brass parts about every 6 months or so. last time I made a double batch. between then and now the once bright parts turned dark and ugly. what can I use to clean them up with a minnimum amount of time and effort? non toxic is better.
 
Tumble them in corncob shells or walnut shells, can't remember which one off hand. Have the same issue here...the only problem with tumbling is the media can get into the small holes, and then you have to blow each one out...quite a pia.

For small parts and once in a while use, we use a tumbler from Cabelas, and the media is from Lyman...both for reloading purposes, but we can get a few hundred parts in one batch. For tumbling to actually remove burrs, we have a Burr King bowl type with an assortment of different media and a recirculation system...much better for aggressive use, but the whole lot of Cabelas stuff is less than $75 if I remember correctly.

Steve
 
I would try vinagar first, I know it works on steel and rust.
I buy a product at Dollar Tree called The Works - tub and tile cleaner (for a dollar for 16oz). It is an acid that works very well on some things. I think it is Hydrofloric acid. I was using some of it to clean an ice machine bin and had it on my hand. I took my old shop glasses off and the tarnished frame got brite and shinny where I touched it.
The Works is also exellent as a hull cleaner for boats. It smells and cleans just like the $10. Hull Cleaner.
 
Brasso? :D
A light buffing on a wheel can also work fine. It seems that a high polish/fine finish helps reduce the rate that it corrodes, also depends on the hands that touch it.

Vinegar won't help things as far as I know, we actually used to darken snares in boiling vinegar so the rabbits wouldn't see any brass shining in the moonlight...
 
If you have a rotary tumbler, try the Cabela's ceramic media, small enough to get in everywhere and lasts forever. Use it with water and a bit of laundry liquid soap.
 
I re-finished brass gears for several years, here is what I used.

The brass had burrs etc on them which was removed by buffing. Caswell sells a blue polish stick that will not remove any material only oxidation ( a hard or course wheel will will remove brass itself, also a wheel loaded with brass will also remove brass so be careful if tolerance is an issue) after finishing I tumbled in conrcob media with nufinish or a car spray wax to prevent the problems your having. Any brass polish with ammonia in it will weaken the brass by leaching the zinc. This may work http://www.birchwoodcasey.com/sport/maintenance_index.asp?categoryID=2&subcat=3&prodcat=57

You can do a search for Birchwood Casey brass cartridge cleaner to look for some reviews.

Clint
 
-Chloric not -Fluoric

I would try vinagar first, I know it works on steel and rust.
I buy a product at Dollar Tree called The Works - tub and tile cleaner (for a dollar for 16oz). It is an acid that works very well on some things. I think it is Hydrofloric acid. I was using some of it to clean an ice machine bin and had it on my hand. I took my old shop glasses off and the tarnished frame got brite and shinny where I touched it.
The Works is also exellent as a hull cleaner for boats. It smells and cleans just like the $10. Hull Cleaner.

More likely contains Hydrochloric acid not Hydrofluoric, especialy if it is a tile cleaner.
Hydrofluoric acid will dissolve glass and tile glaze. As matter of fact that stuff they sell to etch/frost glass contains hydrofluoric acid. HF is nasty stuff.

SM
 
When I was about twelve years old, I found that soaking in household ammonia will brighten old pennies. Then I found that it will keep working and dissolve the detail right off the coin. It was an 1830's large cent. I only did that trick once, fifty-five years ago.

So, try a quick dip with agitation and then rinse and dry.

Larry
 
Just for the record, never use ammonia to clean brass ammo cartridges... It will severely weaken the cases. IIRC, it attacks the Zinc part of the alloy.

The walnut hull or corn cob media from the reloading companies works well, and also leaves a protective coat that slows further corrosion..
 
For heavily tarnished brass I use Barkeeper's Helper (maybe it's called Barkeeper's Friend") followed by Flitz. If it's not too heavily tarnished, Flitz works well. You can order a micro fiber buffer from Flitz that can be mounted in a chuck. I put mine on the shaft of an old motor - worked great. If you use Flitz on your parts when you make them, the shine will last longer.
 








 
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