Polishing Brass

[GuyG]

What is the best product for cleaning/polishing Brass? I have been using Brasso but was wondering whether there is anything better. Items can't be dipped in anything. Trying to clean some things that don't look like they've been touched for about 20 years:eek: - mainly the lights.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/parking-lot/34245d1300089712-name-car-side.jpg

Any suggestions

[stevo68]

What is the best product for cleaning/polishing Brass? I have been using Brasso but was wondering whether there is anything better. Items can't be dipped in anything. Trying to clean some things that don't look like they've been touched for about 20 years:eek: - mainly the lights.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/parking-lot/34245d1300089712-name-car-side.jpg

Any suggestionsCoca Cola....works on coins,

Regards

Stevo

[Outlaw]

What a cool toy :D

Have used toothpaste before... hmmm or is that on silver.

[isuzurover]

I think you would need to buff them if you want them really shiny. Either using a buffing pad attached to a grinder/drill/dremel, or by hand.

[Bigbjorn]

A mixture of salt and vinegar is good for initially removing the dull coating. The old fashioned Repo car polish is good for the second stage, but nothing appears to be as good as Brasso for the final buffing.

The correct trade terms for the steps in metal finishing are :-
Fettling-removing major bits like casting flash.
Grinding-removing major surface imperfections.
Polishing-removing minor surface imperfections.
Buffing (or colouring)-bringing the surface to a high shiny finish.

That looks pretty good for a brass age veteran. Not had a lot of use since restoration, or been carefully maintained. Where/how did you find and acquire it? Not a lot of interest in brass age veterans these days.

[weeds]

elbow grease.........:p

[GuyG]

@ Weeds - Ah yes, elbow grease and brasso has been the current method and looks like it'll be the continued method

@ Brian - kinda like a barn find but it was a shed find, and you might be surprised re interest

Yes it starts and drives.

Theres an awful lot of brass on this thing. Think its the lights and trim round the running boards thats going to be the worst (at least the lights have been done at some stage) - the rest has been mostly done although I haven't looked at polishing anything under the bonnet yet

Its in quite good condition for a 102 year old vehicle.

[isuzurover]

So does this mean you need to add another car to your sig?

[Bigbjorn]

[QUOTE=GuyG;1445851@ Brian - kinda like a barn find but it was a shed find, and you might be surprised re interest

[/QUOTE]

I was thinking of the shrinking interest in these oldies over the last 10-20 years when they are put up for sale or auction, unless they are a special vehicle with a history.

Just about everybody who admired them as youths and aspired to have one one day are now dead. The focus of car and motor cycle collecting moves on as the admirers die off except for hard core focus groups.

Whilst mostly not to my taste, the hobby is now fixating on 60's-70's vehicles.
Just look at what is sold at swap meets. True vintage & veteran vehicles and parts have virtually disappeared from these arenas.

[GuyG]

So does this mean you need to add another car to your sig?

Nope I'm just polishing it:D

[isuzurover]

Nope I'm just polishing it:D

Ah, OK - just a hand job then? :wasntme:

[harry]

Ah, OK - just a hand job then? :wasntme:

:Rolling::Rolling::Rolling:


i have some pretty good **** that i use, it will clean the brass back to clean bright metal then you have to polish it.
funnily enough, it's called 'brass brightener'

normally we dip for a few seconds, and wash off then polish,
in the case of those lights, i would wipe with a dampened rag of the chemical, and wipe off with a water wet rag followed by a water rinse.

it's brilliant stuff, but probably on the epa bad list.

chemical house here on the coast stock it, but only sell to firms that can justify the need.
available in 4 litre or more.

[Rat]

Guy, are you polishing knobs?

[Bigbjorn]

Well, I think you kicked a goal finding that little veteran renny unless you paid far too much for it, of course. You will have a lot of fun with it if you use it and don't become a rivet counter, polisher, or warehouseman. don't let it become a trailer Queen.

You will find that owning and using an early veteran is a lot of work. They are high maintenance vehicles. Metallurgy and lubrication were not very advanced when they were made. They commonly have primitive to unusual fuel and ignition systems. The tyres don't last long. That lightweight little Renny should not be hard on tyres but heavy veterans mostly are and a full set of six with tubes and rust bands for a heavy veteran costs up to $5,000- $6,000 today. A mate reckons his costs a dollar a mile for tyres. They don't like modern traffic, no brakes and **** poor steering. But lots of fun on an earlky weekend morning.

[GuyG]

I didn't buy it, I don't own it - I was just finding out if there was a more effective way of polishing it.

There is nothing wrong with being a rivet counter, polisher, warehouseman or letting the car be a trailer queen. I'm certain that land rovers owners and their vehicles fall into these categories also.

I'm finding owning and using Land Rovers a lot of work:wasntme: let alone the vintage/veteran cars:D

Thanks all for the various replies. I'll post another pic when/if I finish polishing it.

[ramblingboy42]

There is a product called "Rule"......most of the shops selling nautical brass products use it.

[Disco44]

Brasso and as a retired Qld firie I get the pink elephants every time I think of brass.The old Fire Brigades were full of it and I've done miles and miles of polishing for you only just finish polishing and it's dirty again.Paint it and forget the polishing.

[GuyG]

Had a drive of this car today:) although it was only a very short distance. Don't think I'd want to drive it too far anyway. At least the pedals on this one are in the correct spots, rather than the accelerator in the middle as per another car I've driven. Things that make it odd - the handbrake is pushed away from you to put it on and the gearchange is all in one line, so reverse is back towards you, then forwards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd pushing a button down between each gear (as well as the clutch) to slide into the next gear, then back through the gears into N.

[Scallops]

Look at the inbuilt chesterfield! :cool: Would be great for the drive in, on a summer evening....

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

Brasso and as a retired Qld firie I get the pink elephants every time I think of brass.The old Fire Brigades were full of it and I've done miles and miles of polishing for you only just finish polishing and it's dirty again.Paint it and forget the polishing.

Polish it then coat with Incralac by Wattyl Paints.

http://www.wattyl.net.au/WattylWebCS/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?id=540

If you use a polish, you will need to wash with a straight detergent after then dry polish it with a cotton Terry towel. Best to do it right when your ready to paint and hang it up to spray. If you leave finger prints on it and spray, they be permanent!
But you'll never have to polish again! :cool:

Andrew


I am not a moderator, I am a human being!!!

[GuyG]

Not sure how I'd go about hanging up a car to spray the brass, also not really wanting to paint the surfaces.

Have finished what I had to with the Renault, didn't get round to the lights, although I did start to show what was under the tarnish:p

Have a different one to do now:cool:

[Presto]

Guy,
Sorry, haven't read everything above, but have you tried using Autosol? (Autosol Australia (http://www.autosol.com.au/))
I used to get it from my local automotive general supplier in the UK, but haven't really looked for it in Aus.

I haven't used it specifically for Brass, but I used to use it for polishing the aluminium frame on my motocross bike :angel: (in my lighter/younger years), and it worked wonders, especially if you use a buffing pad! It is a general 'metal polish' so could work!?

Would need some research to find suppliers in Aus.....

[VladTepes]

WD40 ?

[GuyG]

We have used Autosol in the past, fairly sure there are a couple of tubes still floating around here.

No longer have to polish the veteran, next:cool:.

[Reads90]

Don't laugh but HP sauce is great for it, you smear it on the brass and the leave for a bit and then hose or wipe of and hey presto the brass is all nice and clean and shiny

Ali

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