Thread: Soldering brass.

Makes sense. Thanks, John. Feeling my way here. I can solder electrical stuff, and have soldered copper pipe, but this thing is a little delicate.

I know there are probably people here that question my sanity. Here's your proof..

IMG_6520.jpgIMG_6519.jpgIMG_6516 2.jpgIMG_6521.jpg

Still a cvouple of screws that are resisting me. I dunno how people did this before smartphone cameras. Soak time. It's filthy.

You should have started this as one of those Youboob "restoration" videos. You'd have made a fortune.

Oh, hang on. No this one is real. Nobody would believe it.

Yes, well, in those vids they always reassemble the thing perfectly, and it looks like new. That's not gong to happen either.

The plating is seriously deteriorated, with pitting and bare patches. I guess I will need to either strip it off completely or clean it up and plate over it, if that would even work. If I strip it off maybe I'll just see what it looks like as polished brass. Decisions decisions.

Those Jane Kits look interesting. Thanks for the tip, Brad. I'll be in touch with them to see if their Jane Clean is ok on brass.

Yeah, that'd be a good idea. Every chemical pickle I try on brass ends up selectively removing zinc and leaving a copper blush on the surface. Looks like crap and needs a ton of polishing to get back to "pretty", so do tread carefully.

As Brad says - brass is almost impossible to clean cheically as the large difference in electrochemical potential between zinc and copper will inevitably result in dezincification. Which you don't want on something where the surface finish is important (or anywhere else for that matter!). It will have to be cleaned up mechanically - i.e with polish and elbow grease.