How to Clean this Bronze?
- Thread starter Beeliner
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Nomad Willy
Guru
Braso
Muriatic Acid, just wear gloves.
Duvie
Senior Member
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Salt and vinegar
After I removed my seacocks my father cleaned them with a mixture of salt and vinegar. He soaked them in the solution and brushed them clean. Cheap and non toxic!
I googled it and there is a lot of information out there on this combination.
After I removed my seacocks my father cleaned them with a mixture of salt and vinegar. He soaked them in the solution and brushed them clean. Cheap and non toxic!
I googled it and there is a lot of information out there on this combination.
caltexflanc
Guru
Start with a Coca Cola soak. That's right, cola. Then if necessary move on to the vinegar and salt method or silver polish.
Scottwb96
Senior Member
just use a sandblaster... fun and takes mins... 
just use a sandblaster... fun and takes mins...
Breath that sand dust deeply... or use a good mask!
just use a sandblaster... fun and takes mins...
From the pile that you have that’s what I’d do (or bead blast). I wouldn’t use a wire brush. The brush is harder than the bronze and you can scratch up the surface.
What’s your goal? Just asking.
Comodave
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I use a metal polish called Blue Magic with a buffing wheel on a drill.
FF
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Bronze castings were sold , as cast , usually to be painted a dull brown, or polished.
If you are not going to have them polished , the wire brush cleaning will do fine , the slightly rough surface holds paint very well.
If you are not going to have them polished , the wire brush cleaning will do fine , the slightly rough surface holds paint very well.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. B. I would hesitate before sand or bead blasting. The finish will be matte, extremely difficult and time consuming to polish and to MY eye, is not as attractive as simply removing the patina.
Mr. B. I would hesitate before sand or bead blasting. The finish will be matte, extremely difficult and time consuming to polish and to MY eye, is not as attractive as simply removing the patina.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. A. If you mean the one's in the video, no. It's probably a bit of this and a dash of that. I don't think it's analytical chemistry. More along the same lines as soaking in Coke/vinegar-salt (Mr. c). It's the acid I suspect. Also heard of boiling in vinegar...
Mr. A. If you mean the one's in the video, no. It's probably a bit of this and a dash of that. I don't think it's analytical chemistry. More along the same lines as soaking in Coke/vinegar-salt (Mr. c). It's the acid I suspect. Also heard of boiling in vinegar...
FF
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"I have some white vinegar on hand so I'm going to soak them in a bucket with some salt." #15
There is vinegar that comes in food concentration and a much more powerful concentration for cleaning.
Some hardware stores have the stronger vinegar.
There is vinegar that comes in food concentration and a much more powerful concentration for cleaning.
Some hardware stores have the stronger vinegar.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. FF. Agreed. Vinegar for fish and chips etc. is about 3%. The strongest cleaning vinegar I could find at Home Despot was 6% but found some 10% at local hardware store.
I use the 10% as my "go-to" rust removing solution when I can immerse the parts. An overnight soak has cleaned pretty well everything I've tried (axe heads, saw blades, nuts and bolts etc. Heating the "vinegar" would most probably hasten any chemical reaction (LOTS of ventilation-best outdoors, if possible).
I don't add salt but for bronze or any non-ferrous materials it may be better.
Mr. FF. Agreed. Vinegar for fish and chips etc. is about 3%. The strongest cleaning vinegar I could find at Home Despot was 6% but found some 10% at local hardware store.
I use the 10% as my "go-to" rust removing solution when I can immerse the parts. An overnight soak has cleaned pretty well everything I've tried (axe heads, saw blades, nuts and bolts etc. Heating the "vinegar" would most probably hasten any chemical reaction (LOTS of ventilation-best outdoors, if possible).
I don't add salt but for bronze or any non-ferrous materials it may be better.
Comodave
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Wow! Much improved. Are you going to polish them?
Redhook98
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In the Navy, we used bug juice (i.e. Koolaid). Buy the little packets (without sugar) for 20-cents each and use those to soak the bronze/brass/copper in. Its a high concentrate of citric acid and works very well, for little money. Tip - use cherry and it gives the metal a nice reddish glow afterwards. Other colors do a similar job.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. B. That's the stuff! Good job. IF you now choose to polish the pieces it should be quite easy with Brasso or something similar.
As I mentioned above, while sand or bead blasting WILL remove the oxidation, the more passive chemical cleaning leaves a surface much smoother if you want to polish.
Mr. B. That's the stuff! Good job. IF you now choose to polish the pieces it should be quite easy with Brasso or something similar.
As I mentioned above, while sand or bead blasting WILL remove the oxidation, the more passive chemical cleaning leaves a surface much smoother if you want to polish.
Soak in plain yogurt. Make sure yogurt contains live cultures. I discovered this when I spilled yogurt on my bronze faucet. Came out sparkling when I wiped up the spill.
RonR
Guru
To speed up the process.. boil them in the vinegar, we use to do this all the time with the horse bits (mostly sweet copper and some brass). From there if you want polish. Don't expect it to last once it hits the salt spray.
DD788Snipe
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Ah yes the best degreaser the Navy could buy. We used that stuff for cleaning everything in the engine, boiler and equipment rooms. Used to laugh at guys on the mess decks for drinking the stuff just for S & Gs. :lol:
Billr2019
Veteran Member
Brasso.
Navy used it all the time and it works.
A little elbow grease with it and you get some exercise also!
Navy used it all the time and it works.
A little elbow grease with it and you get some exercise also!
For the polishing part, I use Never Dull wadding. I prefer it over Brasso.
Unless you intend to keep polishing it, you'll need to clear coat, but IMO that's problematic, because once water gets under the clear coat it requires stripping the clear coat to clean. For inside the cabin it's fine, it's what the manufacturers of clocks and barometers do, but if you've seen an old one you can see where water has migrated under the finish, mainly around the screws and threads. For on deck, just let it go green.
The green verdigris is harmless, by the way.
Unless you intend to keep polishing it, you'll need to clear coat, but IMO that's problematic, because once water gets under the clear coat it requires stripping the clear coat to clean. For inside the cabin it's fine, it's what the manufacturers of clocks and barometers do, but if you've seen an old one you can see where water has migrated under the finish, mainly around the screws and threads. For on deck, just let it go green.
The green verdigris is harmless, by the way.
Traderjoe
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Ketchup
Juggerknot
Senior Member
Gotwex
Veteran Member
This stuff is excellent at protecting metals. Unlike a "top" coat product that only adheres to the surface and likely to fail as Steve D' stated, this product actually penetrates the surface. I have used this product on everything from metal sculptures to rat rod headers. It's easy to use and works. Looks like you'd be better off ordering online than direct from the manufacturer as they are Covid closed.
https://permalac.com/
https://permalac.com/
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. G. Thanks for that. I've never heard of it.
Mr. G. Thanks for that. I've never heard of it.
