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Brass cleaning tips!


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I'm trying to give my portholes a new lease of life. They're dull as dishwater and my first effort in making them shiny concluded in a load of swearing and a strop. I spent about half an hour to get the slightest bit of shine on a very small section. I was using Brasso. I've also tried a variation of other brass cleaning materials (Barkeepers Friend, Tomato Ketchup - as was suggested on a few blogs) but damned if I can get the oxidisation to clear. Part of me thinks that because they've obviously not been touched in donkey's years they might be beyond fixing.

 

So, I either find a new method, replace them or paint over them. Replacing them will cost me more than I'm willing to pay - brass porthole surrounds seem to be about 30-50 quid a pop and I've got 10 of them. Painting over them is certainly an option but I'd rather they were in their prime, brassy glory. So new method/cleaning product seems to be the key.

 

Is there a wonder cleaner you can get for polishing brass?

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I have a couple of small polishing mops, fabric wheels, that screw on to conical spindles and can be fitted to a hand held electric drill. With them are “ soap”, or buffing compound, that are added to the rotating mops before use and topped up periodically. Along with these, I also had a large sheet of card with a hole cut in the centre to match the porthole’s external diameter. This protects the paintwork around the port should the mop slip in use, a common occurrence.

In use, the stiffer mop and soap removes deep tarnish within seconds, followed by the softer mop and soap. With the brass restored, Brasso or Peek will add a final lustre.

Using this method, I’ve just restored a porthole, unpolished for years, in about 15 mins. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember where I sourced the mops and soap from, probably an engineers merchants.

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Very fine wire wool and then lots of elbow grease and Brasso.

But once they are shiny again you will have to keep on polishing them unless you varnish them.

 

And you are only wearing them out, leave 'em tarnished and save money and time. Life is too short for brass polishing.

 

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1 minute ago, Boater Sam said:

Very fine wire wool and then lots of elbow grease and Brasso.

But once they are shiny again you will have to keep on polishing them unless you varnish them.

 

And you are only wearing them out, leave 'em tarnished and save money and time. Life is too short for brass polishing.

 

That is a fair point! I may still just paint them at this point, unless I polish them and varnish them. That's an idea.

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4 minutes ago, frangar said:

Am I the only one that enjoys polishing brass....I’m getting withdrawal symptoms with all this rain...and my brass looks terrible!....

I enjoy the theory, and less frequently the practice, of polishing the brass and copper bits of Trojan. For light tarnish, e.g. in engine piping, I use Brasso; for heavier jobs Autosol seems more effective. It comes in a tube and Halford's sell it.

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1 minute ago, Athy said:

for heavier jobs Autosol seems more effective. It comes in a tube and Halford's sell it.

No biker worth his salt was without a tube of Solvol Autosol back in the 70’s. All those spokes came up beautifully. 

 

I told my mum about Autosol and she was so impressed that she polished everything with it. Including silver plate. That didn’t work out so well for her. 

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When I was a lad I served a term As office boy to an Attorney's firm.

I cleaned the windows and I swept the floor, And I polished up the handle of the big front door

. Chorus.

He polished up the handle of the big front door. I polished up that handle so carefullee That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

 

All together now -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS85wS3bupo

 

 

 

 

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On 31/07/2019 at 11:12, dave moore said:

I have a couple of small polishing mops, fabric wheels, that screw on to conical spindles and can be fitted to a hand held electric drill. With them are “ soap”, or buffing compound, that are added to the rotating mops before use and topped up periodically. Along with these, I also had a large sheet of card with a hole cut in the centre to match the porthole’s external diameter. This protects the paintwork around the port should the mop slip in use, a common occurrence.

In use, the stiffer mop and soap removes deep tarnish within seconds, followed by the softer mop and soap. With the brass restored, Brasso or Peek will add a final lustre.

Using this method, I’ve just restored a porthole, unpolished for years, in about 15 mins. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember where I sourced the mops and soap from, probably an engineers merchants.

Sounds like the kit I got several years ago from screwfix.

Pink Stuff applied with A fabric washing scooter gets rid of the tarnish. Savers had it recently at around per pot

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My order of Miracle Leisure Brass Brite turned up and miracle is the right word! It's still not perfect (or close to it) but the majority of the oxidisation is off!

 

It took about half an hour, maybe a bit less for a full porthole surround. Pretty chuffed with that as brasso on its own took about half an hour for an inch wide section. Going to recruit the parents when they come to visit to help do the rest.

 

Of course this sets me up for a lifetime of brass polishing so I may regret all this effort. Bought some of their semi permanent wax which should hold oxidation at bay for a while at least.

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2 minutes ago, NB Caelmiri said:

My order of Miracle Leisure Brass Brite turned up and miracle is the right word! It's still not perfect (or close to it) but the majority of the oxidisation is off!

 

It took about half an hour, maybe a bit less for a full porthole surround. Pretty chuffed with that as brasso on its own took about half an hour for an inch wide section. Going to recruit the parents when they come to visit to help do the rest.

 

Of course this sets me up for a lifetime of brass polishing so I may regret all this effort. Bought some of their semi permanent wax which should hold oxidation at bay for a while at least.

Once it’s got the worse off then you need to use brasso or the miracle polish (my fave) on it. Glad it worked for you. 

 

The wax works really well over winter. Makes cleaning in spring mikes easier. 

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Get someone else to polish them, now that business opportunitie for someone on here. I'm sure there will be people willing tp pay for their brass to be polished for them. Afterall people willing pay for someone to wash and polish their cars.

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On 31/07/2019 at 11:34, Athy said:

... for heavier jobs Autosol seems more effective. It comes in a tube and Halford's sell it.

 

I haven't got any Autosol but I have got a tube of Anusol. It sounds similar so maybe that would work?

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Barkeeper's Friend will remove all the tarnish very easily followed by Brasso which will produce a good shine.

 

I used to have an historic boat smothered in brass bling. A real chore to polish it all. I took at least half an hour every morning before we set off. My present 1911 boat dates from an era before brass decoration was added to narrow boats. There's absolutely no brass to polish.  Suits me down to the ground!

 

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We need to get to the bottom of this.

 

Anyway, back on topic. We have a lasrge tunnel light on Nightwatch. The previous owner had this and all the mushroom vents polished and coated with a protector of some sort. I, at one point enjoyed cleaning brass and over the years the protective coating on the tunnel light has been breached. About half of it stays Shiney the other half looks like a big birthmark after a few days. 

We now have a number of choices.

1. Ask on here what product was possibly used to retain the once Shiney appearance. Polish and apply said product.

   Polish it till its nice and Shiney and repeat every three or four days.

   Rub it down to key the surface and paint the bloomin thing green like everything else on the boat.

 

 

my iPad has decided that it won't let me put numbers in anymore. It will if I restart it. But I haven't so it won't.

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