Cleaning brass on a tractor

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  • M.I. Twice
    Junior Member
    • Mar 2010
    • 27

    Cleaning brass on a tractor

    Hi
    My 3/4 inch scale tractor brass parts have became dirty oxidized and my question is how to clean it and not damage the painted parts and al. parts. has any one used citric acid ? or what can I use.
    Regards M.
    M.I. Twice
  • Robin R
    Senior Member
    • May 2008
    • 498

    #2
    I think you would get good results from using ketchup, though I would try it on some scrap aluminum before using on your tractor. I believe the active ingredient is acetic acid, basically vinegar. It works quite well because the rest of the ingredients help it stay in place while it does its thing.

    Comment

    • Deus Machina
      Senior Member
      • Feb 2011
      • 304

      #3
      Go buy Taco Bell, grab a handful of the sauces there.

      Really, try putting some of their fire sauce on an old penny and see what happens.

      Comment

      • M.I. Twice
        Junior Member
        • Mar 2010
        • 27

        #4
        dirty brass tractor

        thank you for the info I would not of thought of some thing out of the kitchen
        thanks again and good chip making
        regards M.I. Twice

        Comment

        • Mike Burdick
          Senior Member
          • Jan 2003
          • 2008

          #5
          Are you sure you want to polish the brass? Sometimes the value is in the patina!

          Comment

          • Deus Machina
            Senior Member
            • Feb 2011
            • 304

            #6
            Originally posted by Mike Burdick
            Are you sure you want to polish the brass? Sometimes the value is in the patina!
            That's true. If it's a collectible or an heirloom, clean the whole thing with a damp rag, just to get the dust and loose stuff off. Polishing takes off both the aged look and the collector's value.

            Heck, my favorite look is dark wood, pitted but use-polished steel, and patinad brass.

            If it's not a collectible, polish the heck out of it and finish up with something like Nevr-Dull that will leave an oil film to prevent it from corroding again.

            Comment

            • lynnl
              Senior Member
              • Jan 2002
              • 7181

              #7
              Use Brasso. It's made for polishing brass. Does a great job too, with minimal effort.
              Lynn (Huntsville, AL)

              Comment

              • S&S_ShovelHead
                Member
                • Aug 2010
                • 89

                #8
                Originally posted by lynnl
                Use Brasso. It's made for polishing brass. Does a great job too, with minimal effort.
                Ive heard good things about brasso.

                Comment

                • Forrest Addy
                  Senior Member
                  • Oct 2002
                  • 5792

                  #9
                  Tooth paste for false teeth.

                  You can buy metal polish at most any super market or big box store. Some brands have oxaalic acid in them, a great copper alloy corrosion remover and they are kind to sound paint. .

                  Comment

                  • RWO
                    Senior Member
                    • Mar 2010
                    • 1200

                    #10
                    Get a can of swimming pool PH minus( sodium sulfate) at the hardware ( $10-15) and mix up 2.5 # in a gallon of hot water. Dip your brass parts and they will come clean and tarnish free in minutes. Then you can polish with Brasso to recover that mirror shine.

                    RWO

                    Comment

                    • JohnHarbeck
                      Junior Member
                      • Sep 2009
                      • 19

                      #11
                      Metal Polish

                      Took all the brass fittings & trim off a 1/4 size steam locomotive two years ago, cleaned and polished for display and it still looks great.

                      I used Purple Metal Polish ordered from SpeedwayMotors.com 12oz for $14.99. I believe it's made by California Custom Products.

                      I slathered it onto a 4 inch muslin buffing wheel and polished away with a drill motor. Seems to shine MUCH BETTER than Brasso......

                      John Harbeck
                      Hesston Steam Museum in Indiana

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