Cleaning Brass Knobs

[Bob Jones]

I bought a few planes and I am cleaning them up a bit. The brass knobs on most of them are tarnished beyond an attractive point. I want to clean them up and I want the process to be easy. I just tried Brasso by hand with a cloth and I am thinking there must be an easier way. I can not get it to a uniform color. Any tips for me? Please keep it simple. I am hoping that I can soak them in Brasso or something and then just wash them off...

I have searched a bit and I have not been satisfied with a satisfactory answer. Thanks!

[Johnny Kleso]

Steel wool and brasso
Scotchbrite pad and Brasso
Grinder with a .006 SS wire wheel
Grinder with a Scothbrite deburring wheel
Buffer with a rag wheel and rouge

[Rich Engelhardt]

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-lb-metal-vibrator-tumbler-67617.html

Or you can order one from Midway sales or visit a local gun store that sells reloading supplies.
I have a Dillon that I paid about $80.00 for a decade ago.

or better and cheaper yet - find someone near you that reloads ammunition.

If I were closer, I'd be more than happy to toss them in my Dillon for a few hours.

Toss them in with some media and run it for about 10 to 12 hours - more or less depending on the media.

Kittly litter cuts the quickest, crushed walnut shells are good for all around, corn cob is pretty gentle and will give a nice bright polish.

I use my Dillon all the time to clean up knobs, hinges and all sorts of small metal stuff.

[Peter vanderWerf]

cordless drill and steel wool/ scotch brite, providing the knobs can be put into the cordless drill and are round.

[Charles McKinley]

Frank's REDHOT- Put it in a small container and cover it in frank's and let it soak. When you take it out it should be clean.

[Johnny Kleso]

Thats odd that hot sauce works because to age brass you use vinegar

[David Keller NC]

Bob - if your planes have any collector's value that you wish to preserve, cleaning/polishing brass is generally frowned upon. The worst damage is from buffing or mechanically abrading brass - English tool dealers are infamous for buffing brass, which rounds sharp corners and trashes any original manufacturer's machining marks.

If they've no collector's value or you're not interested in preserving that value, then I would suggest chemically polishing the brass - there are many commercial products that will do this. Once done, you may wish to coat the surface with a quick shot of spray laquer, which will prevent re-tarnishing for a few years.

[Matt Evans]

Thats odd that hot sauce works because to age brass you use vinegar

I normally soak brass in vinegar overnight to clean it, then buff it out. Works pretty well. Have never tried to age brass, though, so am curious as to the method used with vinegar. . .

[David Keller NC]

Bob - Here's a few examples of chemical "instant" cleaners:

http://www.autogeek.net/flitz-tarnish-remover.html

http://www.jaxchemicals.com/jaxshop/shopexd.asp?id=93

http://www.amazon.com/Brite-Penny-Copper-Cleaner-Polish/dp/B003MNK9QM

[john brenton]

The sucky thing is that brass shines up way easier than any part of a plane and you'll end up with a plane that looks like it has new parts. I have tried a lot of different ways to clean stuff, but I like to use my dremel with one of the soft buffing wheels with a very fine rouge. It gets into all the little crannies of the knurled nuts too.

[Bob Jones]

Thanks for all of the tips. I am avoiding cleaning with any power tools, so I will try the vinegar bit. Brasso and a rag works ok, but it is difficult to get into the nooks. Thanks!

[Ron Bontz]

I just finished cleaning up about ten of them. I put mine in my lathe chuck with 25mm jaws. Turned at about 4-500 rpm. Used a scotch bite pad and 3in1 oil or wd40. Followed up with a cloth. The texture was cleaned up by slowing down the brass wheel to less than 300 and a light touch. Great way to get your finger nails dirty. A drill press could do the same.

[Bob Jones]

for the record, soaking in vinegar did not work. It did not clean anything, and it removed any shine from the brass. Not what I was looking for. What did work - Brasso, a toothbrush, and a little patience. They cleaned up nice. No one would confuse them for new, but they at least don't look abused. Thanks!

[Jerry Bruette]

Give'em a quick dip in some stuff called The Works toilet bowl cleaner. It'll shine them up in a hurry with no elbow grease at all. Just be sure to rinse them off real good when you're done.

Jerry

[Matt Evans]

Bob,

On reflection I can see it dulling the brass a bit.However, I have cleaned a lot of parts in vinegar. I do tend to buff them out afterwords though, and will use brasso occasionally. The vinegar may not make em shiny, but it does get rid of a all the caked on grime and corrosion without a stiff wire brush or harsh chemicals. Brasso works very well providing a mirror shine, and it will go very fast if you can hold the part in a clamp and buff with a long cloth like you are shining a shoe. . . The thing Brasso does not do very well is getting rid of minerals and caked on crud, hence the vinegar bath, then buffing.

For what its worth, Brasso will also shine steel, though it takes more work than brass does.

[Jim Neeley]

I haven't tried it but FWIW they spray brass belt buckles with clear lacquer to keep the air away once it's clean to keep away the tarnish and retain the brass color. It will obviously wear off over time but it might help.

[Mike Brady]

Give'em a quick dip in some stuff called The Works toilet bowl cleaner. It'll shine them up in a hurry with no elbow grease at all. Just be sure to rinse them off real good when you're done.

Jerry
Bar Keeper's Friend in the liquid form cleans brass instantly. These products contain phosphoric acid. The nice thing about them is that they remove the tarnish without abrading or polishing the brass.

[David Keller NC]

Actually, Barkeeper's Friend's primary active ingredient is oxalic acid. Oxalic works wonderfully to remove iron-based stains, and is also a relatively powerful reducing agent, and will thus remove oxidized copper and zinc from the surface of brass. It is also relatively toxic if ingested, and is a strong enough acid to damage skin under prolonged exposure. Here's a link describing its properties, and mentioning Barkeeper's Friend:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid

[Bob Jones]

Matt, thanks for clearing that up. Vinegar is a great general cleaner, just not the effect that I am looking for. I might try that tip with a clamp and a longer rag.

[John D Watson]

Bob, I've cleaned my share of brass and copper over the years, and to date the best cleaner for tarnished brass has been equal parts of vinegar and salt. the finer the salt , the quicker it works (the salt does not disolve). When applying, ensure you get some salt on the piece as it seems to soak up the tarnish. You can tell its working by the color of the salt. This leaves a matt finish and it only takes seconds with brasso to achieve a nice shine. Hope this helps.

John D

[Rick Cicciarelli]

Several folks have mentioned the issues of making the brass appear TOO shiny, reducing the even nice appearance....or damaging the brass. I suggest picking up a brass cup wire brush for the dremel tool. A brass brush is softer than steel...won't damage or scratch the brass knobs, and you can really control the amount of shine you get from brushing. I use it on several antiques with brass that I just want to bring out a little shine, but not too much. It has worked great so far.