Brass questions.

[CO_Hawken]

Hey guys,

I'm starting a refurbishing project on a recently aquired TC Hawken and I had a few questions about the brass. Most of the brass is very tarnished and I'm having a hard time getting it to polish up. I've been using Brasso and it got the butt plate nice and shiny, but I haven't gotten any real results on the trigger guard after hours of patient polishing. Is there a good way to get the tarnish off the brass? What methods have you guys used that worked well? I've read about boiling the piece in water mixed with baking soda and a guy at work suggested letting it sit in a bath of CLR for a few hours. I don't want to ruin the items. I know I can get new furniture but that takes the fun out of the project. Any advice you guys can shoot my way would be great. Thanks!

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'm reluctant to even answer this as most guys, myself included, prefer the tarnished look. Oh, well. :idunno: Yer muzzle gun, yer choice.
For polishing, I like a product called Simichrome. It can be found in most antique shops. There are other products that should work, some home brewed.
BTW, the deer like the shiny look since they can easily see it from a long distance off. :shocked2: :rotf:

 

[CO_Hawken]

Thanks, I'll look into that. I'm not too worried about the Bambis seeing me as I'm not a hunter. :grin: I can appreciate that aged look, but it's not what I'm aiming for with my first stab at restoration. I'd like her to look nice and shiny when I'm done.

 

[MSW]

I've used simichrome on several items ... here's a link
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...87_a_7c7313_a_7c189001000_d_189001000_d_11594

looks kinda spendy, but a little bit goes a very long way ..

good luck with your project!

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Probably cheaper at your local Harley dealer.
If all else fails steel wool it.

 

[Ed Wingenroth]

Hi There !!!

Cheaper yet !!! "Toothpaste".

Ed

 

[Ole Frog]

The last time I shot my rifle it was so hot I was pouring sweat
The sweat ran down over the gun and stained the brass black

I was in a real panic this was a brand new gun and I had barely handled it much less showed it off

I am not a big fan of polished brass and prefer the look of aged but not stained brass
So I started to look for a product that would clean the brass without overly polishing it
I have a product I used on the Desoto called Nevr-Dull
It cleaned the brass up evenly and removed every black stain on it without overly polishing it
best of all it still matched the rest of the brass like the ram rod pipes
I simply rubbed it on, let it turn black and wiped it off

 

[necchi]

Take the piece off the gun and put it in a vise,
600 grit, aka crocus cloth, then the brasso.
Then let it tarnish.

 

[cynthialee]

300 grit, 400 grit, 600 grit, then a polishing rag and some brasso or other polishing compound
one of them green scrubby pads under your kitchen sink will put a nice dull shine on brass with a liberal application of elbow greese

 

[Birddog6]

Mothers Mag Wheel Polish will make brass shine like gold. Many auto parts suppliers stock it.

Keith Lisle

 

[nmdd]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-7-Piece-Metal-Buffing-Kit-A10BK07/202886254

 

[CO_Hawken]

Thanks for all of your responses guys. This is helpful. I will be sure to check into some of these tips and see how things come out!

:bow:

 

[F.G. Ford]

Give to yer wife, to clean :stir:
Old Ford

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Mothers Mag Wheel Polish will make brass shine like gold. Many auto parts suppliers stock it.

Keith Lisle

:applause:

There ya go, Mothers works like a charm - when you feel like you have to have shiny brass.

 

[smoothshooter]

Try a German product called "Flitz". Not always easy to find without looking it up on the internet. It has been around for at least 30 years, and has something in it that offers a little protection against tarnishing. Supposed to be good for cleaning and polishing the bore of rifles and pistols as well. I first used it many years ago for polishing my military insignia and brass belt buckles while in Army Officer Candidate School,and it worked better than anything anybody else was using, and at least helped keep me out of trouble for not having shiny enough brass most of the time with the Cadre/Instructors/Trainee Abuse Coordinators that were making our lives miserable on a minute by minute basis.

 

[BrownBear]

Try a German product called "Flitz".

If I'd tried it myself on brass, I would have recommended it. Here on saltwater we use it on about everything else that needs to be shined up. Shiny trolling flashers can look like oxidized aluminum after a while, but about 10 seconds with Flitz makes them gleam like the bumper on a 57 Chevy. You're right about the apparent protective coating too. After treatment, they seem to keep their shine longer than any other treatment.

Almost any marine supply store is going to have it. I can walk in and buy it off the shelf, but here is one online example.

 

[Billnpatti]

It may have some kind of sprayed on protective coating. You can try soaking it in acetone to remove any protective coating. If you have a buffing wheel, you can bring it up to a very shiny look in a very short while. Even a Dremmel tool with a buffing pad will do the job. Lacking that, you could try any of the metal polishing compounds such as Brasso, Semichrome, Never Dull, etc.. The trigger guard is brass and should polish right up.

 

[CO_Hawken]

Sounds promising! I think I'm going to try to sand it out with the different grits that were mentioned earlier and then apply a polish. Divided between this and the Mother's Mag stuff.

 

[Birddog6]

Depends on how fine you want the metal polished. You can file it down, then sand it with 220, 320, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000 wet/dry autobody paper (NAPA) and then polish with the Mothers & it will be as brilliant as any gold you ever saw. It all depends on how much time you want to put in it.
I usually sand one way with one grit, then sand 90 deg to that with the next grit & this way you get all the sand marks out & can see your progress easier.



Keith Lisle

 

[hanshi]

Back in the 1960s the army issued us a "Blitz Cloth" in a little box about the size of a pack of cigarettes. It was nothing for them to last 20 plus years. They DID NOT have any kind of abrasive in them but simply wiped away any tarnish. I use it on my belt buckle, insignias and anything of brass. Am I the only one who remembers them?