Caring for brass accessories

[avid6gnnr]

Wonder what anyone may suggest as a cleaning compound to clean up my tarnished brass accessories. They are pretty bad, and will need a full refurbish job after the late PA flintlock season.

Thanks for any comments.

 

[roundball]

I just use Brasso and old rags...keeps my TC Hawken brass showroom ready.

If the brass has years of buildup on it, then it usually helps to get a couple quarts of white vineger at the grocery store (.79cents) pour it into a big bowl and submerge the brass parts in it for 24-48 hours, then use the brasso.

 

[prowler]

Roundball got it dead on. Brasso works like a charm. During an all expense paid vacation, thanks to my uncle Sam, I became very well acquainted with Brasso. :grin: It is the best stuff out there.

 

[roundball]

Sounds like an old USN guy... :grin:

 

[feyx0006]

Brasso does work quite well, but it can ever-so-slightly scuff the surrounding wood finish when buffing. After cleaning the brass, I have found that rubbing the entire stock (wood and brass) w/ Minwax Paste Finishing Wax keeps a beautiful shine on the stock and seems to keep the brass from tarnishing quite so quickly.

 

[feyx0006]

Oops! I just reread your post. With the accessories, just use the Brasso. Thought you were talking about the brass furniture. Sorry about that...

 

[Claude Mathis]

Wonder what anyone may suggest as a cleaning compound to clean up my tarnished brass accessories.

What accessories?

 

Brasso would be the best - but watch it on the woodwork. Personally - I just let mine tarnish as I don't want all that reflection in the woods.

 

[roundball]

:hmm: Heck, by the time I get done applying Brasso to all the brass on a TC Hawken, I have so much overwipe on the stock in all those areas that I just wipe down and buff the entire stock with it...then I go over everything with a rag damp with WD40 to wipe off any excess...many years now and never noticed any problems, stocks look great

 

[paulvallandigham]

You can use salt and vinegar to remove the tarnish quickly, if you don't have Brasso. It actually works faster than Brasso.

 

[lakota]

On severely tarnished items I have buffed them with scotch brite pads and then polished them with Mother's.

 

[brubincam]

I let mine tarnished,I like mine tarnished,I don't want to take the tarnish off, :v :v :v

 

[dallas10c]

I like mine with the tarnished look. Bought a new powder measure and I wish it would tarnish to match everything else.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

In a word, "patina" and let'em go.

 

[brubincam]

it will tarnish just fine after a lot of use..

 

[Stumpkiller]

J-B Paste bore cleaner and Flitz metal polish will work very well, too. After having a "traditional" sailboat with a lot of brass I got so I don't mind grungy fittings on my rifles. Camo, don't you know.

Once you get it cleaned wipe it with boiled linseed oil and it will stay bright longer. I let mine tone down a bit and then hit it with linseed oil so it stays neither bright nor barnacle green with lichen & c.

If you want to darken brass dissolve a bit of blackpowder on a water dampened rag and wipe it on, then rinse it off well.