Major discoloration of brass after first shooting

[sturmkatze]

The Navy loved Brasso. Plenty of brass up on the bridge and your inspection belt buckles.

When I was in, the navy loved Never Dull. Brasso is too messy.

 

[Wireforhire]

MOTHERS Mag & Aluminum Polish ...beats Brasso. Soft cloth (old T- shirt works fine...). Amazon or Auto sales.

 

[Ed C.]

When I was in, the navy loved Never Dull. Brasso is too messy.

Interesting. Never heard of Never Dull. '63-'67.

 

[Vintage Gunsmith]

As an old clock repairman: All of the modern clock movements are lacquered to keep the brass plates bright. If honest patina is not high on your list of acceptable coatings for the brass work of your gun, clean the brass to bright and shiny and immediately spray with clear lacquer. It will give your brass furniture an enduring high shine, at least until long term handling wears the lacquer off. Then repeat the clean, polish and spay treatment.

 

[mhb]

Sulfur, and the residue from BP (which contains sulfur) will tarnish brass and copper on contact. If you touch the brass furniture on your muzzleloaders while shooting, the result is what you see. A coat of a good paste wax to the bright brass will protect it for a while, and is easier to deal with than a varnish.

mhb - MIke

 

[SOLANCO]

As an old clock repairman: All of the modern clock movements are lacquered to keep the brass plates bright. If honest patina is not high on your list of acceptable coatings for the brass work of your gun, clean the brass to bright and shiny and immediately spray with clear lacquer. It will give your brass furniture an enduring high shine, at least until long term handling wears the lacquer off. Then repeat the clean, polish and spay treatment.

LOL In basic training our brass buckle and collar insignia came lacquered. The DI gave us stuff to take it off so that we would have to polish.

 

[Pratt]

Being and old army SGT I know about Brasso. That being said don't clean your stocks furniture. Look at it this way. It will shine less when you hunt.

 

[SOLANCO]

Being and old army SGT I know about Brasso. That being said don't clean your stocks furniture. Look at it this way. It will shine less when you hunt.

A four legged mammal may not spook at something shiny. A two legged mammal misses that and dies.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Some guys love the patina! It's natural from use!

Or if your from New England, some guys love the puh-tee-ner.

 

[beyu]

We used Never Dull in the Navy, also Brasso. But I use Simichrome on my Charleville. It polishes the metal, both brass and steel — right up and leaves a coating that does not tarnish so quickly.

 

[Packrat]

The Marine Corps, we were fed BRASSO for breakfast

 

[beardedhorse]

What ever you clean it with, you'll have to do it again when you shoot it next. I'd just let it patina along with rest of metal on rifle.

 

[SOLANCO]

Sand Hill here!

I remember two hills at Ft. Knox. One was called Agony and the other was Misery.

 

[towgunner11h]

I remember two hills at Ft. Knox. One was called Agony and the other was Misery.

We had Heartbreak Hill to run over every dang morning!

 

[dneprdude]

Mother's wheel polish works well.

 

[Mad L]

A piece of course hemp canvas (or course linen) and a soft cloth.
Put a small dab of Brasso on the canvas, smear it around, polish the brass, wipe it clean with the soft cloth - Done.

Been doing it for years, never had issues with greening. Just use a sparing amount, if you get any build up in screws then use a 'soft' toothbrush (also any edges between wood).
Takes about 5 minutes to do my Pedersoli Pennsylvania rifle.

Don't fret small grooves like on the thimbles unless your really bothered by it.

 

[hanshi]

I used Brasso a bit early on but was just too lazy to keep at it. The rifles we were issued had no brass, just iron. I let my ML brass age naturally and it doesn't bother me. In the Army (ours, not theirs) we were issued a "Blitz Cloth" which was nothing more than a piece of thick flannel treated with ???. That's what kept my insignias and belt buckles shiny. Our Sgt. told us he'd used the same "BC" for over 20 years. They did hold up amazingly well but I lost mine sometime during civilian life.

 

[leadhoarder]

As an old clock repairman: All of the modern clock movements are lacquered to keep the brass plates bright. If honest patina is not high on your list of acceptable coatings for the brass work of your gun, clean the brass to bright and shiny and immediately spray with clear lacquer. It will give your brass furniture an enduring high shine, at least until long term handling wears the lacquer off. Then repeat the clean, polish and spay treatment.

I am a let it patina guy but this advice is spot on. Another option would be to apply renaissance wax.

 

[SgtMaj65]

Brasso will work. I have a 30-plus year old Euroarms Pattern 1853 Enfield that has great patina. It looked like it went through the Civil War (well, 40-plus CW reenactments) and I love the look. My .58 only got handled with cruddy, filthy hands and had several thousand BP paper cartridges fire out its barrel.