Polishing brass

[Montcopo]

I just bought a used T/C Hawken .50 cal flintlock, and the brass work is pretty well tarnished. What is recommended to clean it and restore it to like new? Do you put a clearcoat on it afterward?? Help is greatly appreciated.

 

[brubincam]

-----a lot of us like it tarnished--I let mine be-----

 

[Birddog6]

"Mothers" Mag Wheel Polish will make it look like new. You may want to wear some nitrile gloves or the tarnish will make your hands black when ya clean it off.

 

[lakota]

I got a T/C that was badly tarnished. First I took a piece of 3M Scotch Brite pad and scrubbed a lot of it off and then polished it with Mothers. I think Mothers keeps it shiny longer than Never Dull or Brasso does.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Lemon juice, or vinegar, and Salt is all you need to clean the tarnish off of brass.

 

[paulmarcone]

I just bought a used T/C Hawken .50 cal flintlock, and the brass work is pretty well tarnished. What is recommended to clean it and restore it to like new? Do you put a clearcoat on it afterward?? Help is greatly appreciated.

Nevr Dull works like a charm.

 

[Allan Gray]

I like Never Dull too...

I would avoid a clear coat on rifle hardware. It'll be destined to peel and flake with use and end up a nightmare for you.

If you like the brass shiney, (as do I), routine polishing is the way.

Since the Navy I can't tolerate a tarnished piece of brass. :nono:

 

[wulf]

Thanks..I have some door knobs that need some
attention...

 

[Stumpkiller]

Flitz. By far my favorite brass polic.

 

[Okwaho]

I agree with Paul here and will go one step farther. I always carry some reconstituted lemon juice{Kroger's }to reenactments along with some 0000 steel wool to remove the surface rust from a gun in the morning.I have also used lemon juice in restoration to remove rust inless it is deeply pitted and then nothing will help. I once loosened up a solidly frozen rear sight on an old 1863 Springfield with nothing more than lemon juice. The nice thing about lemon juice is that it doesn't affect patina.
Tom Patton

 

[roundball]

I just bought a used T/C Hawken .50 cal flintlock, and the brass work is pretty well tarnished. What is recommended to clean it and restore it to like new? Do you put a clearcoat on it afterward?? Help is greatly appreciated.

As you can see there are several ways to do it...I've tried a few but always end up back at brasso because no matter what, they all seem to darken after handling with dirty hands from shooting.

But I'll add this tip...if I get a used Hawken with really heavily tarnish brass that looks like it'll take a lot of work to restore it, I get a couple quarts of 'white distilled vinegar' at the grocery store (its cheap), put all the brass pieces in a plastic or tupperware type container and cover them with the white vinegar for 24-48 hours...then a simple wipe with brasso and they're like new.

 

[pichou]

Too much vinegar will dissolve the zinc.

Paste copper cleaner, followed by a wash gets the bad stains out and gets it ready for Brasso.

You might just like the look the copper cleaner gives, though.

Whatever you do, be sure to take the brass off the stock. Do not clear coat. Do not use soap.

 

[TNHillbilly]

What is the proper patina? Pic is a rifle from 'Man at Arms' -pic ain't so great- and it's a soft sheen. Doesn't look like military brass shined with Brasso. Tried the lemon juice/salt on my patchbox with good results. The rifle is about 40 years old and the brass never touched.

 

[Okwaho]

What is the proper patina? Pic is a rifle from 'Man at Arms' -pic ain't so great- and it's a soft sheen. Doesn't look like military brass shined with Brasso. Tried the lemon juice/salt on my patchbox with good results. The rifle is about 40 years old and the brass never touched.

Very good question,the problem is that I know it when I see it but can't really easily define it.patina is the appearance of wood as it ages from a shiny new look to a soft mellow sheen.It is virtually impossible to fake or produce on a new gun.Whether we are talking about a fine old Kentucky or a Philadelphia highboy the result is the same.Many old time saloons had bars and the bartender would polish them every night with a brick wrapped in shellac and after a few decades a wonderful old patina was achieved.This is actually a polish and is sometimes called a French polish.Handling thse old guns over a long period of time will produce a patina from the natural oils in the hand.I have brought back a Liegeoise Fusil fin from barn condition to a fairly nice patina with hours of hand rubbing and in some instances nose grease.
For a truly delightful and informative book on furniture care and finishes I suggest "The Furniture Doctor" by George Grotz.Written in 1961,it is truly timeless and fun to read.I don't know if it is still in print but www.abebooks.com has scads of copies and the first 23 were priced at $1.00. You might find it in a large used book store.
Tom Patton

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I just bought a used T/C Hawken .50 cal flintlock, and the brass work is pretty well tarnished. What is recommended to clean it and restore it to like new? Do you put a clearcoat on it afterward?? Help is greatly appreciated.

Shine wal git yar har lifted. :wink:

 

[pichou]

Ah yes, nose grease. Highly under-rated, very useful.

If we were talking real antiques, then you need to go with the market standards or you can destroy value. If you want to sell, "untouched/uncleaned" is often best. I think Euro guns have the brass clean but not polished. American stuff is usually preferred uncleaned or only cleaned enough to get the dirt off.

 

[Goldhunter]

Brasso works well. A little goes along way and not much elbow grease required. If you've ever shined an Army brass belt buckle, Then you know Brasso! :rotf:

 

[renovato]

If you want it flawlessly shiny like a mirror, you can use rubbing compound on it. By the time you get through 5F compound, it'll be as shiny as can be.

If you just want to restore it to "factory new", Brasso is about the easiest that I know of. Brass tarnishes quickly though, especially in the presence of black powder, so you'll end up polishing it frequently.

You can get specialty brass lacquer most anywhere that sells spray paint. The problem with it is that it wears off on the edges after a while, and the edges now tarnish. If you polish the tarnished areas, you wear more of the lacquer off. The only solution when this happens is to strip it and recoat it. I've used it a few times and it's not worth the bother. It's easier to just polish it now and then.