Removing tarnish on brass, copper, bronze

Letter 779

Removing tarnish on brass, copper, bronze

---

What agent will instantly, on contact remove tarnish from brass/copper/bronze? (I used to use a product called 'Shower Power' but am now unable to find it.)

THANX!

Carole Burns

---

Hi Carole,

To remove tarnish from brass/copper/bronze, you may need a formulation consisting of reductive acids, complexing agents, wetting agents and corrosion inhibitors.

Ling Hao
- Grand Rapids, Michigan

Although I'm not quite sure from your posting, Carole, I'm guessing that you're a consumer looking for a spray or a polish to remove tarnish from your household items?

There are many copper/brass polishes. The very slowest acting ones like Brasso [link is to product info at Amazon] leave the item the warmest and richest. The very fastest working, like vinegar plus salt, leave the item orange and raw looking, and can damage really fine detail.

The compromise that I personally use is Revere copper cleaner [link is to product info at Amazon]. It works very fast and easy and leaves what I consider a reasonably nice shine.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

Disclosure: This website may receive a commission if you buy products via these links.

---

To remove the tarnish is not the point, what do you intend to do to prevent it from returning? There are products used in the printed circuits industry that prevent tarnish but on a temporary basis. A varnish or lacquer will help.

Sara Michaeli
chemical process supplier
Israel

---

To remove tarnish from brass is best to polish it to the the finish you want and then a clear coat. This will keep it from tarnishing.

Sincerely,

Tony Pena
plating shop - Miami, Florida

.

I would like to clean some copper contacts and connectors. Polishing is not practical. What can I soak then in to remove tarnishing and corrosion?

Trom Dom
- Rochester NY

Hi, Trom. To bright dip copper you need a solution that contains an oxidizing acid. Nitric acid is pretty nasty stuff, so I'd suggest you go with sulfuric acid + Hydrogen Peroxide [link is to product info at Amazon] instead. This is available as a proprietary which contains stabilizers so the peroxide doesn't wastefully decompose too fast. A local plating supply house will understand what you are looking for. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

.

I have an old fireplace which is so tarnished/corroded I can barely tell what metal it is. I found one or two spots that reveal the original metal, it has a copper tone to it. The rest of the metal is corroded to dark brown and spots of white (maybe just dirt?). I would love to be able to see the beauty of this 1907 fireplace in it's original state.. any ideas for cleaners, polishers... I can not afford a professional.

Anne Marlow
- Lansing, Michigan

Hi, Anne. I suspect it's cast iron with copper plating. If so, you will not get it to good condition yourself because most of the plating is gone. But the first step is to test it with a magnet: if it's magnetic, it's steel or iron, so you only options are to paint it or have it replated. If it's not magnetic, it is probably solid brass, bronze, or copper and it can be cleaned aggressively with a strong brass polish. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

.

I recently received a dresser with brass handles from my great-grandmother. The dresser is in perfect conditions, but being that it is old the handles have turned completely black from tarnish and polishing 18 of them is just not effective or efficient. Isn't there anything the brass can be soaked in to be rid of the tarnish? Brasso [link is to product info at Amazon] is just not cutting it!

Cassandra Ayala
- Bakersfield, California

+++++++

Ok, don't laugh. For heavily tarnished brass soak the item in Coca Cola for a few days (sometimes up to a week for heavy tarnish). It will not remove the tarnish entirely, but will make it easy to scrub off using a stiff brush and either Brasso or Comet cleaner in a thin paste. Follow up with Brasso to brighten finish and then clear coat it for a finish that will last. Note: you may need to change the Coke after a day or two.

Dirk Roberts
- St Louis, Missouri

October 5, 2008

How do you clean copper heating vents that have been left and are badly discolored?? I have tried steel wool by suggestion and also vinegar and salt to try and clean and restore it but it was no go!!! Any suggestions??? It is a floor heat vent that we bought and it sand blasted to clean it up and they told us just to steel wool it but that didn't work!! Any suggestions???

Kirsty Kozie
hobbyist - Winnipeg, MB, Canada

January 3, 2009

Hi, Kirsty. Please see my answer to Anne, above. I believe your situation is the same.

Regards,

Ted Mooney
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

March 18, 2009

Hello everyone. I know everyone has asked over and over again how to remove the heavy tarnish from brass, but with no real answers that have proved effective. Well now I am going to tell everyone the secret of the pros, and how to do it in three easy steps.

First of all, you need to remove the heavy black staining that is preventing you from getting to the brass to polish it. To do this, you apply Naval Jelly [link is to product info at Amazon] to the brass with a brush. Let it sit on the brass for 5 to 10 minutes, and then scrub off with a toothbrush or a sponge. If it is heavily, heavily tarnished, you might need 2 coats.

Second thing is to fire up the buffing wheel, and then rub a Tripoli [link is to product info at Eastwood] block on it. Once a little of the tripoli has rubbed off on the buffing wheel, start buffing out all the scratches and scuffs, quickly bringing the brass to a shine.

The final thing to do once you have done the pre polish with the tripoli, is rub a little "Red Rouge" [jeweler's rouge [link is to product info at Amazon]] on the buffing wheel, and then shine your brass up on the wheel with it, to whatever degree of luster you desire.

If you don't have a buffing wheel, you can repeat the entire process, but with using "tripoli", and "Red Rouge" in powder form, and rubbing by hand.

I was about to pull my hair out when I couldn't get a brass fan blade on an antique fan to look even somewhat presentable with brasso. I was lucky enough to get the local silversmith to tell me exactly what he and every other silver plater, and silversmith uses to get brass to a mirror shine. My black corroded brass fan blade looked like a mirror after about 20 minutes, following this exact procedure.

As far as the products needed. Make sure the Naval Jelly is the pink kind. Ace Hardware sells the original Naval Jelly, and it's pink. It will literally melt the black tarnish away with almost no effort whatsoever from you to remove it within 5 to 10 minutes. A buffer wheel is no more than a desk top grinder with a buffing pad applied to one side. You can even have buffing pads on both sides: 1 for the tripoli, and 1 for the red rouge, if you plan on buffing a lot of brass. The tripoli and red rouge can easily and readily be found on ebay for under $20. So, you wanted to know, and now you do!

Travis Joles
- Shawnee Kansas

Legal disclaimer boilerplate button