Green residue after application of salt-vinegar paste and Simichrome

September 7, 2008

Hello,

The antique brass bed that I slept in as a child spent 30 years in my mother's garage. As you can imagine, it got pretty tarnished. I dug it out recently and started cleaning it for my 6-year-old daughter (who calls it the "princess bed.") I was uncertain about the commercial cleaners, so I tried boiled Linseed Oil [link is to product info at Rockler] followed by several applications of salt-and-vinegar paste. That got a lot of the tarnish off. Then, after some more research, I tried Simichrome, which got off yet more tarnish. Now there's a green residue in some of the intricate parts of the design, and I'm not sure 1) exactly what it is, and 2) how to get it off. I'm worried that it's corrosion caused by the salt and vinegar, which I might not have washed off thoroughly enough. What should I do? And what should I do to keep the bed in good shape from this point on? I'd like my daughter to be able to pass it down to her children some day.

Thanks very much for your help.

Jennifer Howard
amateur! - Washington, D.C.

September 18, 2008

Hi, Jennifer. If the bed is magnetic, it's brass plated and the plating will have a limited life, so stop. If it's not magnetic, it's probably solid brass. Vinegar and salt are mild to people but exceptonally aggressive to brass, far more so than commercial brass polishes. You should try to get rid of them by cleaning the recesses with Simichrome (or another polish) on Q-tips.

After the bed is the way you want it, you need to spray it with brass lacquer. Good luck.

Regards,

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