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-----Maintaining copper shine
I have a commercial building that is faced with copper. I am using muriatic acid ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] to remove the oxidation discoloration and do not know what to use to seal it so that it keeps its natural shine. Do I need to use special chemicals as a primer? Will a polyurethane work?
Dr. Colin Gage- Merritt, BC, Canada
If you de-oxidize the copper with Muriatic Acid, once you rinse it and it dries, it will probably lose its original polish look you desire. The only way I have found to maintain brass or copper in the Toronto area is to hand polish using products such as Brasso ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] . Solvent clean (alcohol)perfectly, allow to dry and spray apply a two part clear urethane. This will give you about 3 years if done properly. Regular maintenance is required. It is a long term project. The best is to let the copper age to it's nature patina green.
Wayne McKee- Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
May 15, 2011
Which is the alcohol used to clean copper for shining purpose?
Is it isopropyl alcohol, acetone
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon
[affil link] Flammable!
or methanol
[affil link]?
please clear this confusion.
regards
wire manufacturer - Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Hi, Nirmal.
I think you are misunderstanding something. Isopropyl alcohol is used for many purposes, one of them being to minimize haze and salt stains because, unlike water, it will have no salt dissolved in it to dry on the surface. Acetone is useful as a solvent for removing certain types of organic contaminants. But you will not be able to brighten copper products with any of these.
To chemically brighten copper you need an oxidizing acid such as sulfuric acid with hydrogen peroxide added. You could try the search term "copper britedip" or "copper bright dip". Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
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