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Chemical to Remove Tarnish from Brass Pipe/Tube Fittings?

Greetings,

We acquired a huge lot of very filthy (but very expensive) threaded brass fittings at an industrial auction, and I am looking for a "dip and rinse" method of removing the tarnish. Soaking in strong detergent, followed by boiling in a vat of clean water, gets them perfectly clean. Now we need to remove the occasional tarnished spots in order to make them look acceptable for resale. Concentrated lemon juice gave good results in our "clinical trials" but it's agonizingly slow and it will take many gallons of it. What chemical(s) would quickly remove the tarnish and still yield a surface color that is close (±) to "new?" Preventing fresh tarnish is not a concern because we are hot-air drying, bagging and then heat-sealing.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance,

Mike Sherrod
surplus - Springfield, Tennessee, USA
2005

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You can try 5% ammonium citrate solution(pH 9!).
Hope it helps!

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
2005

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