cleaning brass

[aww]

Any opinions about preparing a brass car body for painting?

How about running it through a dishwasher? I mean without any dishes of course. Also remove the little red button in the soap tab because I think that is prevent waterspots?

Allan

[Rufus T. Firefly]

If you can set it exclusively to just a cold water rinse cycle, that would be ok.

I have done this many times after a mild acid immersion.

Still have to dry it thoroughly afterwards....

[aww]

Rufus

What kind of acid immersion, how do you formulate the solution? Also why not run the dishwasher on the hot cycles? The acid sounds like a good idea, to give some tooth to the surface. I think brass does not take paint very well.

Thanks
Allan

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Rufus

What kind of acid immersion, how do you formulate the solution? Also why not run the dishwasher on the hot cycles? The acid sounds like a good idea, to give some tooth to the surface. I think brass does not take paint very well.

Thanks
Allan

I have access to both glacial acetic and fully concentrated HCl and the facility to use them. Depending on tarnish level I'll use either cut in 1/2 or 1/4. If you do not have good ventilation and rubber gloves up to the elbows (1/2 conc HCL will hurt you!!!), and experience using highly corrosive agents, you need to cut those concentrations down an order of magnitude.

Probably a lot safer and easier to just use distilled vinegar straight from the bottle in a Tupperware tub with a lid.

You might also be able to flip to the opposite and use as strong ammonia that you can find, but that's even better on the eyes and nose,

Hot cycles? I'm always leery of anybody else's soldering quality. I'm not always sure of my own or even how hot that hot cycle is so I only do this to rinse everything else off with cold water.

I'll "dry" everything with alcohol and/ or acetone and paint as soon as possible.

[bob turner]

Best is a very light bead blast at 35 psi or less.

I use Barkeepers Friend when I am not in range of a bead blaster, and hand- wash with hot water afterward. My water gets nowhere near the eutectic for solder.

Then I used to use Scalecoat, and bake at 180 degrees in the oven for 45 minutes. Almost scratchproof. Not sure what my paint of choice will be going forward.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Then I used to use Scalecoat....... Not sure what my paint of choice will be going forward.

Minuteman Scale Models purchased Scalecoat Model Paint and I have been told that they have been shipping out orders that were transferred with the purchase.

[Jay Criswell]

I don't agree with using vinegar. I've never seen it really have the desired effect. Some swear by it though.

One major issue. If the car has a clear coat even vinegar won't clean the brass because the clear coat acts as a barrier.

Removing the clear coat is a whole different ballgame. Much depends on the coating used and what will remove it.

A good cleaning with a mild detergent followed by a thorough rinse and dry should suffice. I agree with using Scalecoat. Goes on easy (I thin mine 50/50) and improves with a low temp baking.

The cool thing about this subject is we're all experts and rarely listen to what others have to say. Seems to go that way with most everything we do in the hobby.

Jay

[Jay Criswell]

I received my order from them yesterday. Bottles look exactly the same except instead of saying Quality Craft or Weaver it says Minuteman.

Jay

[Rufus T. Firefly]

One major issue. If the car has a clear coat even vinegar won't clean the brass because the clear coat acts as a barrier.

Removing the clear coat is a whole different ballgame. Much depends on the coating used and what will remove it.

All true - what has been your experience with this? I've managed to not have to deal with it and am curious.

Vinegar is probably too weak, but compared to other acids it's also a lot safer around the home and probably mainly psychologically more comforting that effective.

I received my order from them yesterday. Bottles look exactly the same except instead of saying Quality Craft or Weaver it says Minuteman.

Good to hear!

[aww]

The cars in question are KTM/Toby and they look like they might be clearcoated. They have no tarnish and have never been painted. I suppose if they are clearcoated none of this matters as the Scalecoat will just see this as paint?

Allan

[CMorrill]

Unless there was some reason to deliberately remove it, I just considered the clear coat as a primer and applied Scalecoat (or Floquil) right over it.

Pine Sol has been my favorite paint remover from brass followed by a water and dish wash detergent scrub.

Charlie

[Jay Criswell]

It depends on the clear coat. Considering it paint is valid but, how well was it applied, any scratches, or other flaws you can't live with? If not paint over it. If so, strip and repaint. The cool thing is, it's totally up to you.

Many times you won't see the flaws in the clear coat until you apply a color coat.

Jay

[bob turner]

My PSC coaches have a clear coat that seems to allow corrosion underneath, yet is not at all affected by commercial paint remover or acetone. Never tried Pine Sol, but that paint remover will also remove skin.

Good to hear about Scale Coat - I got the TigerStripes and now need to shoot an SD-7 in black. Also have a PRR observation that needs both black and Tuscan.

[webenda]

My water gets nowhere near the eutectic for solder.

Hot cycles? I'm always leery of anybody else's soldering quality.

There is an eutectic solder that melts at 158 °F. Ostalloy® 158 => http://www.lakeshore.com/products/cryog ... rview.aspx

Not all solders have an Eutectic. And if they do not have an eutectic, then they do not have a melting point either, only eutectic solders have a melting point, others have a "plastic range." An accurate way to verbalize when solder fails due to heat is to say it "melted," or, "my water is not hot enough to melt solder." Of course, if it was Ostalloy 158 that might not be true.

The hot cycle to be concerned about is called "Heated Dry" on my washer. I have melted a few plastic containers when I did not notice the washer was set to "Heated Dry."

[Rufus T. Firefly]

My water gets nowhere near the eutectic for solder.

Hot cycles? I'm always leery of anybody else's soldering quality.

There is an eutectic solder that melts at 158 °F. Ostalloy® 158 => http://www.lakeshore.com/products/cryog ... rview.aspx

Oddly enough, I do have a tube labeled Indium solder.....not sure which composition it might be though, but at the low end:

In-34Bi 72C 162F
In-32.5Bi-16.5Sn 60C 140F

Granted, maybe a bit exotic....