Model Train Journal

Looking for a product that might be better than "Bar Keepers Friend" for polishing tarnished brass. With all the new "wonder products" out there, is there any chemical product that will do this, as BKF is tough to work into the joints and crevices?

BH

Butch,

There is a product called "Brasso"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso

Both liquid and wadding versions.

Thanks Rich. I'll check into it as I've only used "Bar Keepers Friend" and it's a lot of work.

Butch

Butch - I have both. BKF is a lot easier. Brasso is like Mother's, or all the aircraft aluminum polishes. What you are thinking of is "bright-dip" - a mild acid dip. Martin can probably tell you the pros and cons.

bob turner wrote:Butch - I have both. BKF is a lot easier. Brasso is like Mother's, or all the aircraft aluminum polishes. What you are thinking of is "bright-dip" - a mild acid dip. Martin can probably tell you the pros and cons.

Exactly what I was hoping for Bob or something a little easier on the elbows than BKF. I've used a lot of metal polishes in the past, including "flitz" on mag wheels and "Brasso" on some candle sticks, but these were relatively smooth surfaces, devoid of joints. On a brass steamer they can vary greatly in performance. I even tried ammonia on a strip of brass once as a test, but it leached out or brought to the surface one of the ingredients and left the strip a pinkish color.....don't want to go there with a complete loco.

BH

Bob,

Not being contentious here, but what about a case where you can't dip? I'm thinking a tooth brush to apply the iiquid stuff If dipping is not an option. I don't see a way around a bit of elbow grease.

I don't know about toothbrushes, but the Barkeepers works without scrubbing or rubbing. Just put it on wet, then rinse. Brasso (and I am getting ready to polish a sink spigot in a minute with it) puts on a much higher shine, but it requires lots of rubbing, and that is just impractical on, say, a boiler. I do use it on tender sides, and it produces a really good appearance. Beadblast before paint.

Just a quick question here, what specifically is the reason to remove the tarnish. Won't it provide better tooth for paint adherence than freshly stripped brass?

In places where one traditionally uses Brasso, Simichrome is much better. Gives a finish akin to BKF.

I have to say I find no need to take tarnish off before paint, if I'm honest. Waste of effort. Green manky reaction from paste flux is dealt with using wire-wool here (no-where near motors, thanks), otherwise true tarnish is ignored.

Freshly soldered pieces, either newly built or repaired, go through the dishwasher (plain washing-up liquid, not the stuff for spotless dishes as it has silicone; paint won't stick anymore than the calcium that makes spots on your stemwear using dishwasher cleansers) or get brushcleaned with acetone to get the residuals of the flux I use (TIX liquid). I clean old pieces likewise.

I've never experienced unintended paint loss or flux staining following these protocols and nothing more.

Displayed with no paint and a clearcoat as a collectable, well there is where polish of sorts comes into play.

The purpose of this is to make an older PSC H-7A that has tarnished look like new. Many new details have been added over the years and it's been repowered. And it's not mine...just helping out.

This treatment was found by another O scale buddy and it is nothing short of amazing. Not for the faint of heart and hopefully the equipment and chemicals aren't so expensive it makes it a moot point. But very interesting. It's called "bright dipping".

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... dVf01corfP

BH

Parson's sudsy ammonia. Not lemon scented.

up148 wrote:This treatment was found by another O scale buddy and it is nothing short of amazing. Not for the faint of heart and hopefully the equipment and chemicals aren't so expensive it makes it a moot point. But very interesting. It's called "bright dipping".

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... dVf01corfP

Wonder what the stuff they are falcking costs and where to buy that?

35% peroxide......at 110 degrees......5% sulfuric......all doable at where I used to work.....if I had the chemicals......which i don't....

Parson's sudsy ammonia.

Used that or something similar in the past and it worked well - I do remember that now and again getting that pinkish cast to the brass from ammonia; probably an ammonia complex of some sort in that particular type of brass.

Up until last week was dipping brass in ~30-40% acetic acid for ~20 min and then rinsing with methanol and maybe finishing with acetone.

Also used to do the dishwasher cold water cycle trick; only concern there was getting the item totally dry for painting - longer it sits about wet, the longer a bit of oxidation on the surface which may not be a real problem at all. More worried about items like tank cars that might not be 100% sealed and getting a bit of moisture inside the tank. That methanol rinse helped on that front.

I am with Sarge - sort of. I have never had trouble with tarnished brass. A coat of prime, some glossy Scale Coat, bake about as long as you'd bake a chicken, then let it sit for a week. Decal, and coat.

But I have access to a bead blaster. There is no tooth better than a blasted one, and if you then do not touch it, it is clean. Blow all the beads off with compressed air (three times) then paint.

Just want it to look clean? Barkeepers. My Barkeepers does not put a shine on, and my experience with Simichrome (limited) is if you rub it it will shine as well as Brasso.

I have, and use, Brite-Dip frequently. It works well in certain situations. First thing you need to do is remove any grease or oil (it will act as a barrier). The second thing is to make sure all the clear coat is removed.....same scenario, it can act like a barrier. Think of brass models you've seen with finger prints etched in their surface. Some of the best Brite-Dip contains Chromic Acid.

The guy that does my casting dips the parts in nitric acid first and follows up with Brite-Dip. The nitric preps the brass. That how we get the nice yellow color.

Jay

Jay Criswell wrote:Some of the best Brite-Dip contains Chromic Acid.

Nasty.

The gut that does my casting dips the parts in nitric acid first and follows up with Brite-Dip. The nitric preps the brass. That how we get the nice yellow color.

What concentration Nitric? Another nasty burn waiting to happen.