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  • 1.  Brass cleaning

    Posted 10-12-2022 14:33
    Our housekeeping staff is looking for a safe, preferably low/no odor, product for cleaning brass.  Any suggestions?

    Thanks!

    Milissa

    Milissa Brooks-Ojibway
    Collections Manager

    (218) 726-8939   |  (218) 343-7574 (cell)
    888-454-GLEN
    3300 London Road, Duluth, MN 55804





  • 2.  RE: Brass cleaning

    Posted 10-12-2022 16:02
    Hi Melissa, 

    Thank you for reaching out to the C2C community! Although the C2C Care program does not endorse any particular manufacturer or product, I hope members will contribute their recommendations for a safe, preferably low/no odor, product for cleaning brass.

    The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping recommends using a brass/copper tarnish inhibiting cloth for lighter tarnish and fingerprints and an abrasive paste for heavier tarnish (p. 256). The National Trust uses Solvol Autosol, which is also available in the US; you may find the SDS helpful for determining if this product will meet your needs. 




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    Sharon Fickeissen
    Connecting to Collections Care Monitor
    Senior Library Conservation Technician
    Hagley Museum & Library
    Wilmington DE
    (302) 658-2400
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Brass cleaning

    Posted 10-13-2022 09:24
    I'm not sure what you're cleaning, but we have a collection of vintage outboard fishing motors. I used Brasso, picked it up at Menards, to clean the fingerprints and heavy tarnish off of the brass areas of the motors. Brasso can also be used on stainless, chrome, aluminum, pewter, bronze, and copper. There are a couple of ways to go about using it. A pea sized amount or smaller on a microfiber cloth and you rub that into that area that needs cleaned. Then using a clean microfiber cloth polish the brass (removing any excess Brasso from your object). If that brass is heavily tarnished you can leave Brasso on for a couple of minutes and then wipe off with a clean microfiber cloth. I had to utilize this with the motors because our movers used the brass areas of the motor to move the motors around.

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    Megan Hansen
    Curator of Collections
    Mead Museum
    Yankton County Historical Society
    Yankton, South Dakota
    research@meadbuilding.org
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Brass cleaning

    Posted 10-14-2022 13:36
    Here is an interesting article worth reading which states, 

    " Cleaning Materials to be avoided 
    Commercial cleaning products such as Silvo™, Brasso™, chrome polishes or bicarbonate of soda based cleaners are very abrasive and are difficult to control upon application. They contain ammonia and abrasives, which can clean too aggressively, causing irreversible damage to the surface of your metal arefacts if not used correctly. They should be avoided"



    Craig Deller
    Historic Artifact Conservator
    Fellow-AIC


    "With great intelligence comes great annoyance"

    Bucky Katt 



    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Brass cleaning

    Posted 10-13-2022 11:19
    Milissa,
    There is also a CCI Note on the topic The Cleaning, Polishing and Protective Waxing of Brass and Copper https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/care--brass-copper.html

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    Brad Bredehoft
    CEO
    Museum Study, LLC
    Minneapolis MN
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Brass cleaning

    Posted 10-21-2022 12:23

    In the UK we avoid any metal cleaner with ammonia in it when cleaning copper alloys (especially brass) because of the long-term stress-cracking problem.  A safe, gentle, but effective cleaner is Pre-Lim – a very fine paste of silica microfossils (chalk) in a slightly oily emulsion. It is pleasant to use and easy to clean off the remaining residue afterwards. https://www.picreator.co.uk/?page_id=161  It may need repeated applications if the brass is very heavily corroded, but will eventually result in a mirror finish if required.

     

    Solvol Autosol chrome polish is much more abrasive. It will produce a rapid removal of corrosion products and can also be buffed to a mirror finish, but should be used with caution on old metal surfaces.

     

    Always make sure the residue is thoroughly removed.  Use brushes with natural or fine plastic bristles and wooden toothpicks. Never use anything harder (e.g. metal points) to clean copper alloys objects

     

    I hope this helps

    All the best

    Helena

     

    Helena Jaeschke

    Conservation Development Officer, South West Museum Development




    Original Message


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