How to Clean Brass with Homemade Bronze and Brass Cleaner Hack - Bonus on Polishing!

[@Rush-gz9sx]

From a Professional metal polisher. So far the most accurate home polishing of brass KZbin video I've seen yet. Avoid anyone telling you to use steel wool. This guys got it right.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[@FixNewsPlease]

That's bronze.

[@huyked]

@@FixNewsPlease 3:21 That's brass.

[@FixNewsPlease]

@@huyked If you think so I'm not going to bother trying to change your mind. I know it's 651 bronze, that's fine with me.

[@huyked]

@@FixNewsPlease Well, I'm just going by what the guy said at that timestamp. You may know better for what the part is.

[@hissingsidll750]

This is a great way to do fiddly stuff like brass chains.......tried it and it works great

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

That's great to hear!

[@Whalermansteve84]

I have a 1966 whaler too. Love my boat. Hate the nasty Norman pins. Mine are so nasty. Now I watched your video I may try to redo mine again. Those pins are hard to find and if you find them , the seller wants a fortune for them. Good video man

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Getting them off the boat was the real challenge! I did the first few manually but this method was a lot easier! Thanks!

[@sprezzatura8755]

I use Bar Keeper's Friend with an SOS pad. Then I polish with Brasso. Comes up beautiful.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Thanks for the input!

[@terencemuir]

clear with good detail

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Thanks!

[@salmadoes_]

Wowwww. Magic😍 thank you so much

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Your Welcome!

[@chrissandi9613]

Good technique there. I don't have a buffing wheel, so for the last stage I use steel wool, and if badly discoloured tackle that beforehand with progressively finer wet & dry paper (silicon carbide). I'm wary about the vinegar bath, as I've buggered-up some things, where the reaction removes the zinc, and leaves copper-pink. Therefore, here's a Q. for you, Jose: I notice you've still got some copper look about these fittings, after polishing. Is it impossible to remove that?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

That is a good question, I'm pretty certain these are Bronze through out so I think the color is there to stay. I no longer have the 13 so cant experiment any more.

[@louisjamesbonsay905]

I am picket here in the Philippines. Love your video bro! Just would like to ask if I can use tootbrush instead? haha Thanks bro

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I don't see why not, it's worth a try!

[@jacquelinealbornoz6702]

A bit too close to the camera. Thanks for the tutorial, definitely the best I have seen!!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Noted! Thanks!

[@chaddamp2894]

Thankyou very much for this,it's helped me a lot !!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Your very welcome!

[@robertdodds6683]

thanks for sharing, I'm going to give this technique a try

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Please do! let us know how it worked

[@leonard.r8266]

thank you my brothe!!!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Your welcome!

[@KITTYGALOREXXX]

Yes! I adore your straight talk, common sense approach. You should teach chemistry.🤗😊😉💞

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Thank you, that's one of the nicest compliments I've received!

[@kimmikaur6325]

Amazing very helpful

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Your welcome Kimmi!

[@matthewjohnston1400]

Would you rise the brass pieces thoroughly after the salt and vinegar bath to avoid future corrosion?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Yes, definitely

[@angieshields8617]

Thanks for the advice. Worked prefect. Wish I could add a picture

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

That's great! I'm glad it was helpful!

[@gunduraodeo1515]

Realy , shoked. 👈🏻👌🏼

[@winfieldhoulder141]

I will try it

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Give it a shot you'll be happy with the results!

[@dreasmom2789]

It works. Thank you.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Your welcome and thanks for watching!

[@Sol0iste]

Superb, we went from £300 for new knobs and knockers to "those look lovely" in an afternoon!!! So much better than Brasso!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Great to hear!

[@AN-fh9hq]

Is there another way to polish at home, other than using a lathe?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Use very fine grit sandpaper 1000 and polish by hand or put on a drill and polish with a rag and polishing compound

[@Spartan_Ray]

Wonder if citric acid solution instead of vinegar would do much better.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Good question. I may give that a try on the next go around.

[@jasonbruno1779]

So I have and old bronze wind chime that I grabbed from my grandmas house after she passed away last year, been soaking it in vinegar and got it back to the original bronze color, since it’s going back outside is there a way to keep it looking shiny, will hitting with a few coats of clear coat work?

[@williamhill5933]

Jade oil

[@stefanruijl8581]

What kind of brush did you use?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

That was a fine bristle steel brush. But I think a brass brush would have worked just as well.

[@sylviajb5762]

How do you get deep scratches out of a brass plaque (viewpoint finder) with lettering engraved on it) please? Done by a vandal, probably with a sharp stone.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

The only thing I can think of is to sand it but you risk sanding off any engraving or detail

[@carolynpacilio8781]

Any suggestions on self restoring a bronze cemetery marker? The marker company charges as much as getting a new one!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I'm not sure about how to approach that, if its large, you may have to resort to a good brass cleaner on site. If you can remove it temporarily that opens up some options.

[@phrogs_r_cool7884]

Excuse me dose it work on brass instruments

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

It works on all uncoated brass. But I would not put an expensive brass instrument in an acidic solution such as this.

[@charlescoker7752]

Can you spray them with some kind of coating to keep them from tarnishing?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I thought about a clear coat of enamel or varnish but decided to go without.

[@patprop74]

What metal is brass in colour but when I polish it on the wheel it almost looks silver? silvery and shiny, The stamp on the back of the photo frame says made in Italy, any clue?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

It might be plated with brass, perhaps steel?

[@patprop74]

@@ExtremeDIYGuy definitely not steel, is there anywhere I can post a side-by-side comparison photo? would it help?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

@@patprop74 I'm not sure that I would be able to help with pictures. Are these Norman pins off if a Boston Whaler?

[@patprop74]

@@ExtremeDIYGuyNo problem ill figure it out at one point lol, No no no, it's not off a boat, they are older photo frames.

[@hawkercnc8261]

@@ExtremeDIYGuy brass and bronze come in many different mixes. When you etch with chemical you remove the zinc leaving copper hence the pink colour. If the mix has a lot of tin which is white it will be a different colour. Speculum metal was used by the Victorians in telescopes as a mirror has loads of tin in it. German silver which is not silver has loads of nickel in it as far as I remember. It used to be used for surgical instruments. Loads of alloys, loads of different colours. There is something called the electrochemical series which is a list of how reactive different metals are. Silver dip works in this way. I think that the aluminium is more reactive and this is what is going on, ions are transferring. 55 years ago when I learnt this! To remove chrome plate use electrolysis, a trick used on modern surgical instruments to show brass underneath and sell them as antiques.

[@vheissumusic]

This was extremely helpful, thank you!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

You're very welcome!

[@elaztekasolitario4269]

...............................Thank you!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Welcome!

[@chucklane]

Any tips for getting the chrome plating off?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I don't have any offhand, mine didn't have chrome plating on them.

[@ScooterFXRS]

Acid based drain cleaner

[@petarhadzhiivanov4469]

Al is more negative in polarity than drass. In fact the vinegar and polishing are doing the job.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

ok thanks

[@wingsonmyback1]

how about a brass bed?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Electrolysis would be tough win a brass bed. You may want to try 000 or 0000 steel wool and then follow up with a good brass polish. I would test that in a hidden area first though so that you can make sure it doesn't scratch the brass. One other thing, depending on when the bed was made, it may have a clear coating on it.

[@Ham549]

Try boiling water and bakeing soda that is what I use for silver and it dosen't smell as bad.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Sounds like it's worth trying, thanks!

[@fludrbywest3886]

Does this work for plated brass metal too?

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I think it should but I would try a few pieces to test first and probably limit the amount of time in the solution!

[@littlelimepenguin6184]

its not really electrolysis, you just made hydrochloric acid by mixing nacl and ch3cooh, and then the HCl reacted with the aluminium foil to create hydrogen gas and hence the bubbling. in reality you dont need the aluminum foil

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I'll have to give it try without the aluminum

[@troyadams3665]

Beat me to it

[@elfpimp1]

Sooo, a 6 inch grinder wheel 80 is a no?? 😗

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Yeah I wouldn't do it, might take to much away and the end result would not be pretty.

[@FixNewsPlease]

You're polishing bronze my friend.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Those are Norman pins that came off of a classic Boston Whaler. Whaler only made those pins in Stainless (later years) and brass. Another point to consider is that Bronze isn't strong enough to tie off a boat. Thanks for the feedback!

[@FixNewsPlease]

@@ExtremeDIYGuy Bronze is much stronger than brass. Bronze bolts are used to bold lead keels to boats where brass would fail. Bronze cleats are common on many vessels. Also, brass will corrode terribly around salt water as well and is rarely used except for ornamental pieces.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I stand corrected, did a bit more research and you are correct, they are bronze, not brass. Still came out nice though!

[@FixNewsPlease]

@@ExtremeDIYGuy I wasn't being a smart ass, I just knew you might have been mistaken. I restore wooden boats and deal with bronze almost daily. Most wooden boats have cleats, shackles, sheaves, stemheads, mastheads, floors and keel boats all cast in bronze, all of which require strenght. Brass is more "ornamental" though some people use brass screws because they are easier to source than bronze. All that aside, they did turn out nicely. Cheers!

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

I took it in good stride friend! I appreciate solid feedback, thanks! Check out my Boston Whaler restoration videos if you get the chance.

[@Brandon-lz5xc]

A full sensory experience.. I could actually smell the vinegar

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Lol, thats awesome!

[@Wickedstickyflowers]

Try gas

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Great suggestion!

[@petercrossley1069]

Easier to use 0000 wire wool.

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

There are many ways to get this done, 0000 is but another

[@peaceandlove2945]

ContainEr is spelled with an E not with an O

[@ExtremeDIYGuy]

Yes, I saw that typo after I uploaded the video. Unfortunately, I can't change it without deleting the video and reuploading it which would force me to start over.