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Cleaning raw brass

Just out of curiosity...on the horn you posted here, why did you choose to go with Barkeeper's as opposed to Jax ?
I suppose mostly because I wanted to match the portion where I started. It also seemed to be abrasive enough to give a slightly "brushed" finish which would better match the keys. When I have used the Jax products in the past it is usually as just a first step, prior to buffing, or giving a scratch finish with the abrasive wheel.
 
I have two vintage Conn trombones with bare brass bells - one is the inner/outer surfaces and the other is only the outer. I have been using Wright's Brass polish on these bells and the inner surface of the brass outer slide tubes per the trombone repair pros. Wrights is water based and rinses off easily. I apply it with terry cloth and most of the time spots come off easily. If not, a little bit of pressure and plenty of polish and the spots are gone. I follow the cleaning with Mother's California Gold carnuba paste wax.

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As for Brasso, it is ammonia based and much more abrasive. I have been advised to avoid it by multiple techs in the tbone repair world, even on the exterior of a bell flare.
 
As for Brasso, it is ammonia based and much more abrasive. I have been advised to avoid it by multiple techs in the tbone repair world, even on the exterior of a bell flare.

I'm always curious about metal polishes I haven't heard of before because I live in hope that someone has discovered a new way to clean brass.
So I headed off to the Wright's site and pulled up the safety data sheets - and whaddya know? Acid (oxalic) and ammonia.
 
I'm always curious about metal polishes I haven't heard of before because I live in hope that someone has discovered a new way to clean brass.
So I headed off to the Wright's site and pulled up the safety data sheets - and whaddya know? Acid (oxalic) and ammonia.

I thought that can't be right if it's water based. They'd react to form ammonium oxalate. Looking at the safety data and it actually says anhydrous ammonia so there is no water in it. The solvent is a mixture of propylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol.
 
I intended to say water soluble in the post above... sorry for the misinformation
 
I thought that can't be right if it's water based. They'd react to form ammonium oxalate. Looking at the safety data and it actually says anhydrous ammonia so there is no water in it. The solvent is a mixture of propylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol.

There seems to be some confusion on the site too - one of the FAQs for the brass cleaner (the smaller bottle) says there's no oxalic acid in it.
 
I'm always curious about metal polishes I haven't heard of before because I live in hope that someone has discovered a new way to clean brass.
So I headed off to the Wright's site and pulled up the safety data sheets - and whaddya know? Acid (oxalic) and ammonia.
Interesting, although I will confirm what Travis noted - Wrights Polish is not as aggressive/abrasive as Brasso.

But I guess this also sorta confirms what you were noted, Stephen: it is more the abrasiveness of the particles IN the cream polish than the chemical makeup of the cream itself.

Also - just so not to create confusion for future perusers of this convo, the Wrights product I use and have been referring to on this site is their Copper Cream, which is applied with water and a sponge (so obviously requires complete disassembly) as either a second cleaning step after a chem bath...or I sometimes suggest it for DIY'ers who do not wish to take their horn to a tech for a bath, but need an agent more effective than a paste polish:


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If the Copper Cream is anything like the Silver Cream (which I use for mouthpieces) then I am sure it is a solid choice.
 
The Silver Cream totally rocks, too - yes, it is what I use as for the same stage of work on silverplate horns (post-chem bath, pre-hand polish).
Sometimes when my bath solution had gone bad, or weak, I have even used the Silver Cream as the main 'cleaner', and it did a good job on its own, too....
 
I am reviving this old thread because I have just made a neat discovery while doing a COA (clean, oil, adjust) on a customer's "Brute" finish Cannonball alto sax. One of the things that stood out following the cleaning with soap and water were a large number of areas of "gringris" ("green stuff" as Stephen Howard calls it) which is common on raw brass. I have had some success removing it on the tops of toneholes using Naptha, but that didn't work very well on the Brute finish. Brass polish of any sort would have removed the "patina" and left a shiny area. Finally I tried a bit of Renaissance Wax, and it worked beautifully.

I have used it in the past as a "protective finish" after giving a sax a "brushed brass" look and for cleaning up rusty blue steel springs, but the removal of "green stuff" makes it an even more important part of my "kit". Sorry, I didn't think to take any before and after photos. Being in "Cannonball Country" I'm sure there will be other examples to show as time goes on.
 
I used to have a great polishing cloth like this one or that one. It had pioneer on it. Unfortunately, I was stupid enough to put it in the washing machine and of course it lost all of it's polishing rouge. :confused: I didn't realize it had rouge in it and thought there was something about that cloth that was abrasive...

Anyway, I'm looking for a similar one but I can't find it. I got that one in the case of one of my horns. I quickly found out it had to be used with care as it would ruin the finish of a laquered horn. But on a delaquered horn, it's just great!

If any of you have any idea where to find the equivalent, I'm interested.

Otherwise, I'm have to ask my brother to ship one from the US of A. He used to send me stuff I ordered via some french tourists returning from tours he guided, but these days are currently over!
 
Anyway, I'm looking for a similar one but I can't find it. I got that one in the case of one of my horns. I quickly found out it had to be used with care as it would ruin the finish of a laquered horn. But on a delaquered horn, it's just great!

If any of you have any idea where to find the equivalent, I'm interested.
If you can find a Blitz cloth, those are very good. From your description, basically the same product.

 
There is one more product that I have used to good effect, and that is Miracle Cloth. It is a bit greasy and messy when used turning black, but it produces a shiny finish on brass that resembles buffing. I cut it into strips and "rag" the surface wearing latex gloves.

This is the before and after on a Mark VI restoration where Miracle Cloth was used on areas of the body that were not safe to buff such as around toneholes and posts. Some areas that were deeply scratched and pitted required some careful sanding prior to polishing.

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There is one more product that I have used to good effect, and that is Miracle Cloth. It is a bit greasy and messy when used turning black, but it produces a shiny finish on brass that resembles buffing. I cut it into strips and "rag" the surface wearing latex gloves.

This is the before and after on a Mark VI restoration where Miracle Cloth was used on areas of the body that were not safe to buff such as around toneholes and posts. Some areas that were deeply scratched and pitted required some careful sanding prior to polishing.
Looks good...does that product leave a wet residue that needs to be washed off afterward?
 
Looks good...does that product leave a wet residue that needs to be washed off afterward?
It can be wiped off with a lot of rubbing using a soft absorbent cloth. I sometimes use a warm "bath" with Dawn dish washing detergent and a soft brush for both raw brass and silver instruments after they have been polished. Even Haggerty's spray is black to the touch no matter how much ragging and polishing is done.
 
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