[LargeFormat] Cleaning Metal

[Les Newcomer]

> From: "Pete Caluori" <pcaluori@hotmail.com>
> Reply-To: largeformat@f32.net
> Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 14:24:51
> To: largeformat@f32.net
> Subject: RE: [LargeFormat] Cleaning Metal
> 
> From: "Emerson Valley" <valleye@mnsi.net>
> Reply-To: largeformat@f32.net
> To: <largeformat@f32.net>
> Subject: RE: [LargeFormat] Cleaning Metal
> Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 09:15:01 -0500
> 
> Take them to a jeweler.  If they are heilooms I am sure you would not want
> to destroy them with a houshold cleaner that you were told to use by someone
> on the internet.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: largeformat-admin@f32.net [mailto:largeformat-admin@f32.net]On
> Behalf Of rstein
> Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 8:01 AM
> To: largeformat@f32.net
> Subject: [LargeFormat] Cleaning Metal
> 
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> Let me inject a serious note to the list.
> 
> There. Keep that on the screen for the next half hour and don't have
> any
> hot drinks until lunch. Yes, it always swells and bleeds like that and no,
> you don't look funny.
> 
> Now to the real question. Verdigris.
> 
> I have a couple of pairs of turn-of-the-last-century opera glasses that
> are family heirlooms. They have mother of pearl inlays and gold work, but
> there must be some brass in there as there are also some green corroded
> areas. Well, that is a capsule commentary on the family, really, but I want
> to clean them up for use as props in the studio.
> 
> Does anyone know what can be used to clean this sort of thing? I would
> like to avoid disassembly if possible.
> 
> Is this also applicable to older brass-barreled lenses? I have a couple
> of oddities given to me that might be usable if they could be salvaged.
> Thanks in advance for the technical assistance.
> 
> Uncle Dick
> 
> 
> Greetings Uncle Dick,
> 
> If these are heilooms, then surely you'll want to treat them appropriately.
> If however you want to tinker, there's a product sold in the USA called
> Brasso.  I don't know if it's available in your neck of the woods, but it's
> a good brass cleaner.
> 
> Regards, Pete
> 

Pete,

My dad has owned a 1912 Buick since he got out of the Army in '46, this was
our vacation car. Hence as a toddler, I had a bottle of milk in one hand and
a bottle of Brasso in the other, occasionally getting them confused and
attempting to polish brass with infamil.

While on large brass lenses or other objects that are all brass brasso works
well, particulalry on heavily tarnished brass.

but I would be afraid that the amonia would adversely effect the glue behind
the mother of pearl.