Metal products made using brass are distinguished by their original color and extraordinary brilliance. But over time, brass is able to lose its decorative properties, since metal is oxidized under the influence of air. This process leads to discoloration, staining and loss of luster of the product. Therefore, often beautiful jewelry has to be put away in a secluded place.
To prevent this from happening, brass products must be properly looked after. And it is not necessary to immediately contact a specialist or use harmful chemicals. How and how to clean brass at home, we will try to figure it out in this article.
A bit of history
Brass is a metal made from an alloy of copper and zinc, with the standard ratio being one unit of copper to two units of zinc. Also, manganese, nickel, tin, aluminum, lead can be added to the composition. The inclusion of these components significantly changes the properties and color of the alloy.
Even thoughpeople learned about brass even before our era, the main component of the alloy, zinc, became known only in the 16th century. Even in ancient Rome, on the basis of an alloy of copper with zinc ore, household utensils and various decorations were made.
Brass accessories were brought to Russia from Central Asia, where the production of products from this alloy was also established. These items and decorations were highly valued by the nobility for their unique color, brilliance and high quality. Since 1746, when zinc was discovered, brass has also appeared.
Brass application
Brass alloys are very often called the eternal metal, because products made from this material are highly resistant to wear. So, an alloy with a 20% zinc content, a two-component type, is widely used in the automotive industry, for the manufacture of spare parts. Such an alloy is widely used in heat engineering, due to which a large number of valves are made of brass.
Different pipes and springs are made from multi-component brass, which are widely used in aircraft and shipbuilding. And the high resistance of the material to magnetic attraction has found its application in the manufacture of compasses. Cast brass coated for rust protection.
And, of course, brass alloys are widely used in jewelry production. So, a good jeweler using brass, which includes 5% aluminum and 15% zinc, is able to create products that are very difficult to distinguish from gold jewelry.
To preserve the appearance of the alloy, some cleaning operations must be performed regularly. Therefore, before cleaning brass at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for caring for an alloy.
Brass Care Rules
Qualitatively clean copper, brass can be subject to the following recommendations:
- To remove oxides and heavy contamination, it is necessary to use cleaning products that do not contain abrasive elements in their composition. Such products can be purchased at specialized household chemical stores or prepared independently at home.
- Lacquer coating must not be exposed to aggressive substances. It is better to treat such surfaces with a rag or cotton pad moistened with soapy water.
- Remove plaque and heavy soiling with a soft bristle brush.
- The use of acetic, hydrochloric and citric acid allows for quick cleaning. But in doing so, it is necessary to act with great care so as not to cause harm.
- It is not recommended to use the dishwasher to wash brassware as it may darken.
Preparing brass for cleaning
Before you clean brass at home, you need to perform a number of preparatory operations:
- First you need to determine what the product is made of. Such a small test can be carried out using a magnet. So, if the alloy is brass, the magnet is not attracted to the product. Whenif the part is magnetic, then it is made of another metal, and has only a thin brass coating.
- Determining the age of a brass product is of no small importance, since the alloy was previously treated with special protective compounds. Such tools made it possible to create a protective layer that protected the metal from the harmful effects of negative factors.
- The practical step in preparing brass for the cleaning process is to remove contaminants from its surface. This is done with a soap solution or detergent. The workpiece is immersed in the solution for 20 minutes, and then cleaned with a brush.
- Also an important step is the removal of varnish from the surface of the product. You can use nail polish remover for this purpose. The most gentle way is to immerse the product in hot water. This expands the metal, and then cooling narrows it, and the varnish peels off.
The implementation of these preparatory measures will further improve the quality of brass cleaning.
Basic ways to clean brass
The modern chemical industry offers a wide variety of substances and compositions than to clean brass at home. You can buy cleaning agents in many hardware stores, but it’s not difficult to prepare such mixtures literally from improvised means that every housewife has. Remember, when choosing a cleaning agent in a store, you need to pay attention to the absence of chemically active elements in their composition that can harm the alloy.
From the main substances that are used in the cleaning of brass, we can distinguish:
- acetone;
- oxalic acid;
- citric acid;
- acetic acid.
But many owners of brass jewelry are afraid to use chemicals. In this case, folk remedies come to the rescue. How can brass be cleaned? Pay attention to the following lineups:
- toothpaste;
- soap solution;
- table vinegar;
- lemon juice with s alt.
The choice of means is carried out empirically. To do this, it is better to try to clean an inconspicuous area of \u200b\u200bthe product.
How to quickly clean brass, we will consider in more detail later.
Cleaning brass with acetone
Acetone is one of the most effective preparations for removing various brass defects, especially alloy darkening. It is worth noting that this substance dissolves paint or varnish well, so after using it, you will have to restore the protective coating.
Before you clean brass with acetone, you need to perform preparatory operations that will allow you to do the job with the highest quality.
The procedure for cleaning is as follows:
- First, soak a cotton swab with acetone.
- Next, you need to intensively process the darkened parts of the product.
- Then rinse the workpiece under running hot water, it is better to use an additional detergent.
- Wipe the product with a soft cloth until dry.
Remember that all work must be done with protective gloves.
Using oxalic acid
It is not recommended to use oxalic acid in its pure form, as it is an aggressive substance. Protective gloves and goggles must be worn before cleaning.
The work order is as follows:
- We dilute 25 grams of acid in one liter of water. It is better to prepare the solution in a plastic container.
- Wet a sponge or cotton swab with a solution, and process the brass billet.
- We stand the moistened workpiece for 15–20 minutes, and then thoroughly wash it in warm water and soapy water.
- After that, dry the product.
The product will darken during cleaning, but this coating will disappear after rinsing.
You can clean brass by immersing the product in a container with an acid solution. In this way, you can clean both old brass and stubborn dirt. After such a bath, the product is washed and dried.
Citric acid
The combination of citric acid and baking soda effectively cleans brass items.
For this you need:
- dissolve 60 g of soda in 50 ml of water;
- treat the product with this composition with a cotton swab or sponge;
- after 20 minutes wipe the product with lemon pulp;
- after 40 minutes rinse the brass with water and dry with a soft cloth.
If it was not possible to achieve the desiredresult, then before you clean the brass to a shine, you must repeat all the operations. Usually a second cleaning will achieve the desired effect.
Acetic acid
The use of acetic acid is an effective tool for removing oxides and soot from brass products. Cleaning work is recommended to be carried out in a well-ventilated area, as vinegar vapors have a harmful effect on the human body.
For high-quality cleaning of brass you need:
- Fill the container with water, add vinegar and s alt. One tablespoon of s alt is added to a glass of vinegar.
- Put the container on the stove and wait for the mixture to boil.
- Then you need to immerse the product to be cleaned in the boiling composition.
- Boil it all for three hours. When the mixture boils, add the appropriate ingredients in the desired proportion.
- Afterwards, thoroughly rinse the product and dry it.
A very effective way is to use vinegar dough:
- Add a glass of flour from an equal ratio to a mixture of water and vinegar. Flour is used as an absorbent.
- This pasty mass should be applied to a brass piece.
- Wait about 20 minutes and wipe the product with a damp cloth.
- Wash and dry item.
If it was not possible to remove all stains, all actions must be repeated.
Folk recipes
Before cleaning the brass to make it shine, using acidfunds, try to turn your attention to some folk remedies. These recipes effectively remove minor brass stains without damaging the structure of the material.
Folk methods include:
Cleaning brass with toothpaste. This way you can get rid of a slight darkening of the brass. Using a soft brush, toothpaste is applied to the surface of the product. After waiting a little, the composition is washed off with warm water and the product is dried
- Since ancient times in Russia, the method of cleaning brass with the help of cranberries has been widely used. To do this, the cranberries were simply rubbed into the surface of the brass, and after 15 minutes they were washed off with water.
- Also, light soiling could be effectively removed with soapy water. This method is considered the most gentle, as it does not damage the brass surface at all.
- An effective method is to use a mixture of buttermilk (200 ml) and s alt (one teaspoon). This mixing releases carbon dioxide, which effectively cleans brass stains.
As you can see from the article, there are many effective ways to clean brass products with high quality. For owners of beautiful brass jewelry who do not want to work with acid products, folk recipes can be used. Remember that it is better to start cleaning with less active substances. If the desired result cannot be achieved, then only stronger chemical compounds can be used.
