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I use Peek. Very good stuff! Use sparingly, and its does the job real quick!
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Higgs Particle steel said:
Hi I was curious if anyone has any recommendations of a substance to use to clean a polished brass guard without scratching it. Its got some stains from oil or something, its not major but Id like to clean it.

I have Flitz, some 0000 steel wool, soap, rubbing alcohol, CLP. I need to go buy some sandpaper but Im not sure what grit would be best for light cleaning.
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The Flitz should handle it easily (assuming it's their polishing paste or liquid, with very, very fine polishing abrasive). No need for the steel wool, sandpaper or anything else, assuming there are no heavy scratches to remove. Use a clean rag with the Flitz, for application and buffing off. A little goes a long way, on brass.
 
The defacto standard polish is Simichrome. Flitz should work.
Brasso is pretty coarse, and it migrates to crevices. When it dries, it shows a white line.
 
Some oils and rust protectants may stain brass, e.g. the photo below.
I use Brasso or Simichrome on medium felt wheel on Dremel

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Worse is the case of clear coating on brass parts. Sooner or later it will fail, and tarnish will start to creep in. Then to clean it up you need to strip off the coating... hopefully not your case.

As long as you've mentioned steel wool - it is for wood, never ever use it on knives because on metal it works as a rust catalyst
 
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It's the iron dust dropping off the fine steel wool that invites rust.
Even wood polished with steel wool may develop brownish specks because of that.
 
Steel wool is only a "rust catalyst" if you leave the shavings sitting there.
I use steel wool daily in my restoration shop on metal and wood. In 45 years, I have never seen it cause rust.
It's a non-issue.
 
I am talking of knives, not cast iron fences.
Steel wool causing rust speckling in the wood is a commonplace - why would steel be any different?
Sure I wash the blades with solvents, yet I saw the steel wool with many "0" causing pitting in my blade restoration jobs, and just feel obliged to warn others - the pitting develops in a week or so.
Make a simple check yourself - shake a piece of the steel wool 0000 over a sheet of print paper and appreciate the amount of iron drops.
When used on folding knives, the iron dust gets in every crevice and causes deep pitting there ruining the folder value.
The only reason manufacturers keep recommending it on steel is as said above "I guess its a fools world! "

If you guys have time, look through this thread on our Australian forum, decrowning renown anti-corrosion brands.
My tests are on the page 4 of the thread, but every page there is worth a look.
https://www.australianbladeforums.c...095-surprising-results.html?30391=#post281625
 
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I'm talking knives. Google the name. Go to the web site.
I make knives. I design knives for production. I do museum-quality restorations on expensive knives.
I'm a factory-authorized repair center for about a dozen manufacturers. I'm a trained jeweler. I'm a gunsmith. I'm a hand (AND machine) engraver.
I have been doing this stuff for about 45 years.
Maybe in Australia, when you leave steel wool residue on something, it causes rust. In the rest of the world, all you have to do is remove the residue and rust will not be a problem.
 
Don't laugh but Colgates puts a nice shine on brass, no worries about using it on food.
Brasso is highly toxic be careful with it.
 
I just rub it til it shines with a cloth. The pros above have listed some good products, just don’t scratch it up
 
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