brass cleaners

T

Tatsuo

Joined
Jul 28, 2000
Messages
66
hi everyone, I have a quick question:
I have found that, unless I dont touch the bolster and buttcap on my khukuris at all, the brass quickly dulls and turns a brownish color. while i think this is perfectly fine for "working khukuris", I would like to clean up some of my nicer models.
In the past I have had bad experience with brass cleaners; they work beautifully, except that the brass starts to oxidize again within hours. I was wondering what everyone else uses.
Any suggestions? are there cleaners out there that will keep the brss clean and shiny for longer? I tried searching for this in the archives, but couldn't find anything; if anyone knows of any past threads on the topic, i would love to know.
sorry for the long post

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Tatsuo
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"He who laughs at himself laughs best" :D
 
Tatsuo, I've had good luck with a number of different polishers and cleaners, but I think some of the best are found in the auto section of any Wal Mart or K Mart. Most modern auto waxes contain cleaning, polishing, and protective compounds. And any of the auto polishes designed for chrome or aluminum rims will work well. Interestingly enough, the only polishes/cleaners that I've had problems with, in terms of quickly tarnishing, are those sold specifically for brass.
 
Brasso.....the wonder-liquid and the bane of all seamen the world over. I use it regularly on my khuks. Works rather nicely
 
Start with flitz. It's very agressive and will clean very well. If you polish too much, the brass will lighten, almost to a silvery color, so be careful. It leaves a protective coating on the brass that will keep it from tarnishing for quite a while if you don't handle it. Otherwise, I use some good liquid car polish on blade and bolsters. leaves a tough waterproof, fingerproof shine.

Tom
 
I have found the Cape Cod polishing cloths work quite well. As I recall, they use a citrus based formula. They smell great. You can get them at a lot of retailers. Here is the company information if interested.

Cape Cod Polish Company, Inc.
Po Box 2039
Dennis, MA 02638
Phone: (508) 385-5099
Fax: (508) 385-7466

Fox
 
I've just polished my UBE with Simichrome. It easily took the brass to a light gold color -- very nice. I then immediately put some fancy paste wax over it, and I am curious to see how long it keeps the brass looking nice.
 
thanks for all the gret tips!!!
smile.gif


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Tatsuo
*************
"He who laughs at himself laughs best" :D
 
I like Simichrome. The polish as it comes from the can has a 'wet' active component. If you rub some on a piece of toweling and let it dry, the polishing action of this polishing cloth is much less aggressive...takes tarnish, but not metal.
I also have a toweling wax cloth that has lots of carnauba wax auto polish in it...rub down handles, blades and even guns with it occasionally, and never get very bad discoloration on brass or rust on steel.
I have tried silicon cloths on the recommendation of an old gunsmith friend, but found that it worked better on wood than metal, and the residue is an eye irritant for me. Thank goodness for auto polish technology!
Ken

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The sword cannot cut itself, the eye cannot see itself.
 
Uncle Bill is rubbing it in. Here the high is in the low 100's, low tonight is supposed to be 78. My electric bill can now be measured in units of khukuris.
 
Kevin, I know the area. Remember, I grew up in Cherokee, Kansas and worked on a custom hay baler when I was a kid -- all the long, hot summer. When I was in college there, Pittsburg, Kansas was the hot spot in the US four days running -- 124 degrees! I was taking summer courses and our rooms were not air conditioned!

I've been there, you ARE there!

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
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