Keeping brass bolsters looking great

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
6,676
Here's a tip for you guys always battling to keep your 110s, 112s and 55s shiny: Miracle Cloth. I bought two off Ebay a couple years ago and still haven't even opened the second one. I always hated using Brasso and have found this a much more convenient option. Definitely :thumbup: :thumbup: !
 
Interesting, but I don't want *any* patina...I followed a tip here on cleaning with Brasso or Nevr-Dull or whatever, and then putting a coat of paste car wax on the brass...works great! :)
 
Who said anything about a patina!? I'm telling you, Miracle Cloth polishes up brass like nobody's business. And without the mess of Brasso. What's not to like?
 
I think his point is that you don't have to keep re-polishing if you use the paste wax trick.

I've never tried it, though I'm tempted. I do use paste wax on my GB axes though. Works as well as oil at keeping the heads corrosion/rust free.

The Miracle cloths do work. My wife has one or two of them for jewelry.

But Brasso is not all that messy IMO. Just one paper towel and a hand wash is about all that's required. It's not like you're changing spark plugs. :D
 
What brasso will do is slowly remove the brass over time. This will only matter if you continue over several years, but believe me it will be noticable. I like never dull but you have the same problem. Just go aboard any navy ship and look at the brass that gets shined every morning. (The navy lives on never dull) I simply wipe the brass every few days with a piece of t-shirt material. I have a question about using paste wax. Can you still wipe off finger prints or is it a problem once the paste wax is on? I hate seeing fingerprints on the brass.
 
chickentrax said:
Interesting, but I don't want *any* patina...
Click to expand...

If you are referring to the original Miracle Cloth, it contains lemon oil and will react with carbon steel. You might want to first test it on something other than a prized shiny knife.

Miracle Cloth
 
redshanks said:
If you are referring to the original Miracle Cloth...
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Uh...*I* wasn't referring to Miracle Cloth...mnblade was... :rolleyes:

I'm the Nevr-Dull+Paste Wax guy... :D
 
redshanks said:
I would have sworn that you were referring to the patina imparted by the Miracle Cloth.
Click to expand...

In a roundabout way...The thread mnblade linked to referred to patina...as though it was something desirable...it may be, for antiques...I like my brass shiny... :)

Here's a quote from that thread -

It evened everything out, leaving just a nice even, dull grayish patina, much like the patina on my Grandad's old Dexter boning knife. Highly recommended.
 
chickentrax said:
In a roundabout way...The thread mnblade linked to referred to patina...as though it was something desirable...it may be, for antiques...I like my brass shiny... :)

Here's a quote from that thread -

It evened everything out, leaving just a nice even, dull grayish patina, much like the patina on my Grandad's old Dexter boning knife. Highly recommended.
Click to expand...
A bit misleading when you take patina out of context like that. mnblade, in that thread, is referring to patina on carbon steel blades which have already shown some signs of splotching--oxidation caused by any number of things (contact with oils, acidic substances, etc.). According to mnblade, the Miracle Cloth removes such splotching and leaves a more even patina.

I don't think he was making the same claim for the Miracle Cloth's effect on brass, which is not going to react in the same manner described above. The Miracle Cloth should work like Brasso and leave the brass bolsters shiny.
 
Guyon said:
mnblade, in that thread, is referring to patina on carbon steel blades which have already shown some signs of splotching--oxidation caused by any number of things (contact with oils, acidic substances, etc.). According to mnblade, the Miracle Cloth removes such splotching and leaves a more even patina.
Click to expand...
That's an excellent point. Carbon steel is very susceptible to those sorts of things. A fingerprint can leave a very noticeable stain. Which is why he talked about a grey patina after using the miracle cloth.
 
George has stones:eek: :eek: :eek:. JMWY.

Flitz is a very mild abrasive, like MAAS which I use(from Wally World-cheaper)...going to try the wax and see if it does prolong the shine. Preston
 
Guyon said:
...mnblade, in that thread, is referring to patina on carbon steel blades...
Click to expand...

But this thread is entitled "Keeping brass bolsters looking great"... :rolleyes:

In any event, there are probably dozens of ways of keeping the brass shiny...

For instance - the Japanese mfgs polish their aluminum motorcycle engine cases, then spray them with clear lacquer...the shine lasts for years... :)
 
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