Paul, Wire wheel is a no-no on brass - the scratches will be obvious. Metal polish such as Met-All or Flitz will be effective if there is no protective lacquer on the brass, otherwise you may have to strip the parts before polishing. You could also buff with tripoli compound followed by red rouge. For protective coatings, look for nitrocellulose lacquer formulated specifically for brass. These lacquers will chemically etch the brass for better adhesion. Nikolas makes one that is favored by brass instrument repair people - I think Mohawk or Behlen also make one. I've never seen or experienced the spotting that Paul McCloud mentioned. Surface prep is key - rinse and wipe with lacquer thinner to remove all of the polish and buffing compound before spraying Mike Paul Milesi wrote: > I am wondering about cleaning & polishing brass pedals, faceplate, > screws, etc. from a 1930s Steinway S. I know brass is an alloy of > copper and zinc, and that the proportions of zinc and copper can be > varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties (thank > you, Wikipedia). > > I know copper is a very soft metal. Is this relevant when choosing how > to polish brass piano parts? I’ve generally used Noxon and a cloth to > clean brass or nickel-plated parts, or to polish key pins. Now I’m > wondering: Are the pedals and faceplate a softer metal than, say, the > wire bristles of a wheel? Will the [steel?] bristles scratch the > brass? Should I stick to a cotton polishing/buffing wheel with a > compound or rouge? > > The wire seemed to clean the inside of the plate just fine, and it > didn’t seem to affect the surface (the brass seems pretty hard), but I > don’t want to scratch the front unnecessarily. Would you treat > nickel-plated pedals differently? > > Finally, I’ve read about but never tried, coating with a clear lacquer > after polishing. Do you recommend this for pedal parts, including > rods? I have some Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer (“Clear Gloss”) in a > spray can. Would this be the right stuff, say one light coat? > > All suggestions and info appreciated! BTW, this 70+ year-old piano > lives in a school practice room, if that makes any difference. > > Paul Milesi, RPT > Washington, DC > (202) 667-3136 > E-mail: paul at pmpiano.com > Website: http://www.pmpiano.com
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