Paul & Mike, Thank you very much for the brass cleaning info. Very helpful. Paul Milesi, RPT Washington, DC (202) 667-3136 E-mail: paul at pmpiano.com Website: http://www.pmpiano.com > From: Mike Spalding <mike.spalding1 at verizon.net> > Reply-To: <pianotech at ptg.org> > Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:43:02 -0600 > To: <pianotech at ptg.org> > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Cleaning and Polishing Brass Pedals & Face Plate, > etc. > > 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? I¹ve generally used Noxon and a cloth to >> clean brass or nickel-plated parts, or to polish key pins. Now I¹m >> 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 >> didn¹t seem to affect the surface (the brass seems pretty hard), but I >> don¹t want to scratch the front unnecessarily. Would you treat >> nickel-plated pedals differently? >> >> Finally, I¹ve 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 (³Clear Gloss²) 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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