<HTML>Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 23:22:54 -0400 From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> Subject: Re: Brass finishing Boy, I don't know about this acid stuff. I think maybe I'll stick with the buffing wheel and just go down to the "Play It Again" used sporting goods store and get a hockey goalie outfit and put a mattress over the windows! (BTW, anyone want to store their priceless pianos in my shop?) - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Nossaman" <RNossaman@KSCABLE.com> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 10:41 PM Subject: Re: Brass finishing > > Hydrochloric acid is the main ingredient. > > For brass, I've used muriatic acid, which is a hydrochloric dilution from a > swimming pool supply house instead of an industrial supply house, to good > effect. I find it leaves the brass with a slight "frosty" appearance that > buffs up quickly and nicely. I've mostly used it to clean and demineralize > water faucet parts rather than to prettify hinges, but it works pretty darn > good with both. Hint: don't go off and leave parts soaking in this brew. Be > there, and be ready, because the parts "age" pretty quickly to the point > that parts of parts will become past parts of parts if you let your > attention wander for too long. And yes, wear gloves. Wear goggles. Wear > armor. Wear a respirator (two if possible), and do it outdoors (on the > neighbor's lawn if they aren't home). The stuff will cheerfully digest you > if you let it. > > > Ron N </BLOCKQUOTE> Just a side note to what Ron N is saying about muriatic acid.  Not only is it used in swimming pools, but when I worked years ago for a band instrument company, there was a vat of muriatic acid in the repair shop into which brass instruments to be refinished were dipped to clean off any remaining corrosion.  They were then buffed out and lacquered--though today they are frequently sprayed with an epoxy finish (guaranteed to seal in the tone, in case it's ever needed!).  So it's used regularly for brass cleaning......and in many more applications than just hardware and hinges. Regards, Stan Ryberg Barrington IL mailto:jstan40@aol.com</HTML>