Guest longman Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Hi,I got a pile of brass carburettors in a parts lot for my whippets, koala and atom brands.I pulled one of them apart and used carby cleaner on the inside to get rid of any buildup, but the outside is still tarnished and dirty.Does anyone know a good way to clean the outside of them without doing any damage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layden B Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner... don't know if you have that brand available there. Try one piece and see how you like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 A solution of lye will clean brass perfectly especially if it is hot. You may need to experiment a little to find how strong to make it. Always add lye to cold water.Tie a wire to the brass object soak it in the hot lye solution for a while then take it out and wash it off with water. It should come out looking like new.Obviously the carb has to come completely apart for this as the lye will attack other materials and dissolve aluminum completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longman Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks for the replies. We don't have Lysol brand here, or at least I've never seen it (though I did come across a small shop on Friday that sells Milk duds, junior mints and Reeses).Can I assume that Lysol is named such as it has Lye in it? If so I'll check our brands and see if there's anything close. I'll also check hardware stores for some lye. Any info on mixture ratios or is it on the pack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Another thing that might work is oven cleaner. Have not tried it on brass but it is great for cleaning and degreasing iron and steel parts.On the lye mixture I would start with a tablespoon full to a gallon of water. If this does not work you can add more lye. The lye will cut grease remove paint and clean the metal but it wears out after a while. The more grease and paint, the faster it wears out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenHupp20 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 White vinegar and water, soak overnight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longman Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Thanks for the other ideas. What ratio of vinegar/water would work best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RU22 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Yamaha makes an very good carb dip cleaner. Yamalube brandI agree bathroom cleaners work well too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidAU Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Longman'Lye is Caustic Soda. You can buy it in dry flake form at Bunnings or most other hardware stores and as Rusty said above, always add the flakes to the water, not the water to the flakes as it will "errupt" Also wear goggles and rubber gloves as it will burn skin.Vapour blasting which is blasting with glass beads and high pressure water in a booth is one of the best ways to clean alloy & brass etc if you have one in your area. It leaves a beautiful shiny surface when it is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenHupp20 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I would try 25 % Vinegar ,75% water . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longman Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Thanks guys.I have a spare half a koala carb in bits so will test on that. I've decided to test the vinegar/water first as I had the vinegar in the cupboard. 25% vinegar to 75% water. Will let you all know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longman Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 So, the verdict is in. I put a piece of the koala carb in the solution of 1:3 white vinegar and water. After 24 hours, I'm amazed at the result. The piece is completely cleaned and back to it's original colour. A rinse under water and a little wipe with some brasso and it's fab.Thanks for this super cheap easy tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenHupp20 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Great, and you can't beat the price either.Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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