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Which brass polish?


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What is the best brass polish to use on my car? I want something that will take off the usual corrosion and protect for a while. I don't want something too harsh, either. My brass is not lacquered. Thanks in advance.

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I use a product called "Bright Boy" metal polish on my 1912 Ford T. Good stuff, I think it is sold at commercial cleaning supply stores. It is made by Olde Time Products. Inc. in Carson, California. It works quickly without any polishing effort.<p>[ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: 1937hd45 ]

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Wenol is the best stuff I found. Found it at a show in Mass. then last year at Hershey. Do a search on the web, someone's selling it. It comes in a red container, supposedly stronger, and a blue one, for final polishing. The blue stuff is only available in a tube, the red in the tube and a qt.(?) can. I've tried to get the blue stuff in a can but have not found it yet.<BR>Lacquer it!

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My choice for polishing metal is Victory Metal Polish. I got it at a hardware store. It is a lot less expensive than the products one finds at shows and does a great job. You can even use it on glass! It has been around for about a hundred years, I think. Try it if you can, I think you will like the results. smile.gif" border="0

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I like Simichrome. It's relatively expensive, but will put a fantastic lasting polish on brass. The only downside is that it's somewhat messy to remove the residue. For nickel I use NeverDull, which is fairly easy to remove and does a good job. smile.gif" border="0

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Ok, now we really will confuse you as everyone seems to have a favorite. I think I have tried them all over the years and NOTHING seems to work better than an inexpensive product call TARNITE. It is available at Ace hardware stores amongst others. I have proved to a lot of guys using very expensive Euopean products, etc. that this stuff works well and does not require super human effort to use. One of the country's top professional brass car restorers has been using his stuff for years and introduced me to it a couple of decades ago. smile.gif" border="0

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In the interest of promoting better relations with our neighbors up North I suggest you Brasso guys try Tarnite! It works way better than Brasso....trust me, i have been involved in Brass cars for a long time although i now coat most of my brass since the "joy" of polishing has gone away! Tarnite sells in this area for only 3.75 a 9 oz. can. Not trying to be a know-it-all but I think you will be very surprised at the difference.

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Surprised that noone has mentioned "Grannies Mystical Brass Manure". Smells bad and it's hard to get the s___ off, and your friends will certainly know what you've been doing. grin.gif" border="0grin.gif" border="0wink.gif" border="0 <P>I've used all of the previously mentioned products. Have concluded that brand loyalty for brass polishes is much like brand loyalty to the cars we have fun with.<P>So I will propose a different approach, especially if you are doing large pieces like steering columns, steering wheel spiders, etc. Clean them up as best you can and if they have not been polished for many years (i.e. they are "black" with corrosion), do some basic polishing so that you can actually see brass. <P>Now the next step is critical. Go to the yellow pages or check with the high school band director and find a musical instrument repair shop. They have procedures for polishing and repairing (if needed) brass items. When the items are polished, they apply a special lacquer (not Ace Hardware spray can) and bake the finish. The cost is not prohibitive and the finish is incredibly endurable. Beats the heck out of constant polishing. smile.gif" border="0cool.gif" border="0wink.gif" border="0<p>[ 02-23-2002: Message edited by: ronbarn ]

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Just an addendum to what Ron posted.<P>I concur that a spray can from Ace Hardware will not produce satisfactory results. These spray bombs leave a satin type finish and drips is another problem, if applied too heavy.<P>Also, any polish will leave a chemical residue that becomes a barrier between the lacquer and brass part. As Ron pointed out, go to the pros. After polishing, they will properly clean the residue in their process.<P>Regards, Peter J. wink.gif" border="0<p>[ 02-23-2002: Message edited by: Peter J Heizmann ]

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Ah the rewards of polishing Brass! I once was involved in restoring a 1927 WurliTzer theatre pipe organ that had a Brass Trumpet set. Forty Nine pipes, the longest being 8 feet. After spending a week and only getting the 6 longest about OK it was off to the Fullerton band instrument company for power buffing and lacquer coating. Stude8

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A vendor who has worked on many cars for me does a super job with brass. Britten's Brass Works located in Michigan ph.616-979-3928. He has a great process to bake the coating on and my cars have been trouble free in that area for years. In fact, it is about the only thing I have not had a problem with. My 1908 has a lot of brass and all i have to polish is the radiator shell and that is enough work for me!

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OldsCarNut - sounds like the same process that the instrument people use. Was just this afternoon talking to the people doing some parts for my Cadillac and he made the point that the special lacquer has to be baked on, but that the most important part is the special cleaner used to absolutely remove any of the polishing compound residues.

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Since serving in the Army, I seem to have an affinity for Brasso. It worked great then and works great now. I'm not adverse to trying any of the other great products out there. Simichrome is also very good, but more expensive.<BR>My 2 cents.<BR>Rog cool.gif" border="0

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