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  1. #1

    chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    Do any of you have a suggestion for something you can brush onto big bronze seacocks that have a lot of verdigris oxide on them to restore them to at least close to their normal reddish-brown color?

    Mine have been like that since I got the boat (about 4 years). I could care less aesthetically, but I'd just like to be able to tell whether the hose or one of the fittings is weeping at all, however gradually. I figured if I could clean it up well initially, i'd be able to spot a little trail of green if there is any kind of leak. My guess is there's no weeping, and they just look the way they do because of where they are.

    -- Paul

  2. #2

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    Use a mild acid. The easiest way to make some on-the-spot is to mix vinegar and salt. Brush a little on, wait a few, and rinse with water. Copper based alloys -bronze, for instance- come out shiny clean.
    "The older I get, the faster I was......."

    1979 60C "Ohana" hull# 331

  3. #3

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    Wow, thanks for the quick reply. I'll try that. Can you give me a rough idea of the proportions of vinegar (I assume white vinegar) to salt?

    -- Paul

  4. #4

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    I've used muriatic acid before and it works well. Need to take all the heavy acid precautions though , safety glasses, gloves,good ventilation. I brush it on and let it bubble and then rinse with the hose. Nice to have the hose handy if any splashes around. Also a great way to clean those old zinc anodes out of the brass plugs when they break off; just submerge them in a cup of muriatic overnight and you can re-use the brass again. This of course done outside in a safe place, Good Luck!...........................Pat

  5. #5

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    There's no exact ratio re the salt and vinegar. I make a runny paste...............my wife taught me that trick. Artists do it all the time to clean copper.
    "The older I get, the faster I was......."

    1979 60C "Ohana" hull# 331

  6. #6

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    Once they are clean, if you spray them with Corrosion-X they will stay that way. The stuff is amazing.

  7. #7

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    For bronze use toilet bowl cleaner and brush it on with a paintbrush, keep it wet until corrosion is gone and then flush with water. I use Sno-Bol toilet bowl cleaner that also will remove brown stains from your hull and rust stains. Keep it away from your stainless because it will make the surface porous and create the small crevices that allow corrosion. The only way to clean stainless is with polishing.

    For anodized aluminum don't use chemicals, scrub it with bronze wool that you can get at most boat supply stores, hardware stores or even supermarkets. The bronze wool is softer than the anodizing on your aluminum but harder than the white crusty aluminum corrosion. It will remove the corrosion and polish the anodizing that is still intact. Bronze wool will not rust and leave orange stains either.

  8. #8

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    This might sound stupid but I think I remember my Dad using coca-cola and a toothbrush to get the bronze cleaned up. Must be a fresh can. I could be wrong. Its been awhile since I cleaned em up.

  9. #9

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    For Al use a green scotch brite and a water rinse to clean up the surfaces. Once clean, follow with a white scotch brite using alcohol, and rinse and dry using the alcohol. The net effect is the alcohol aids the clean Al in forming a thin Al oxide of about 20 ang. The good news is you can repeat the process many times over when ever the corrosion reappears. However, do not use water in any portion of the final cleaning step, water and Al creates a hydroxide and prevents a protective oxide from forming. This is a simple process that works....it is used in a number of hi-tech industries for processing chambers that are exposed to highly corrosive liquids and gases.

  10. #10

    Re: chemical to clean bronze oxide?

    What kind of alcohol do you use? Denatured, Iso, Methanol? Thanks, Ron

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