RM

"Rick Melson"

01/11/2006 8:05 PM

Cleaning Brass Post Office Box Doors

I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.

Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and brass
polish but they are still only about halfway there.

Anyone have experience with these?

Thanks,
Rick


This topic has 27 replies

Mm

"Mike"

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

01/11/2006 12:56 PM


Rick Melson wrote:
> I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.
>
> Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and brass
> polish but they are still only about halfway there.
>
> Anyone have experience with these?
>
> Thanks,
> Rick

Back when I used to play drums a lot, I used a cymbal cleaning compound
that you would wipe on, let it sit and wipe off - really easy to use.
You should be able to find it in a good music store (one that sells
drums!)

Mike

j

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

01/11/2006 1:25 PM

Bar Keepers Friend and a toothbrush. Jana

Rick Melson wrote:
> I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.
>
> Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and brass
> polish but they are still only about halfway there.
>
> Anyone have experience with these?
>
> Thanks,
> Rick

j

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

01/11/2006 1:26 PM

Bar Keepers Friend and a toothbrush. Jana

Rick Melson wrote:
> I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.
>
> Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and brass
> polish but they are still only about halfway there.
>
> Anyone have experience with these?
>
> Thanks,
> Rick

UC

Unquestionably Confused

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

09/08/2017 10:51 AM

On 8/9/2017 9:20 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2017-08-09, J. Clarke <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding.
>
> Great on chrome! Never tried it on brass.
>
> I was outta the AF by time I discovered Nevr-Dull, so tried to avoid
> brass like the plague. I usta weld/sil-solder brass/copper, but we
> always had nitric acid(?) dip tanks to chemically clean both. This at
> a govt lab.
>
> Hmmmm.... I gotta all brass pepper grinder I can try my old can of
> Nevr-Dull, on. The can may be TOO old. The wadding tends to dry out,
> after a few yrs.
>
> nb
>
Pull it out of the can and tear off a bit from the bottom of the
"roll." That stuff lasts forever. I think the can I have sitting in
the shop is now 25+ years. Never tried to reconstitute it, but I
suppose it's possible. Naptha is a major component.

Mm

Markem

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 12:20 PM

On 8 Aug 2017 16:13:53 GMT, notbob <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 2017-08-08, Daniel <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> [...] find a polish suitable for brass
>
>No such thing!
>
>Many moons ago, when I was still in the USAF fire dept, we hadda
>polish a lot of brass, so I KNOW!
>
>I remember when I was in Basic, our training barracks were so old, we
>had brass bathroom fittings, which we hadda polish, of course. Our TI
>(DI) told us to steal the bottles of Tabasco(TM) sauce off the mess
>hall tables. We used it and it worked as good as can be expected by a
>buncha dumb kids.
>
>Months later, when I finally got assigned a duty station, I had enough
>money to buy a can of Brasso(TM). You would think Brasso(TM) would work
>better than crappy ol' Tabasco sauce. NO, it does not!!
>
>The only thing that gets tarnish off of brass is "elbow grease"! IOW,
>prepare to have a tired arm. ;)
>

I have wondered about the stuff I polished at Lackland, seemed like it
was paper thin. Has it all been polished away and needed to be
replace?

Jewelers rouge and a cloth wheel can save your arm though.

EP

Ed Pawlowski

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 4:20 PM

On 8/8/2017 2:26 PM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>> On 2017-08-08, Markem <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I have wondered about the stuff I polished at Lackland.....
>>
>> Seems I'm not alone!
>>
>>> Jewelers rouge and a cloth wheel can save your arm though.
>>
>> I once bought a spindle/dbl arbor wheel with two(2) buffing wheels.
>> Sears sold 'em fer $19USD, minus electric motor (70s). I got a 1/2
>> hrspwr electric motor at a flea mkt fer $10USD.
>>
>> Now, Stew-Mac....
>>
>> <http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Finishing/Buffing/StewMac_Buffing_Arbor.html>
>>
>> ....wants $300USD+ fer essentially the same thing.
>>
>> If you know of a cheaper offering, I'd love to learn of it! ;)
>
> Grizzley has one for $100.
>

All you need is a motor and arbor. Mine is home made from decades ago.
I had a guy at work make the arbor for me in the machine shop.

PB

Pat Barber

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

01/11/2006 8:27 PM

"If" they are really solid brass, Brasso will be more than
happy to clean that door.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1425223&cp&kw=brasso

One other thing to look at, is if the door has a "clear coat"
spraryed over the entire surface. If so, that will need to
be stripped off prior to polishing.


Rick Melson wrote:

> I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.
>
> Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and brass
> polish but they are still only about halfway there.
>
> Anyone have experience with these?
>
> Thanks,
> Rick
>
>

sS

[email protected] (Scott Lurndal)

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 6:26 PM

notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>On 2017-08-08, Markem <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I have wondered about the stuff I polished at Lackland.....
>
>Seems I'm not alone!
>
>> Jewelers rouge and a cloth wheel can save your arm though.
>
>I once bought a spindle/dbl arbor wheel with two(2) buffing wheels.
>Sears sold 'em fer $19USD, minus electric motor (70s). I got a 1/2
>hrspwr electric motor at a flea mkt fer $10USD.
>
>Now, Stew-Mac....
>
><http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Finishing/Buffing/StewMac_Buffing_Arbor.html>
>
>....wants $300USD+ fer essentially the same thing.
>
>If you know of a cheaper offering, I'd love to learn of it! ;)

Grizzley has one for $100.

JC

"J. Clarke"

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 9:31 PM

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> On 2017-08-08, Daniel <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > [...] find a polish suitable for brass
>
> No such thing!
>
> Many moons ago, when I was still in the USAF fire dept, we hadda
> polish a lot of brass, so I KNOW!
>
> I remember when I was in Basic, our training barracks were so old, we
> had brass bathroom fittings, which we hadda polish, of course. Our TI
> (DI) told us to steal the bottles of Tabasco(TM) sauce off the mess
> hall tables. We used it and it worked as good as can be expected by a
> buncha dumb kids.
>
> Months later, when I finally got assigned a duty station, I had enough
> money to buy a can of Brasso(TM). You would think Brasso(TM) would work
> better than crappy ol' Tabasco sauce. NO, it does not!!
>
> The only thing that gets tarnish off of brass is "elbow grease"! IOW,
> prepare to have a tired arm. ;)

Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding.

BA

B A R R Y

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

02/11/2006 11:58 AM

CW wrote:
> Mother's mag and aluminum polish.
-- SNIP- -
One of the guys in our barracks
> brought a can of Mothers with him. He was told, after the first inspection,
> to either supply it to the rest of us or use Brasso like everyone else. It's
> that good.

Mother's makes many fantastic products.

I've used their silicone free waxes, rubbing compounds, and plexiglass
compounds and cleaners, none has done less than totally impress me!

As they're not cheap, I see them as another one of those price vs. value
demonstrations.

RM

"Rick Melson"

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

04/11/2006 9:21 PM

Tried the Barkeepers Friend and it worked great -- it does take a bit of
elbow grease.

Also tried the Mother's mag/aluminum polish -- it did not work quite as well
on these heavily soiled doors.

Thanks.

Rick

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bar Keepers Friend and a toothbrush. Jana
>
> Rick Melson wrote:
>> I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.
>>
>> Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and
>> brass
>> polish but they are still only about halfway there.
>>
>> Anyone have experience with these?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Rick
>

Cc

"CW"

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

02/11/2006 2:02 AM

Mother's mag and aluminum polish. Works just as well on brass. Years ago,
when I was in army basic training, the brass polish of choice was Brasso as
that was what was available in the PX. One of the guys in our barracks
brought a can of Mothers with him. He was told, after the first inspection,
to either supply it to the rest of us or use Brasso like everyone else. It's
that good.

"Rick Melson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.
>
> Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and
brass
> polish but they are still only about halfway there.
>
> Anyone have experience with these?
>
> Thanks,
> Rick
>
>

BA

B A R R Y

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

03/11/2006 12:57 PM

Dave Jackson wrote:
> I'll second the Mother's polish suggestion. I spent several months this
> spring polishing a 1965 Airstream. First with rubbing compound and then the
> final polish with Mother's. The results are stunning! --dave

I know some folks who do the same with polished airplanes.

Damn, it's gorgeous when the metal is clean!

JJ

in reply to B A R R Y on 03/11/2006 12:57 PM

03/11/2006 11:09 AM

Fri, Nov 3, 2006, 12:57pm (EST+5) [email protected]
(B=A0A=A0R=A0R=A0Y) doth sayeth:
I know some folks who do the same with polished airplanes.
Damn, it's gorgeous when the metal is clean!

How about a pickup? Too much work for my taste.
http://www.jimmyshine.com/BareNekid-index.htm



JOAT
If it can't kill you, it ain't a sport.

BA

B A R R Y

in reply to B A R R Y on 03/11/2006 12:57 PM

03/11/2006 7:24 PM

J T wrote:
>
> How about a pickup? Too much work for my taste.
> http://www.jimmyshine.com/BareNekid-index.htm
>


Actually, that's very cool.

ww

whit3rd

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 5:28 PM

On Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 9:14:00 AM UTC-7, notbob wrote:
> On 2017-08-08, Daniel <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > [...] find a polish suitable for brass
>
> No such thing!
>
> Many moons ago, when I was still in the USAF fire dept, we hadda
> polish a lot of brass, so I KNOW!

> The only thing that gets tarnish off of brass is "elbow grease"!

If the objects are removable, the old barrel-of-sawdust with a few blocks o'wood
and a pint of metal polish, slowly turned by a motor, will tumble it clean
and smooth in a lazy day.

LH

Lew Hodgett

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

01/11/2006 8:26 PM

Rick Melson wrote:
> I've bought some old POB doors to make banks for the grandkids.
>
> Having trouble getting the doors clean. Have tried soap and water and brass
> polish but they are still only about halfway there.

Brasso and elbow grease followed by spray lacquer.

Lew

sc

sgckasse1

in reply to Lew Hodgett on 01/11/2006 8:26 PM

24/02/2017 11:14 PM

replying to Lew Hodgett, sgckasse1 wrote:
I got this info from someone else and it works! 1/2 Coca Cola 1/2 Amonia. Mix
in bowl. But Post office door in for about 20min. Use an old toothbrush and
just watch the gunk come off. It AMAZING and simple!

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodworking/cleaning-brass-post-office-box-doors-345015-.htm

Dc

Daniel

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 12:14 PM

replying to Rick Melson, Daniel wrote:
Really fine grade Steel wool then find a polish suitable for brass

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodworking/cleaning-brass-post-office-box-doors-345015-.htm

MC

MOP CAP

in reply to Daniel on 08/08/2017 12:14 PM

08/08/2017 1:52 PM

Some people call those arbors that go on the ends of motor shafts
"widow makers"
CP

nn

notbob

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 4:13 PM

On 2017-08-08, Daniel <[email protected]> wrote:

> [...] find a polish suitable for brass

No such thing!

Many moons ago, when I was still in the USAF fire dept, we hadda
polish a lot of brass, so I KNOW!

I remember when I was in Basic, our training barracks were so old, we
had brass bathroom fittings, which we hadda polish, of course. Our TI
(DI) told us to steal the bottles of Tabasco(TM) sauce off the mess
hall tables. We used it and it worked as good as can be expected by a
buncha dumb kids.

Months later, when I finally got assigned a duty station, I had enough
money to buy a can of Brasso(TM). You would think Brasso(TM) would work
better than crappy ol' Tabasco sauce. NO, it does not!!

The only thing that gets tarnish off of brass is "elbow grease"! IOW,
prepare to have a tired arm. ;)

nb

nn

notbob

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 5:59 PM

On 2017-08-08, Markem <[email protected]> wrote:

> I have wondered about the stuff I polished at Lackland.....

Seems I'm not alone!

> Jewelers rouge and a cloth wheel can save your arm though.

I once bought a spindle/dbl arbor wheel with two(2) buffing wheels.
Sears sold 'em fer $19USD, minus electric motor (70s). I got a 1/2
hrspwr electric motor at a flea mkt fer $10USD.

Now, Stew-Mac....

<http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Finishing/Buffing/StewMac_Buffing_Arbor.html>

....wants $300USD+ fer essentially the same thing.

If you know of a cheaper offering, I'd love to learn of it! ;)

nb

nn

notbob

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

09/08/2017 2:20 PM

On 2017-08-09, J. Clarke <[email protected]> wrote:

> Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding.

Great on chrome! Never tried it on brass.

I was outta the AF by time I discovered Nevr-Dull, so tried to avoid
brass like the plague. I usta weld/sil-solder brass/copper, but we
always had nitric acid(?) dip tanks to chemically clean both. This at
a govt lab.

Hmmmm.... I gotta all brass pepper grinder I can try my old can of
Nevr-Dull, on. The can may be TOO old. The wadding tends to dry out,
after a few yrs.

nb

nn

notbob

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

09/08/2017 11:20 PM

On 2017-08-09, Unquestionably Confused <[email protected]> wrote:

> Naptha is a major component.

Smells like it.

Takes rust spots offa chrome like nobodies' business. I kept my
Trumpet Bonnie shining like the proverbial sun, with that stuff. ;)

nb

GR

G Ross

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

08/08/2017 3:25 PM

Scott Lurndal wrote:
> notbob <[email protected]> writes:
>>On 2017-08-08, Markem <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I have wondered about the stuff I polished at Lackland.....
>>
>>Seems I'm not alone!
>>
>>> Jewelers rouge and a cloth wheel can save your arm though.
>>
>>I once bought a spindle/dbl arbor wheel with two(2) buffing wheels.
>>Sears sold 'em fer $19USD, minus electric motor (70s). I got a 1/2
>>hrspwr electric motor at a flea mkt fer $10USD.
>>
>>Now, Stew-Mac....
>>
>><http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Finishing/Buffing/StewMac_Buffing_Arbor.html>
>>
>>....wants $300USD+ fer essentially the same thing.
>>
>>If you know of a cheaper offering, I'd love to learn of it! ;)
>
> Grizzley has one for $100.
>
HF has a 6 inch buffer for $50

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-buffer-61557.html

--
GW Ross






GR

G Ross

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

09/08/2017 9:16 AM

Daniel wrote:
> replying to Rick Melson, Daniel wrote:
> Really fine grade Steel wool then find a polish suitable for brass
>
After 11 years, I hope the brass is clean. In fact, it is probably
time to re-do it. Lew Hodgett told him how.

--
GW Ross






DJ

"Dave Jackson"

in reply to "Rick Melson" on 01/11/2006 8:05 PM

02/11/2006 10:18 PM

I'll second the Mother's polish suggestion. I spent several months this
spring polishing a 1965 Airstream. First with rubbing compound and then the
final polish with Mother's. The results are stunning! --dave

"B A R R Y" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> CW wrote:
>> Mother's mag and aluminum polish.
> -- SNIP- -
> One of the guys in our barracks
>> brought a can of Mothers with him. He was told, after the first
>> inspection,
>> to either supply it to the rest of us or use Brasso like everyone else.
>> It's
>> that good.
>
> Mother's makes many fantastic products.
>
> I've used their silicone free waxes, rubbing compounds, and plexiglass
> compounds and cleaners, none has done less than totally impress me!
>
> As they're not cheap, I see them as another one of those price vs. value
> demonstrations.
>
>


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