Removing the lacquer

[Jim Roadt]

I haven been using Lysol with 000 steel wool as first step in polishing brass for a long time.  In general it works good .  Is there a way to speed up that first step?

PS I have been tested for patience and it came back negative 

[Jim Kovar]

26 minutes ago, Jim Roadt said:

I have been tested for patience and it came back negative

Are you positive?

 

[Russ Huber]

If you have stubborn lacquer, in a ventilated area coat the blade in paint stripper paste such as zip strip. I think they have stronger variants of the goop. There is no magic for people with itchy britches for this one.  You can put on a space suit and go at it with Muriatic Acid. I think that is the same stuff Alien has for blood. You can then watch your blade dissolve. I hope this helps.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Russ Huber

[Russ Huber]

What will muriatic acid eat through?

 

 

 

 

The number one rule for using muriatic acid is that safety precautions cannot be ignored. Muriatic acid can burn skin and eat through metal and plastics, so it shouldn't be taken lightly.

[Russ Huber]

In distant past posts there was like a holy fear of excess use of toilet bowl cleaners and the like on brass. Some would only do this or that for only so long in fear or caution of this or that.  Brass is an alloy and using potent chemicals like Muriatic acid is not only bad for your health, but will literally eat into metal. 

FWIW......I have a parts cleaner I favor that I let my brass soak in for a day or so to eat through years of patina and will with more time dissolve lacquer. I have left brass in the parts cleaner for extended periods of time simply because it slipped my mind. It did not dissolve or become damaged. Areas turned pink on the brass as the solvent had an effect on the surface of the alloy due to extended exposure. I took it to a buffing wheel and polished it out and bye bye pink. In a nutshell, the brass is a soft alloy, yes, it is, but just because you overdue something a tad with your TY D Bowl cleaner doesn't mean you are going to kill it. 🙂 Just be careful about your health when using these chemicals.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Russ Huber

[Trevor Andersen]

I brush on citristrip and leave it for an hour or so then use steel wool and toilet cleaner.

[Doug Wendel]

I use paint stripper like Zip Strip to remove the old lacquer.  Then I wear mask and gloves and with good ventilation hand clean with toilet bowl cleaner and 0000 steel wool in the kitchen sink until it's smooth, clean and pink.  Then polish and buff on the wheel and get the nooks and crannies by hand with Mothers.  It sucks at every step.

[Dave McManaman]

18 hours ago, Trevor Andersen said:

I brush on citristrip and leave it for an hour or so then use steel wool and toilet cleaner.

I love citristrip, it’s about the only thing I can get away with using indoors!

[Bejon A. Boranian]

...uh-oh, I've been using heat (Genuine CALROD unit) to remove the lacquer...

It gets the job done, but care must be taken while cooling to avoid warping.

Generally best for lacquered parts that actually fit on the burner.

Unless the lacquer is of super strength,

the heat blasts everything off to be buffed to natural shine using polish.

Ventilation recommended (Open window/ etc...) ...Fans take care of the rest.

[Steven P Dempsey]

I have used Acetone, out doors of course, also great for cleaning Japan finishes, old oil & gunk

[Jim Roadt]

This is some tough lacquer.   I assume the "water spot" looking stuff is still old lacquer that does not buff off .  Starting 400, 600, 1500, 2000 wet sand then buff and see what happens #nevereverlacquer

Att Nick raise your prices to $500/blade....that's what it would take to break even if I was doing it

[Russ Huber]

Aggressive Buffing and Polishing Compounds

McMaster-Carr

Edited November 27, 2022 by Russ Huber

[Jim Roadt]

[Russ Huber]

The aggressive compound I posted on the McMaster website has variable grit aluminum oxide buffing rouge. Same aggressive crap they use for sandblasting. You'll be spared a lot of time and rubbing getting down to good brass. Once there, you simply use the finer grit rouge. 🙂

Edited November 27, 2022 by Russ Huber

[Paul Carmody]

I have found in the beginning what looked like lacquer after cleaning etc, was actually where the lacquer had wore off and the exposed tarnished or discolored brass also leaving small pits in the protected metal making it look like a clear coat.If that makes any sense.

If it is or it isn’t you can do what you want, but you are going to play hell getting 400 grit scratches out .I personally would start with 2000 and go up or down from there.

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Paul Carmody

[Lane Shirey]

1 hour ago, Paul Carmody said:

I have found in the beginning what looked like lacquer after cleaning etc, was actually where the lacquer had wore off and the exposed tarnished or discolored brass also leaving small pits in the protected metal making it look like a clear coat.If that makes any sense.

If it is or it isn’t you can do what you want, but you are going to play hell getting 400 grit scratches out .I personally would start with 2000 and go up or down from there.

 

That’s what I was thinking…pitting.  Only option if it is pitting is to wet sand with progressively finer grits. I use a pneumatic 3” orbital sander for the first few grits then finish off by hand sanding 1000 and 2000 grit. Then polish.  

[Tim Babcock]

I use paint stripper, coat all sides, then wrap it in aluminum foil. All sides so it does not evaporate fast. Let it set for an hour or two then coat again. After setting for about four hours and two or three coats I can get off a lot of the old crap and lacquer. Then the any left I polish out with a buffing wheel.

[Jim Roadt]

Thanks for tips

This is as good as I am going to get it.  It is always better to remove blade first and rivet back on all polished up but I did not want to mess with solid rivets.  Fortunately the lighting in basement hides A LOT

[Jim Roadt]

On to equally slow annoying project... removing stickers from album covers with lamp oil.....