I seem to remember someone using Vinegar to clean brass before painting? Do you use it straight? How long do you let it soak?
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I use Barkeepers Friend and a toothbrush. Not as stinky as vinegar 
I use full strength white vinegar, soaking or brushing onto the subject about five minutes, then donning latex gloves, rinsing off the talc under the faucet, drying hands with a clean white rag care of the auto parts store (cheap, no residue and re-usable) and then dry the piece with a new rag, and using a heat gun to get it bone dry. If you've used commercial stripper prior a last brush over with acetone may be warranted, or you'll find out downstream if that's really needed (doh!)
IMO above process more critical with matched hobby primer and paint on brass, but not so much much with pvc or styrene, where the vineger and a decent hardware store primer and good surface prep with OOO cloth nail it 99% of the time.
Dan , thanks for tip, I'll give it a try.
IMO above process more critical with matched hobby primer and paint on brass, but not so much much with pvc or styrene, where the vineger and a decent hardware store primer and good surface prep with OOO cloth nail it 99% of the time.
Dan , thanks for tip, I'll give it a try.
Well, I don't have any paint to strip. The brass just looks dirty.
Me too on the Barkeepers.
But if you are painting, a nice bead blast at 45 degrees with very low air pressure will absolutely clean it and put a tooth on it for adhesion. Be very careful to use minimum pressure. You can easily warp a tender side, and then all is lost.
But if you are painting, a nice bead blast at 45 degrees with very low air pressure will absolutely clean it and put a tooth on it for adhesion. Be very careful to use minimum pressure. You can easily warp a tender side, and then all is lost.
quote:I use full strength white vinegar.........
Full immersion for as long as it takes and then into the dishwasher on a cold rinse until I can't smell it. Dry with ethanol and then warm air...
I have 2-3 times on really ugly stuff done a full immersion in 3-6M HCl (not recommended for those w/o proper facilities) for 5-10 min and then rinsed as above.....
quote:Originally posted by DaveJfr0:quote:Dry with ethanol and then warm air...
Why would you do this and what do you use for the ethanol? Whats wrong with going from vinegar —> water rinse —> air dry —> primer/paint/etc.
"drying" with the ethanol is to dissolve (miscible) all of the water that might linger in hard to reach spots, etc that might otherwise be there and leave residues. 2 rinses are really better. Ethanol also then evaporates at a lower temperature and more rapidly than water. As such, a cleaner & more rapid process wherein you can get that coat of primer on before any hints of any possible oxidation of your nice clean surface can take place may be achieved.
quote:Originally posted by DaveJfr0:quote:Originally posted by mwb:quote:Originally posted by DaveJfr0:quote:Dry with ethanol and then warm air...
Why would you do this and what do you use for the ethanol? Whats wrong with going from vinegar —> water rinse —> air dry —> primer/paint/etc.
"drying" with the ethanol is to dissolve (miscible) all of the water that might linger in hard to reach spots, etc that might otherwise be there and leave residues. 2 rinses are really better. Ethanol also then evaporates at a lower temperature and more rapidly than water. As such, a cleaner & more rapid process wherein you can get that coat of primer on before any hints of any possible oxidation of your nice clean surface can take place may be achieved.
Would oxidation be achieved quicker if one was to use a hair dryer for a few minutes on the brass piece before priming?
Maybe. I'm more concerned with just getting it dry and being confident that I got it 100% dry, so removing the water 1st and then drying w/o setting the ethanol of fire
is all I was suggesting.