bronze cleaner

[steleehin]

hi , does anyone know a simple way to clean the green sheen off of bronze ?
I did a search but short of reading every post containing the word bronze or cleaner ,i came up short .
brasso doesnt work very well.

[Jim Cate]

Hey, the natural color of bronze is green, and trying to change it goes against Neptune's will, and is likely to bring very bad luck to sailors.

Cheers, and good luck if you persist in this unsafe practice (we've never found an easy way).

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II

[steleehin]

thanks for the reply , i guess it would turn into a constant job keeping it green free anyways

[Colorado Dreamer]

Try this "green" way to clean your green.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in 1 cup white vinegar. Add enough flour to make a paste. Apply paste to bronze and let sit for 15 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse with clean, warm water, and polish dry.

[steleehin]

thanks colorado dreamer thats what i was looking for ,ill try it tomorrow

[Colorado Dreamer]

Originally Posted by steleehin

thanks colorado dreamer thats what i was looking for ,ill try it tomorrow

Good luck. I have 12 bronze portholes, and all were green when we bought her. I tried this and it worked on 10 of them plus the ships bell. No idea why it did not work totally on all of them, but it helped A LOT. I suspect that it is the vinegar that is doing the work and the paste just holds it there, but I do not really know. You might have to experiment with the ratios, but the above post is what we use and it seems to work just fine (well at least 83% of the time.)

[Pblais]

hi , does anyone know a simple way to clean the green sheen off of bronze ?

It can be done. It's a nice off gold color, but if you think varnish is a full time job bronze is far worse. Once it gets a nice green it stays that way and never looks bad. You can learn to like it or enjoy how it asks nothing in return.

[Amgine]

The mild acid in vinegar is doing most of the work, and yes it's a nice color but requires steady work.

In the Navy we stocked a lot of Nev'r'dull, which looks like raw cotton fiber soaked with a light oil. It certainly makes polishing bronze/brass/stainless easier, and it does keep it shiny longer. But it doesn't last real long.

[s/v Jedi]

Well, one place where you don't want it green is the clutch plates of the windlass! We found that (after cleaning them) polishing until they look like gold, keeping them in grease and using the clutch when dropping anchor, keeps the green away!

For other stuff you can chrome bronze. Like your turnbuckles.

ciao!
Nick.

[Pblais]

Well, one place where you don't want it green is the clutch plates of the windlass!

All winches would be another. All the gears are bronze. It's not easy to abuse winches enough to get them green inside.

[rtbates]

Why?? Bronze is supposed to be green after it's allowed to age. If you do manage to get the green off it'll return as soon as you turn your back.

[6string]

I have bronze port holes on my Baba 40. When I bought her this last fall there was lots of green on the outside parts. I found several ways to clean it up. Diluted Muriatic acid works but is nasty to use. It also cleaned it to a bright finish which I then buffed out. If you want to keep that look you can have a clear powder coat put on and it should hold for some time. It is hard and won't chip easy. I have chosen to let it go back to the brown patena as the matting parts on the cabin trunk did not get the acid treatment.

The other way to get the green off that is enviromentally friendly to your brain cells is to make a paste with baking soda and lemon juice. Put it on and let it sit for a spell. I guess I waited 20 - 30 minutes. Wipe it off with a white scotch bite pad. This won't scratch the bronze. Takes the green off well.

Jeff
SV/Mezzaluna

[steleehin]

thanks for the replys , i have a windlass and 2 out of 5 seacocks that are green , not sure why only 2 of the seacocks are green the others are like new .

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by steleehin

thanks for the replys , i have a windlass and 2 out of 5 seacocks that are green , not sure why only 2 of the seacocks are green the others are like new .

oops... that sounds like galvanic corrosion to me..... You have a bonding system? Check if all are bonded or not.

ciao!
Nick.