RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: richard on May 20, 2010, 09:31:30 AM
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hi again lets get onto more useful topics - well to me anyway ! old pennies in any of the above = shiney as new coins , accepted fact yes. well i had a very tarnished milldewed and verdi degree brass chassis plate on my '49 Bond and very stupidly imagined a similar effect . WRONG its gone a rather uncomfortable shade of pink ! you could be charitable and say bronze . question is what chemical reaction has taken place and what will reverse this ? ther must be someone intelligent out there ...................... or not ? Thanks for listening but this is cheaper than the therapy i have been getting , probably just as useless too ! by the way it was a serious question by the way ;D
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Dear Richard
I am no chemist but try some Brasso. It always works for me.
Chris Thomas
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tried it but its plated and wont shift - i dont really want to scrape and scratch it , thanks anywayl
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There is no cure for your chassis plate, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, the zinc element has corroded away and you are looking at whats left, I come across this problem all the time with maritime antiques.
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Its a reaction called galvanic corrosion caused by the zinc in the brass being dissolved from the surface leaving the pink copper behind. Polishing with a slice of lemon dipped in salt crystals might be worth a try if brasso didn't touch it, or Solvol Autosol also has a bit more bite, but don't forget all these methods are ultimately damaging to the surface - wash the plate afterwards with soap & water. If all else fails you might have to resort to a trip to a re-plating shop.
The V&A has some good advice about cleaning metals if your aim is to preserve
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/metalwork_features/caring_metals/cleaning_copper/index.html (http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/metalwork_features/caring_metals/cleaning_copper/index.html)
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Jade oil (from axminster.co.uk) is a good coating for metals, looks less plasticky than lacquers, but does need occasional re-coating.
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That is a bit of a tragady then. An embarrised chassis plate. I have used a bit of Coke to clean chassis plates before now but I have tended to leave them alone despite paint, corrosion and chunks being missing on occasion. Yes the alloy mix would make a difference. Pennies were good stuff. We have been warned
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many thanks to all of the above . guess the lesson is think before you leap - i could have so easily tried it on the back first. that by the way is still beautifull and brassy -like a good barmaid :D