Metal Polishing

[phonogfp]

Today on one of the Facebook groups, someone posted "before and after" pictures of a 14" Edison black and brass horn.  Here's the "before..."

 

 

Admittedly, that was heavily oxidized brass.  We've probably all seen worse, but this horn looked like it would require a couple of hours of elbow grease.  Well, I'll bet it didn't take nearly that long to achieve this result:

 

 

The supposed miracle cure was Barkeeper's Friend, a moderately abrasive cleanser that certainly has its uses, but not for this application.  Compare what abrasives do (above) to what polish does (below):

 

 

A picture speaks a thousand words.  I'll only add that soft metals like brass and aluminum are easily scratched by even moderate abrasives like Barkeeper's Friend and Brasso.  They won't leave a reflective surface, but rather a dull glow - the result of thousands of tiny scratches.  Here's an aluminum horn shown partially polished by hand - using POLISH:

 

 

The moral of the story (in case it hasn't already been beaten to death) is that POLISH is preferable to products such as Brasso and Barkeeper's Friend.  Sure, it takes longer and your fingers may be sore the next day, but...isn't it worth it?

 

I recommend easily obtainable polishes (auto parts stores or Wal-Mart) such as White Diamonds or Blue Magic.  For heavily oxidized surfaces like those shown above, start with Nevr-Dull cotton wadding.  I've had wonderful results with these three products.

 

George P.

[Valecnik]

I would not have known either which product to use to "restore" a brass horn to it's original luster.  Then again I also would't have done it at all without consulting some of the many experts that know way more than I do about these things.

 

I would encourage everyone to take advantage of the many expert resources out there before taking on any sort of restoration.  Better yet, unless you really know what you are doing, just pay one of the experts to do it right instead of messing up a good piece.

 

 

[CurtA]

The least labor intensive way to polish a brass horn is IF you have an electric buffer (not a Dremel) with two buffing wheels - one stitched (firm), one unstitched (fluffy) and a cone shaped one for interior spots.  For brass, red and green jeweler's rouge works best to get a nice shiny result.  The stitched wheel is for preliminary cleaning to remove stubborn blemishes and the unstitched is for final feathering.  The rouge is waxy and leaves a hard to remove film after polishing, but WD-40 dissolves it before final cleaning with alcohol.  Be careful when using the stitched wheel on thin brass, because it will "polish" through the metal if too much force is applied and always hold the piece low on the wheel while it is running towards you.  If you lose control of the piece, who knows where it will end up - maybe out the front door of the garage and into the shrubbery (from personal experience).  I now recommend wrapping small pieces with a piece of leather and gripping it tightly with vice grips.

[CurtA]

Typical two wheel buffer:

 

 

Spiral stitched polishing wheel

 

 

Grades of jeweler's rouge

 

 

 

[phonogfp]

A buffer and grades of rouge is definitely the way to go for a professional-grade polish, but many folks don't have one, and the process makes a mess.  I admit that I've had many horns professionally polished by experts (like John Duffy).  But for some horns, often based on the machine to which they're attached, I prefer a less-than-pristine-yet-polished look which can be achieved by hand.

 

Additionally, polishing the upper works of a Type BG Graphophone or other casting with complex contours must be done by hand.  The proper products will spell the difference between mediocrity and success.

 

George P.

 

 

The engine below is not chromed - the rocker boxes (the large bottle-cap looking things on top) and the cam chest covers (at the bottom between the pipes) are raw aluminum.  They were dull, but repeated polishing by hand (2 or 3 times) with the proper polish made them shine like chrome.

[RodPickett]

and speaking of John Duffy:

 

The Horn House

[CurtA]

George, the hand polishing looks great - I just don't have enough patience to do a large project.

[alang]

5 hours ago, RodPickett said:

and speaking of John Duffy:

 

The Horn House

Thanks for sharing that video. Great to see the master doing his magic.

 

Andreas