For those who favor citric acid for cleaning brass, I just found an economical US source - under $7/lb, and free shipping over $75. It's Delish also has a metric butt ton of very economical spices, trail mix, candies, nuts, and baker's supplies. For example, I can get a whole pound of smoked paprika for little more than I paid for a six-ounce jar at my local market. I came across them searching for dried soup greens. I enjoy ramen noodles with a splash of toasted sesame oil, soup greens, and a few spoons of dried shrimp This makes a nice lunch, and the cost isn't much over a dollar. Many soup greens come with either potatoes or beans, both of which take a while to cook and can be tough on the digestion. Their offering is just greens. https://itsdelish.com/default/
FYI Canuman Wouldn't citric acid be cheap anyway, I wonder. ebay seller prosupplyoutlet has A. citric acid at $15/ 5 lbs free shipping. Pardon drift but I also wonder where might one find B. cellulose based wallpaper adhesive in the US? A & B being used in GSR brass stove cleaning solution. thx omc
Well, regarding cellulose mash, there are a couple options. Either go to your local paper mill and ask for a gallon of "stuff" (the technical term, honestly) from the headbox on the Fourdrinier. Most paper mills would rather have a rabid dog wandering around than a stovie, and there are probably Union restrictions as well. Or one can soak a toilet roll in water overnight, and mash it up in the food processor while the Missus is away*. Never done this for cleaning stoves, but it works for handmade paper. *If you need to ask why, you're probably still on your honeymoon.
I would settle for store bought if I could find it. Paper mill, no where near here. So you quickly solved the TP cellulose portion but we may be lacking the adhesive bit here? ... the ladies are always yakkin' ( talking about what I'm doing), I might listen but TP in my food processor? Lets just see if we might ponder a plan B here. thx omc
Some folks would complain if you hanged them with a brand--new rope. For a gelling agent, try some unflavored gelatin, corn starch, or white glue, in that order. Heck, if you want, try grape or lime Jell-O. You can do without the "stuff" simply by wrapping the piece in cheesecloth soaked in citric or your can use old undershorts, as well. Wrap afterwards in plastic film to keep the moisture in. Possibly better than running TP through the Cuisinart. Certainly better than running your old U-trou through same. My mission is to preserve domestic harmony.
@Canuman , I would go easy on the Ramen if I were you; Trustworthy reports are starting to come out in the US about very harmful effects of long term consumption.
I knew it was either quitting the pot noodles or giving up sniffing spray paint -- and I chose incorrectly, as usual. Story of my life, mate.
Seriously, though, the only place I was able to find citric acid crystal locally was in the Kosher foods section of a large chain supermarket, where it is sold as "sour salt." A buck an ounce? It is used as a souring agent in some traditional cookery in lieu of vinegar. In Russia and some ex-Soviet countries, what we buy as "white vinegar" at about 5% acidity is sold as 45% glacial acetic acid. Not only is it good for developing black and white film as a stop bath, it's also popular as a method of suicide. Think what the poison control agencies would say over here.
To me the amounts of citric acid mentioned in this thread seem huge. Are you wanting to clean 1000 stoves?
Well, you never know. Suppose a long--lost Russian ice breaker suddenly pulled into Murmansk with a load of lend-lease? Shiny sells.
I buy it bulk at several places, and I can get in small containers at even more stores than that. Cheaper bulk, but it is still inexpensive for how much I need.
Hi, How fast do you guys use the stuff? I use it for cleaning cartridge brass prior to reloading it, and picked up a small bottle from the food canning section of Ace Hardware here in the US, probably three years ago. I don't remember the price, but it wasn't much. Even at a buck an ounce it's cheap enough for my use. It contained 5 oz (142 g) when new and I've used about half of it. 1/4 tsp (1 g) will handle 50-100 pistol cases, and perhaps 25-50 rifle cases. They all come out quite shiny--and I've done 1000-1500 (mixed sizes) at the minimum. A very little seems to go a long way! Rick C
It really is preferred, although there is a certain contingent that would claim that a degree of animal heat helps the cleaning process. For my druthers, keeping citric acid off the wedding tackle is the most sensible option, and should be the one pursued. William Breakspear, AKA William of Occam (the only British Pope) formulated his philosophical "razor" many years ago. It states: "The simplest answer is most often the correct one."
