Hi Guys I need some advice. I've got a monitor picninc stove, all boxed and so forth inclusing the little brass cap which covers the jet wehn packed. It all works prety well. I took advice and soaked teh pump washer in Olive Oil overnight. this ahs improved things enormously and it goes off really well. The enxt thing I would like to do is clean it up to look Like ross Mellows or Phil Masters. presently it is a dull copper colour, I tried using metal polich underneath and it does make some impact, but it wil take forever to do teh whole stove. I tried some 00 grade wire wool and this improves things a bit, but I don't want to sire wool all over and damaage the finish. Any suggestions. Fingers nearly to teh elbow and balck with brasso R CP
Soak it in vinegar for half an hour, then give it some serious attention with a used scotchpad pan scrubber in hot water and washing up liquid. Repeat as reqd. Several short spells in the vinegar are better than a single long soak.
. . . . . I'm with you on that one, try to avoid using it at all if possible, and if you really want to keep it in the best visual condition then you will need to lacquer it after cleaning. Ian is right with the vinegar, I would just add that a wash with hot water, washing up liquid and a sponge before the vinegar will remove any grease and gunge and let the acetic acid do the business better - you may not need to use the pad. Remember to only treat brass parts in this way, no ferrous metals in the vinegar. Welcome to the forum Captain !
Can I add a plea? Never, never ever, use steel wool on a brass article - if you must use a wire wool - use bronze. Little bits of the steel can get embedded in the brass - and then start to rust - the result is ugly on what had been a shiney stove - but on five and half grands worth of vintage sax...
Serious ooooooooooPs!!!!!! Thanks guys, next time I break out the steel wool I shall consult you guys first Thanks to all of you for tips and advice. MOD - any chance such timps could be included in the fettling pages, might save otehr newbies a bit of grief Xmas lunch on an oil stove Hmm!!! R CP
The Fettlers Workshop is being expanded, and I'm sure there will be an article on initial fettling in due course. Regards
For what it's worth .. I can fully understand the eager excitement of a newbie, and wanting to get as much info. as possible, as soon as possible. (I'm still a bit like that meself). However, researching through the older threads can be very rewarding, even dipping the toes in the 'Old Forum Archive'. You will surprised at the nuggets to be found . Plus, you gain an insight into the minds of the regular posters hereabouts. Enjoy the Christmas dinner Spudz
Welcome Captain Pugwash Yet another member in a strong North East squad!! All the comments on vinegar (I use citric acid which is rather kinder) and hot soapy water are spot on. To get the stove in an absolutely gleaming condition, I tend to use Autosol cream polish (or similar, obtained from motorist discount shops or Halfords) in conjunction with a Dremel drill fitted with a polishing pad. If the brass is not very tarnished, the Autosol and a hand polishing cloth may be fine. If you have used wire wool, the surface of the brass will be slightly dull with very, very fine scratches. If so, Autosol with the Dremel polisher will remove them. Actually, I don't own a Dremel Drill as they are expensive, I use the cheaper variety sold by B&Q. |imgRemoved|
Vinegar about 90% of the time, for really stubborn stuff, like burners, I still use a solution of Citric Acid, as suggested by Albert, an ozzy expert (I get mine from a home brew shop in powder form); but, be careful, don't over dip or you will end up with a pink burner that is a bugger to polish
Once again thanks for all the tips and the warm welcome. I tried the vinegar trick and it worked a treat. I should have said I cannot remember when I acquired teh stove but it has sat in the garage for many years. the stove itself had gone 'pink' I prefer copper coloured and thought it was just some base(cheap)m metal fro mass production. the burner parts were black. It was only when I saw what they could look like I began work. Now, not quite gleming, but certainly worth displaying as a talking point, and it works too. Now trhat's a bonus. Flushed with success I'm now hooked. CP
I would only say that I do swear by Autosol ,that is some great stuff especially when you are trying to save old nickel plating. Dan
I highly recommend a 2 pint ultrasonic cleaner. I purchased mine off ebay for $26.00 It has already paid for itself 10X over. I put the burners in the cleaner and they come out almost new. I use a little white vinegar with a lot of water. Stoves that burn yellow now burn blue. I have also cleaned two motorcycle carbs and both now run better than ever.
Hi Pugwash, Here is one I made earlier: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/4199 Regards Kerophile.
