I'm not some sophisticated purist. Up until a few years ago( before I came to this venerable forum), I polished a lot of stoves, enjoying the shine it gave them. Sometimes, I still do it when there is a need. For example, after some soldering repairs. I've seen different tanks before. But I encountered such a case for the first time. I found it today at a flea market. Although I felt like scolding the seller for such a "renewal," I refrained because of the very favorable price (10$) . Some sadist (probably the seller) mutilated him. Only the underside was spared. I don't really know what I can do with it? If I wanted to remove these deep scratches, I would probably have to rub off a sizable layer, thus obliterating the embossing. On the other hand, it's a bit of a shame to leave it in such a state... Perhaps you have some ideas?
Hello @Knee I would use a couple of things. First I would cover the embossed parts with aluminum tape (something to protect them) After that I would use something like a worn out soft scrubber you could use on a Teflon pan that will not scratch it more but softly tone down the scratches. I've done this with a scrub sponge and soap. You'll still see them but they will but be as pronounced. My two cents... I'll bet someone else has had similar options
@Piotrek I use fine grade steel wool: 000, then 0000, with Autosol polish. Avoid the stampings. It will be shiny, but if you then boil the whole stove in water it will go a rather duller gold/brass colour and you can then let it age. The boiling after Autosol to change colour is Trade Marked by @Rodger Willows! Cheers Tony
You can also use sandpaper starting with P220, then P240, P280, P320, P360 and then apply Tony's method. I'm currently doing this on a Melius heater. Regards. Gilles
@Knee I understand how you feel. If the seller is going to polish it, I wish they would at least use #1000 grit. My suggestion is to put a piece of masking tape slightly larger than the engraving only on the engraved area, then polish it with waterproof sandpaper, going from #600 to #800 to #1000. (The sandpaper coarseness is just a guideline, so deeper scratches would require a coarser sandpaper.) After that, I recommend removing the masking tape and finishing the whole thing with abrasive powder to make the masked edges blend in. The engraving will disappear no matter how you polish it, but I feel that the engraving itself will hide scratches on the engraving to a certain extent. In any case, I think it was a good purchase for $10.
@Remus1956 , @Tony Press , @Rodger Willows , @Camp numao , @gieorgijewski . @Sellig33 Thanks to everyone for their kind, expert advice. I will start something in the near future. I took gieorgijewski's advice, and checked the underside of the tank. I breathed a sigh of relief when I made sure it was made of brass, and those rust-like spots were, thankfully, just dried dirt. The tank is airtight.
I proceeded to grind this stove. I followed the suggestions of kind colleagues, using water sandpaper ( gradation 600,800,1000) and finally steel wool. I didn't want to sand too much, as the scratches were quite deep. Unfortunately, many visible scratches remain In the end, I used the boiling method a'la @Rodger Willows and indeed, the polished brass got a bit darker. There was nothing left to do but fire up the stove.
Thanks to @Rodger Willows I didn't know this "aging" method before. I was intrigued by this method and had to try it. Pretty cool result.
A great result, certainly looking much better! Sadly attacks with abrasive material are something seen all too often, often done by a seller looking for identification marks. I'm sure we all have, or at least have seen, a stove where areas of beautiful inscriptions have been badly scratched...
Thanks guys. I must also add that it works beautifully. Practically nothing except the gaskets I had to replace. Even the plug in the check valve was in good condition and the nozzle as well. Apparently it was not heavily used in the past.
