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Cleaning Brass Locos
Ian from Australia has a question for anyone who knows anything about cleaning brass trains and asks:
“I have several brass locos that I’ve collected over the years. Being an armchair
railroader – I have a new (couple of years ago) 4.5 x 11 metre Colorbond shed – but haven’t started a layout yet – the brass locos have been in storage and some are tarnished, or worse – a few that were in a tea chest which suffered rising damp are green! With all the boiler detail I can’t use a rub-on cleaner like Brasso, they’d need to be dipped or have something applied and removed with an old tooth brush. An ‘Easy-Off Bam’ TV ad showed a copper coin being dipped and coming out clean, but the labels on their bottles say not to use it on copper or brass. Any ideas from somone would be appreciated?”
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2 Responses to Cleaning Brass Locos
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Hi there,
The only suggestion I can make is find someone who has an ultrasonic cleaner. This is a small tank in which you place warm water, a very small amount of detergent and the loco body. Ultrasonic sound waves are transmitted through the water and make the dirt fall off. Afterwards, blow dry the body to ensure no moisture remains. Ultrasonics are usually used to clean jewellery. I think you can also make your own tank. Try looking at http://www.instructables.com/ for instructions.
Good luck.
Ian has replied:
“Further to my question, posted August 18. I’ve thought about getting an ultrasonic cleaner but I wasn’t sure what to put in it.
I’ll try the warm water/detergent.”