Keeping Brass Clean During A Build

[AdamF]

My 517 build has reached the stage where I have assembled the basic footplate in order to check clearances in finalising the chassis.

Whilst I didn't seem to have a problem keeping the nickel silver chassis clean to date using a simple washing up liquid scrub following each soldering session, the same doesn't seem to work with brass! The footplate components looked clean for a couple of hours after washing in this way, but, come the morning, they had developed some tarnish in places (brownish colour) which doesn't look great.

Does anyone use a method of cleaning brass between workbench sessions that gets around this and which is relatively quick and easy? And would it remove the tarnish that has already developed?

Thanks,

A

 

[ScottW]

Does anyone use a method of cleaning brass between workbench sessions that gets around this and which is relatively quick and easy? And would it remove the tarnish that has already developed?

Adam, I follow a similar scrubbing routine except I use CIF Cream Cleaner. I was always told not to use washing up liquid as it leaves a residue on the metal which can cause problems when you come to painting the model.

Regards,

Scott

 

[28ten]

Shiny sinks or barkeepers friend work for me. I clean every sub assembly as I go along, but im a bit anal about dirt and solder showing

 

[Simon Dunkley]

im a bit anal about dirt and solder showing

More than we needed to know, but on the other hand, have you seen your GP about this?

 

[28ten]

More than we needed to know, but on the other hand, have you seen your GP about this?

Yes, he told me to keep taking the powerflux tablets.

 

[Steve Cook]

I use Viakal, sprayed directly onto the model and scrub with a toothbrush for cleaning during a build. The model gets another scrub in clean water afterwards and a dry with paper towels. I try to minimise holding the bare brass after this process, I find the natural residue from handling speeds the tarnishing process up considerably.

Heavy cleaning involves using a fibreglass brush before the Viakal, this does tend to burnish the body work up lovely although creates a bit of a mess with small bits of fibreglass everywhere. One side effect of using Viakal is that it turns bits of solder black - makes it easier to see what you have missed during the clean up - I suffer similar tendancies to the Guv

 

[AdamF]

Thanks everyone - that's really useful. Sorry to hear about your condition Guv - you don't suffer alone!

 

[3 LINK]

Still at least the powerflux tablets keep everything running smoothly .

 

[John D]

Personally I just wash the brass bits under a hot tap (as hot as you can stand it) to get the flux (Frys Powerflo) residue off.....seems to work OK for me. According to (I think) Rathbone's painting book shiny surfaces are not good for paint adherence hence the recommendation to use a mild grit blaster prior to painting....if you've got one. Many,many moon's ago I went to Ian Cherry's workshop, he'd go a lovely industrial type blaster which didn't get on too well with a 1:32 scale model of the 'Duke of Gloucester' (one of those expensive ready built items someone else was selling at the time) that was in for a repaint........it blasted all the detail bits off the body as they'd only been glued on !

 

[Simon Dunkley]

I'm with John: a rinse with hot water at the end of each session - in my case, more due to laziness than anything else.
That said, last I got far enough to consider coating a metal model with finely atomised particles of paint, I used Scotchbrite (the purple, "industrial" kind) to clean up things as much as possible, and then it was out with an old tooth brush with Viakal or similar, followed by more hot water - as hot as I could stand - and half an hour at 50 degrees in the oven, followed by the primer and back into the oven for another half hour, then a coat of the main body colour, another half hour in the oven, and a final repeat of main colour and half an hour. This was all done on a warm day with no wind (must have eaten the right things for once!) and I was the only person around!

This works very well, as you will find if, for instance, you need to clean the paint off a few brass items (smokebox joining ring, etc) and forgot to do any masking... No need to ask how I know this...

If I had a grit blaster, I would probably use one - a friend is a dental technician and says I am welcome to pop down and use the one he has in his company, but that's 120 miles away!

PS/Edit - I found this on the web. Anyone used one?

 

[Phill Dyson]

- and half an hour at 50 degrees in the oven, followed by the primer and back into the oven for another half hour, then a coat of the main body colour, another half hour in the oven, and a final repeat of main colour and half an hour. This was all done on a warm day with no wind (must have eaten the right things for once!) and I was the only person around!

You must have a very understanding wife or you do your painting when she's out ........either way I'm very impressed

 

[Simon Dunkley]

You must have a very understanding wife or you do your painting when she's out ........either way I'm very impressed

I think the key phrase there was, "I was the only person around".
I was on "garden leave" last time I did any painting, and school wasn't yet out, either. Lovely: paid to be at home for a few weeks with the house to myself. I did some household painting, and did some "touch-up" work whilst the loco was drying in the oven. Hence, of course, the smell of paint in the house.

 

[BrushType4]

Put it in the dishwasher on a 60c wash and check the filter for lost bits!

 

[Eastsidepilot]

All I've ever done is to clean up with warm water, and a tooth brush and then left to dry for 24 hrs in the top of the boiler cabinet if I'm going to paint. Not had any prob's so far

Col.

 

[Old Buffer]

Ozzyo on rmweb uses a blast cabinet for cleaning his models so they must be good enough and not do any damage.

 

[Dave]

Put it in the dishwasher on a 60c wash and check the filter for lost bits!

Dishwashers can be quite useful as parts cleaners too. You can fit a Land Rover cylinder head in one, apparently. Not that I've ever used one for that purpose.

 

[Len Cattley]

I'm with John: a rinse with hot water at the end of each session - in my case, more due to laziness than anything else.
That said, last I got far enough to consider coating a metal model with finely atomised particles of paint, I used Scotchbrite (the purple, "industrial" kind) to clean up things as much as possible, and then it was out with an old tooth brush with Viakal or similar, followed by more hot water - as hot as I could stand - and half an hour at 50 degrees in the oven, followed by the primer and back into the oven for another half hour, then a coat of the main body colour, another half hour in the oven, and a final repeat of main colour and half an hour. This was all done on a warm day with no wind (must have eaten the right things for once!) and I was the only person around!

This works very well, as you will find if, for instance, you need to clean the paint off a few brass items (smokebox joining ring, etc) and forgot to do any masking... No need to ask how I know this...

If I had a grit blaster, I would probably use one - a friend is a dental technician and says I am welcome to pop down and use the one he has in his company, but that's 120 miles away!

PS/Edit - I found this on the web. Anyone used one?

Ozzyo uses one and thinks there good.

 

[adrian]

Ozzyo uses one and thinks there good.

You just have to be very careful with the pressures and the material used. As I found out the hard way it's quite easy to end up shot peening rather than grit blasting as I found out when the loco tender I was doing developed a rather nice bow in what was originally a flat sheet.

 

[Len Cattley]

Hi Adrian, if I had the money I would get one but only after reading what Ozzyo says about how to do it on Rmweb.

 

[Ian G]

Before I start building a brass kit I give all the etches a light sand with wet & dry, white metal I use a brass brush for shoes, this helps give me a good key, and helps when i write the part numbers when detached, shiney sinks and viakol after soldering.

Ian G