Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion How to ? Brass tarnish removal

I'm about to embark on my first pump restoration as I have recently acquired a circa 1952 Wayne 80 (1T) ad glass top that is to be restored to its original Conoco (Royal) configuration. My goal is to retain as many original parts as is possible while still presenting a near new appearance.

As to bringing back the brass ID tag to its original appearance, soaking this in a mild lactic acid solution, has yielded no results in removing the accumulated tarnish, thus I am assuming that these were coated with a lacquer coating of some sort. Does anyone have a simple tested method of stripping this coating so as to allow the tarnish to be removed, allowing for the polishing of the original brass plate?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Go to a real hardware store, NOT HOME DEPOT OR LOWES, get some 0000 Bronze wool, not steel. Steel is too tough, will scratch and make the tag look foggy. Get some Brasso, put it on the bronze wool, and scrub it clean. Works great on chrome too. Just NEVER use steel wool or anything less that 0000.

It is going to be tough to clean and polish the tag, yet retain the original appearance. If you want an all polished look, don't be afraid to use paint stripper to remove the lacquer. Polish it to the level you want, then clear coat it (unless you like polishing brass repeatedly). The clear coat can easily be removed if you change your mind.

Agreed... My options then seem to be:

• Strip to bare brass; polish/coat - Shiny and new appearing, albeit NOT truly original in appearance
• Replace w/ repop - Shiny and new original appearance, though NOT original
• Put tarnished original back into place as is - Lacks shiny/new appearance, but maintains originality.

Wanting to maintain as much originality as possible, I'm leaning towards the latter option. Opinions?

This is what I do if the original tag is too bad to use. I will put a repop on the outside and mount the original on the backside of the access door. That way it is still there and with the pump but the nicer looking one is on the outside.

This is what I do. I rough up finish. I will spray the whole plate black. Perferably paint with a catalyst. Then when dry I will take like 800 sandpaper and start sanding lightly the numbers and letters. This technique will only work with id plates with raised characters. Once I get all the paint off the numbers I go over it with 2000 sandpaper and this acts like a polishing step without using a polish. Then I clear and its ready to display.

Great technique and gorgeous results!!
Thank you for sharing!

I use this with brass items that I want to age. I have used it on rings, ID tags, hose fittings(see picture), etc. First you need to remove all paint, lacquer, using paint stripper. Clean and dry the item. Pour about one-two ounces of ammonia in a bucket or pail and place the item in the pail above the ammonia by elevating it on a brick another smaller container placed upside down. DO THIS OUTSIDE THE HOUSE DUE TO THE SMELL. It will tarnish in a couple of hours. I generally leave it overnight and then wash it off and buff with 0000 steel wool to get that aged look. Experiment to get it exactly the way you want.
This hose fitting was polished or buffed to a high gloss. I aged it 75 years in one day. Good luck. Dave

Ernie and Dave, Both excellent ideas, with good results. Thanks for sharing these ideas.

some good info..