Jack wrote:

Al Schmidt wrote:
I am remodeling a house I just purchased. It has an Iron and Brass handrail
on the stairs. The brass has years of cleaners, wax, dirt and tarnish on it.
There is the brass hand rail and some brass flutes and beads on the
balustrades. I've tried many of the metal cleaners from the hardware store
and they just don't get the job done. I think I should get a bench top
buffer and some rubbing compound. Sound right?

Al

Well heres two that should do the job; Brasso and Twinkle. The Navy
uses Brasso and Twinkle is in there also. Both are available in
Grocery stores, but not always carried by all. Think all of them takes
a bit of elbow grease to do the job right.

Second the Brasso, it really works well and you don't need a lot. Cut an
old sheet/pillowcase/shirt into strips a few inches wide and a couple
feet long and they'll be a big help buffing in tight spots. For the
flatter areas the safest way to buff is probably with a soft cloth like
a piece of the sheet folded a few times and press the soft pad of a
handheld power random orbit sander against the cloth periodically
switching to different areas of the cloth as they gunk up. Anything more
powerful than that is a bit risky unless you're really good with it.

Pete C.