I need to clean a bunch of brass plumbing fixtures' internal bores of the
greenish white (mostly green) corrosion.

There are passageways I can't get sandpaper and wire brushes into.

What solution would you use?

Googling I discount the lemon juice and baking soda ideas as too weak (fine
for jewelry though).

I think they're copper sulfates or maybe copper oxides or maybe even copper
carbonates, each of which may react differently to acids and ammonia.

Looking for industrial strength solutions I see people advise vinegar
(which seems to weak to me) or maybe even muriatic acid (which seems too
strong), or maybe even ammonia.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...p/t-25046.html

Which do you use?

On Sat, 6 Aug 2016 20:00:53 -0100, Horace Algier wrote:

Looking for industrial strength solutions I see people advise vinegar
(which seems to weak to me) or maybe even muriatic acid (which seems too
strong), or maybe even ammonia.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...p/t-25046.html

I took three brass fixtures heavy with the greenish white corrosion and
dumped them in three different solutions with three different instantaneous
results...

1. The household vinegar has been acting for about a half hour, and all I
see happening is that the green corrosion is turning slightly blackish, so
I can't tell if it's working yet.

2. The household ammonia has been acting for the same time, where the
ammonia is turning blue, so I guess it's working.

3. The muriatic acid bubbled instantly a bright frothy yellow color, so
"something" happened really quickly. I only let it sit for ten or twenty
seconds, as the reaction was far too great for me to control before I
rinsed it off with the hose.

Do these different chemical reactions to the same stuff tell the chemists
out there anything about whether I have a copper chloride, a copper
sulfate, or a copper oxide that I am trying to get rid of?

"Horace Algier" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 6 Aug 2016 20:00:53 -0100, Horace Algier wrote:

3. The muriatic acid bubbled instantly a bright frothy yellow color, so
"something" happened really quickly. I only let it sit for ten or twenty
seconds, as the reaction was far too great for me to control before I
rinsed it off with the hose.


You don't have to use it full strength (which is usually arounf 28%). If
you do dilute it, add the acid to water, never vice versa.

On Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 2:02:56 PM UTC-7, Horace Algier wrote:
I need to clean a bunch of brass plumbing fixtures' internal bores of the
greenish white (mostly green) corrosion.

There are passageways I can't get sandpaper and wire brushes into.

What solution would you use?

Googling I discount the lemon juice and baking soda ideas as too weak (fine
for jewelry though).

I think they're copper sulfates or maybe copper oxides or maybe even copper
carbonates, each of which may react differently to acids and ammonia.

Looking for industrial strength solutions I see people advise vinegar
(which seems to weak to me) or maybe even muriatic acid (which seems too
strong), or maybe even ammonia.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...p/t-25046.html

Which do you use?

I have used a good brand of hot sauce with good results.

On Sun, 7 Aug 2016 08:59:25 -0400, "dadiOH" wrote:


"Horace Algier" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 6 Aug 2016 20:00:53 -0100, Horace Algier wrote:

3. The muriatic acid bubbled instantly a bright frothy yellow color, so
"something" happened really quickly. I only let it sit for ten or twenty
seconds, as the reaction was far too great for me to control before I
rinsed it off with the hose.


You don't have to use it full strength (which is usually arounf 28%). If
you do dilute it, add the acid to water, never vice versa.


Tile Labs makes a tile and grout cleaner, sulfamic acid crystals you
can mix into water -- weak or strong.

Same as Muriatic acid but a milder form. A drop fell on a outdoor
patio paver. That spot looked like a new paver :-)

Where is our chemist, Frank...