Citric acid brass cleaner

[WallyM3]

sagacious,rather than divert the thread, I'll PM.

Wally.

[sagacious]

sagacious,rather than divert the thread, I'll PM.

Wally.

Pm received, thanks!

[wistlepig1]

Thanks Sagacious,

I have found many on-line suppliers but was looking for it local. I still have a few more places to check as well as a friend who makes wine in his garage. I will find some with time.

Robert

Try the canning sections at you stores, that were I found some.

[No_1]

I did whistlepig but I guess people around here are too good to do any canning. Dad called a while ago and said he found a good deal on 25 lbs of the stuff. When it get here I will fill y'all in on it.

Robert

[EMC45]

Will this clean tarnished J bullets? The citric acid that is...

[jmh54738]

Please don't think i'm totally nuts, but today I cut some rhubarb for making sauce; knowing how tart it is, I made a slit in a stalk and stuck 1/2 of a really tarnished penny into the slit. In three minutes the half in the rhubarb was bright. After I cooked down the rhubarb I poured off a little of the now pink liquid (minus the pulp) into a dish and added two tarnished pennies. The result was the same bright pennies. The conclusion of these experiments was to add sufficient sugar to taste to the remaining infusion and refridgerate for later consumption. A search showed oxalic acid as the poison in the leaves and I remember oxalic acid as a bleach for stained wood, but what chemistry is at work in the juice of the rhubarb stalk? This is not a spoof posting. I do not plan large scale production, but where are my range pick up cases? John

[wistlepig1]

No 1, 25 lbs will a 2 or 3 weeks worth for sure. The way things are going (BHO) they better learn how to can and do other things!!??great find

[sagacious]

Will this clean tarnished J bullets? The citric acid that is...

Yes, works very well.

[sagacious]

...today I cut some rhubarb for making sauce; knowing how tart it is, I made a slit in a stalk and stuck 1/2 of a really tarnished penny into the slit. In three minutes the half in the rhubarb was bright.
...
what chemistry is at work in the juice of the rhubarb stalk?

JMH,
Yes, you're right about the oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is also the active ingredient in some rust removers, chrome cleaners, and metal/surface cleaners. The cleaner Barkeeper's Friend contains 5-10% oxalic acid derived from rhubarb.

Rhubarb stalks contain several non-toxic organic acids that will clean copper rapidly. Some of them will be familiar to those reading this thread, such as acetic acid, which is the same acid as in vinegar. The stuff that makes rhubarb tart is malic acid, and it works very well to remove copper tarnish. Rhubarb also contains citric acid. The pH of rhubarb juice is apparently about 3 to 3.5, which is as acidic as orange juice. More info on the chemicals in rhubarb here:
http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-poison.html

Generally, the chemistry of the tarnish removal is similar to that of citric acid-- some of the tarnish is reduced to pure metal, and some of the tarnish is converted to a soluble form that the water-acid solution then dissolves. Some of the rhubarb acids can be expected to leave a residue that may discolor the brass during storage, unlike pure citric acid.

[Molly]

JMH,
Yes, you're right about the oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is also the active ingredient in some rust removers, chrome cleaners, and metal/surface cleaners. The cleaner Barkeeper's Friend contains 5-10% oxalic acid derived from rhubarb.

Rhubarb stalks contain several non-toxic organic acids that will clean copper rapidly. Some of them will be familiar to those reading this thread, such as acetic acid, which is the same acid as in vinegar. The stuff that makes rhubarb tart is malic acid, and it works very well to remove copper tarnish. Rhubarb also contains citric acid. The pH of rhubarb juice is apparently about 3 to 3.5, which is as acidic as orange juice. More info on the chemicals in rhubarb here:
http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-poison.html

Generally, the chemistry of the tarnish removal is similar to that of citric acid-- some of the tarnish is reduced to pure metal, and some of the tarnish is converted to a soluble form that the water-acid solution then dissolves. Some of the rhubarb acids can be expected to leave a residue that may discolor the brass during storage, unlike pure citric acid.

Actually, this is a "Duh! Why didn't I think of that?" Oxalic acid is or was sold and used commercially for cleaning corroded copper automotive radiators for many years, and may still be used. It should do an outstanding job on brass!

[nighthunter]

I've been useing the large plastic coffee containers with the snap on lid to clean my brass with this magic solution. If filled about half full of brass and enough liquid to cover them plus another inch there is plenty of room left over in the container. I ocassionally shake the container to move the brass around and it helps loosen dirt and crud from the nasty range pickups. After the brass is cleaned and removed from the solution the lid is snapped back on for storage and later use.
I have to mention this also .... I used the same mix of citric acid and water to clean the tires on my truck. Works as well as the name brand chemical solutions that can be quite expensive. No doubt the members here are going to find a lot of uses for citric acid. I can forsee this thread becoming the reigning champion of posts to a thread.

Nighthunter

[WallyM3]

Just an aside: hardware stores sell empty plastic buckets of about 1 gallon size that come with tightly fitting lids.

Using two, you can pour the liquid out of the bucket of clean cases into its twin, and then rinse the bucket with the cases. The twin serves as the storage bucket until next time when the roles are reversed.

[sagacious]

Thanks for posting those great suggestions. I'm sure there's a lot more tips and tricks out there.

[WallyM3]

OK, now for the big one.

Will citric acid help me clean up my act?

[Reloader06]

[WallyM3]

(sigh) I take that as a "no".

[sagacious]

How could anyone with such a sterling reputation be in need of de-tarnishing?

[wistlepig1]

OK, now for the big one.

Will citric acid help me clean up my act?

Wally, isn't that asking a lot from one product??

[Reloader06]

If it worked that way a Borate Bomber and Washington D. C. come to mind.

[blackthorn]

Quote:"Just an aside: hardware stores sell empty plastic buckets of about 1 gallon size that come with tightly fitting lids."

I got a number of small buckets from the chain restaurant (like Denneys) that originally came with salsa sauce in them for free. I also got a bunch of free five gallon ones that originally had a cleaning solution in them just for the asking.