Well mech maintenance does work, got the Kindred V2 firing like new again!

[DMAN]

Leaving tarnished metal in tomato ketchup (or HP sauce) overnight really cleans it up.
Try it with a copper coin to see the difference.

 

[conanthewarrior]

Thank you, I will try Tomato Ketchup for some of the brass mods that are really grimy, just get out the sauce and cover the mod yeah then let sit?

I think I really need some metal polish that I can apply to a rag or microfibre cloth for my mechs, but will get by with the Brasso metal wadding at the moment the best I can.

I'm hoping I can get the Vindicator 21 looking like new, as it is my only 21700 mech, and also if I can get the Broadside looking and firing like new again as the Broadside has since its release been one of my favourite mech mods. It just looks really grimy, last time I used Brasso it was sparkling about a month ago, but the next day I woke up and it had returned to like I hadn't even cleaned it.
I did rub the Brasso off with a clean piece of cloth, getting the black oxidisation, but maybe I didn't polish it enough this way.
It looks really nice with my Lost art Goon, matchy matchy, so will likely try and give this one a clean up along with the Av Able a bit later today.

 

[DMAN]

Thank you, I will try Tomato Ketchup for some of the brass mods that are really grimy, just get out the sauce and cover the mod yeah then let sit?

I think I really need some metal polish that I can apply to a rag or microfibre cloth for my mechs, but will get by with the Brasso metal wadding at the moment the best I can.

I'm hoping I can get the Vindicator 21 looking like new, as it is my only 21700 mech, and also if I can get the Broadside looking and firing like new again as the Broadside has since its release been one of my favourite mech mods. It just looks really grimy, last time I used Brasso it was sparkling about a month ago, but the next day I woke up and it had returned to like I hadn't even cleaned it.
I did rub the Brasso off with a clean piece of cloth, getting the black oxidisation, but maybe I didn't polish it enough this way.
It looks really nice with my Lost art Goon, matchy matchy, so will likely try and give this one a clean up along with the Av Able a bit later today.

I've done it before with silver medallions, and chains that had become tarnished. Put them in a container, and left them covered in sauce overnight. Rinse them under the tap the next day and wipe them down. It's amazing how clean they come out. I think the sauce must be acidic?
Like i said, try it with a copper coin to get an idea of what it does.

 

[John R Phillips]

Thank you, I will try Tomato Ketchup for some of the brass mods that are really grimy, just get out the sauce and cover the mod yeah then let sit?

I think I really need some metal polish that I can apply to a rag or microfibre cloth for my mechs, but will get by with the Brasso metal wadding at the moment the best I can.

I'm hoping I can get the Vindicator 21 looking like new, as it is my only 21700 mech, and also if I can get the Broadside looking and firing like new again as the Broadside has since its release been one of my favourite mech mods. It just looks really grimy, last time I used Brasso it was sparkling about a month ago, but the next day I woke up and it had returned to like I hadn't even cleaned it.
I did rub the Brasso off with a clean piece of cloth, getting the black oxidisation, but maybe I didn't polish it enough this way.
It looks really nice with my Lost art Goon, matchy matchy, so will likely try and give this one a clean up along with the Av Able a bit later today.

Copper & brass will easily pick up pollutants from the atmosphere and start the tarnishing process from the moment you put them down
Also, body oils (from your fingers etc) will contaminate them.
Wearing gloves will help, as will storing them away in an inert environment (bag, box etc) but you are on a hiding to nothing keeping them pristine

 

[conanthewarrior]

I've done it before with silver medallions, and chains that had become tarnished. Put them in a container, and left them covered in sauce overnight. Rinse them under the tap the next day and wipe them down. It's amazing how clean they come out. I think the sauce must be acidic?
Like i said, try it with a copper coin to get an idea of what it does.

OK mate I will give this a try later on this evening then, I will get the mech and coat it in ketchup, put them in a container and come back to them the next day and give them a proper clean.
I believe the sauce is acidic yes, so must be what breaks down the tarnish from the metal.

Copper & brass will easily pick up pollutants from the atmosphere and start the tarnishing process from the moment you put them down
Also, body oils (from your fingers etc) will contaminate them.
Wearing gloves will help, as will storing them away in an inert environment (bag, box etc) but you are on a hiding to nothing keeping them pristine

It's a shame though, as when I first get a new mech it stays nice and shiny with minimal looking after for a long time. With the Kindred V2 where I like it so much I have tried to keep on top of things more, like cleaning the threads and contacts more to keep it working like new. I do get the black oxidisation from the Brasso reacting with the threads even if it looks like there is none, then use a toothbrush whilst the brasso is still on, then finally a paper kitchen towel with my nail to go around the threads and this removes the black stuff.

However, I don't see how I had the Broadside shiny one evening, for it to literally be back to tarnished the very next day. It was pretty much a mirror finish, and from just leaving it overnight it had gone dull and not shiny again.

All I can think is that I either used too little of the wadding polish, I did not clean off the polish correctly when buffing it, or a combination off all of these things making it dull again.

I would expect after a proper cleaning it to at least stay clean looking for a few weeks before tarnishing, I see some peoples mech collections and they look as shiny as the day they got them!

 

[John R Phillips]

OK mate I will give this a try later on this evening then, I will get the mech and coat it in ketchup, put them in a container and come back to them the next day and give them a proper clean.
I believe the sauce is acidic yes, so must be what breaks down the tarnish from the metal.


It's a shame though, as when I first get a new mech it stays nice and shiny with minimal looking after for a long time. With the Kindred V2 where I like it so much I have tried to keep on top of things more, like cleaning the threads and contacts more to keep it working like new. I do get the black oxidisation from the Brasso reacting with the threads even if it looks like there is none, then use a toothbrush whilst the brasso is still on, then finally a paper kitchen towel with my nail to go around the threads and this removes the black stuff.

However, I don't see how I had the Broadside shiny one evening, for it to literally be back to tarnished the very next day. It was pretty much a mirror finish, and from just leaving it overnight it had gone dull and not shiny again.

All I can think is that I either used too little of the wadding polish, I did not clean off the polish correctly when buffing it, or a combination off all of these things making it dull again.

I would expect after a proper cleaning it to at least stay clean looking for a few weeks before tarnishing, I see some peoples mech collections and they look as shiny as the day they got them!

Brass is an alloy, and the copper used will likely be an alloy (rather than 100% copper). The quality of the metals (& quantities?) may well have a bearing on their propensity to tarnish.
I worked with a guy many, many years ago who had to pay a fortune for titanium spectacle frames (they weren’t as commonplace as they are today) because he sweated quite a bit and his sweat was very corrosive to his metal frames.

 

[conanthewarrior]

Brass is an alloy, and the copper used will likely be an alloy (rather than 100% copper). The quality of the metals (& quantities?) may well have a bearing on their propensity to tarnish.
I worked with a guy many, many years ago who had to pay a fortune for titanium spectacle frames (they weren’t as commonplace as they are today) because he sweated quite a bit and his sweat was very corrosive to his metal frames.

What I am trying to get at though is how comes a new mech stays shiny for ages before it needs its first polish, but once it has had its first polish it very quickly gets tarnished again, instead of taking the length of time when clean and new compared to just after cleaning and a faster tarnish?
Yes I imagine the quality of metal will make a difference, my Brass Broadside I will admit is a clone but seems a good one, although I have no idea on the quality and or quantity of said metal that is used.

Wow that is insane, his sweat was so corrosive it would actually damage the frames to his glasses?

 

[conanthewarrior]

Well I have taken the Broadside apart and coated the outside of the mod, the internal threads, and every brass bit in Heinz Tomato sauce.

I am going to let it sit for a good few hours, then try and give it a polish, I am hoping it works well as I love the Broadside when it fires properly- if the brass gets a bit tarnished near the clutch mechanism contact points sometimes you have to press the button in a very specific area to fire. When it is really clean this isn't an issue.

 

[MTB Vaper]

I stopped cleaning the body of my copper mechs, clean copper makes your hands stink.

 

[conanthewarrior]

I stopped cleaning the body of my copper mechs, clean copper makes your hands stink.

I've heard a few people mention that pure copper makes your hands stink, I can't say I have noticed it on my copper mechs, although the last one I used was the Kindred V2 copper and it had some type of clear coat on it.
Luckily brass is OK and doesn't smell like old pennies.