How to Clean Brass Cases
Brass is one of those metals that has been in active use for centuries. Its relatively low melting point makes it ideal to use for manufactured parts and ornaments. Its ability to be recycled, even in earlier times, has made brass a reliable material in a variety of applications. However, as with all metals, the elements tend to take their toll. Over time, metals such as brass can corrode or simply show great wear. Care and cleaning will greatly enhance the luster of brass and keep it functioning as a useful or decorative item for centuries to come.
Brass use and cleaning
Depending upon the intended purpose of the brass item, there are several ways to clean it. If it is being used as a religious artifact, there is one way to clean the brass; if it is being used as a door knob, there is another way to clean the brass. Brass cases require yet another method. Although there are various combinations of cleaning chemicals, there is one agent that is recommended constantly: vinegar.
What are you removing?
The main consideration when you are cleaning brass is the type of film to be removed. If you are cleaning brass cases, there is likely to be a certain amount of ignition gas and carbon material on the surface. This requires a different cleaning process than the hand grime left behind on door knobs.
Chemical ratios
Cleaning brass is one of those oddities that brings out the chemist in many people. For whatever reason, people tend to tinker with their brass-cleaning chemical ratios. The general wisdom is that if it works for you, then so be it. It is important to remember that in just about all instances a chemical reaction is going to take place. This means that the vinegar will not necessarily be at full strength. If it were, it would likely eat right through the case.
Taking a page from Jason Baney, his ratio tinkering asks for 50 percent vinegar and one drop of dish soap per eight ounces of water. This combination works quite well after 24 minutes in a sonic vibrator. Others are likely to have their own ratios. Since many brass cases come from around the world, they are manufactured with differing levels of other metals. A little more zinc and a little less brass may mean a need for a slightly different ratio of vinegar.
History is usually right
Sometimes we read a bit too much into things in our technology-oriented world. Housewives in the early 20th century used vinegar to clean brass and their method is just as effective today.