👉 BEFORE YOU COMMENT: 1.) I have already been schooled on the fact that these are not called 'bullets' and that even 'shells' is apparently incorrect terminology. Now I know - "casings!" Got it. Thanks! I'm all learned up 👍 2.) YES! I know that brass doesn't 'rust' - I should have said 'oxidized'. I just said the wrong word; I paid attention in science classes and I remember that 'rust' specifically refers to 'iron oxide' and that brass does not contain iron so therefore cannot produce iron oxide. Mistakes happen (- have you ever made a mistake? No? Good for you - you should make a video and share it on RUclips to celebrate that fact! Just hope that you don't make any mistakes in that video or you will never live it down ☠️ - ) and I didn't feel like reshooting the whole video because (silly me!) I thought people would let that one slide. HAHAHA! 3.) YEP - vinegar and salt can also clean brass and copper. I prefer 🍅ketchup🍅 because it ALSO contains citric acid and malic acid (from those juicy tomatoes) in addition to the acetic acid (from the vinegar) and salt, which makes for a super awesome cleaning combo. PLUS - you can easily spot-treat with ketchup (use a q-tip or a tiny paintbrush) or slather it on a larger object if you can't submerge it in anything. And anyway - who can stand the smell of straight vinegar? WHO??🦉 4.) Did you read all of this? Comment '🍟🍟🍟' below! Thanks for watching :)
I'll tell you the secret, just named it after me (selfish me hahaha) Tamarind. - Shiny copper pennies in seconds rubbing between your finger. Your welcome Now, any trick to shine cupro-nickel ?
That's hilarious! I'm in my 60s and always remember my Moms' response whenever someone corrected her..."well, you understood me, right" ?! Hah! Thanks for all your great tips & tutorials. (Stella in Austin)
Im a sailor, bit more of a smarter gun owner than the hillbillies and took metallurgy in college. Yes brass does rust lol, my ship I'm on has a bell that rusted through. Entirety cast brass and years of neglect left massive brown "petina" and green "rust" as it errodes. Our windless gypsy heads have chunks pitted out as well as switches and knobs. It's highly resistant but neglect let's it happen. Don't worry about the comments, you're showing something awesomely useful and not to mention not reloading these casings lol. TBH if I can suggest if you want a really neat idea the rust if left comes out in a sea green and blue, imagine making a spiral wrap from the rim to the back of the casing using a faux petina or use a clear coat in a spiral dip into a high salt brine and let sit until desired effect. Then just clean the insides and clear coat.
Jessica, forever grateful here... I'm blown away how simple this is and NON-TOXIC!!! OMG, I have been using Mother's polish forever... this is SO MUCH EASIER!!! Thank you!!!
Hi Tom! I'm so happy to hear that this worked for you :) By the way, to 'keep' that shine you may look into using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) as a protective coating. Exposure to air is what causes tarnish so anything that creates a barrier will help prolong the shine. I wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
*Great video! I at first thought it was a joke when I first saw the ketchup being poured. I almost continued to think it was a joke until I scrolled down to the comments and noticed you left this response to someone else:* “Vinegar is amazing but oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong or brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal. Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you’ll have the same problem, of course)” *Maybe it would have helped to mention that in your actual video! It would have definitely been helpful for people who didn’t see that response of yours like I did! Otherwise... great video! Thanks a ton!!* ♡
Tj Moran Thanks for visiting! Vinegar is amazing! But oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong for brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal. Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you'll have the same problem, of course).
This method is amazing! I just tried it on some vintage handles that were BLACK. 25 minutes later they were beautiful! The best part is that the ketchup doesn't strip away the patina. I'll be using this a lot - already have a second batch going. Thanks!
Yay! That's so great to hear!! I have never tried this on metal with a patina, so that's good to know. Thank you so much for letting me know - I'm so glad this method helped with your lovely vintage handles :)
Thank you so much!!! Brought a small designer toy made in 2017 with a copper mask that was just looking ok and on the dull side.. Your method has made it look fantastic and back to the original shiney release I can see on the internet.
I give a huge thanks to you Jessica! I had a few tarnished copper rounds that I had tried to clean over and over then I found you video, it worked so well!!! Thank you
+Potato So glad to hear that - thanks for stopping by! By the way, I'm curious - did you try this on live rounds? Someone else is asking and honestly I don't know much about ammo - I just play with the empty shells :)
Thank you so much for the awesome tip! I used this to polish up some old military buttons that I purchased for my uniform. They only make anodized buttons these days and they just don't look nearly as good so this was a much needed trick!
Thanks Cameron! I'm glad to hear this worked for you :) By the way - to keep that shine on your buttons and save you from cleaning them again soon, you might try using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw). It will add a protective coating that keeps oxygen from causing the metal to tarnish again. Wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
Thank you Jessica! Instead of me buying new kitchen cabinet hinges I'm going to try your ketchup cleaning idea. My hinges are not real brass but some type of imitation and they tarnished over time but I think they will clean nicely with your ketchup idea. Thank you so very much for making this video.
holy shinoli! this worked immediately, didn't even have to wait 20 min. thank you SO much... I inherited some decorative platters from my grandmother that aren't valuable, but are sentimental. I don't know if they are copper or brass, but this worked! you took a load off my mind and now i can display these!
+Cat Dwyer Sorry Cat - looks like I missed your comment. Just wanted to come back and say thanks and I'm so glad this helped you clean up your beautiful platters :)
Thank you so much! I used to try to clean pennies too! I never got them clean though. I've been collecting wheat-backs and other coins since I was a kid and I LOVE brass knick knacks. My cousin just gave me a brass/glass hour glass as a house warming gift today on 1 condition, the next time he sees it "it had better be shining!" It's late here, but just as soon as I get home tomorrow, I'll be doing this. Thanks again! :)))
That is the coolest thing ever! I have a question for you - I have a copper jug with a very high lip which I want to cut away. How can I do that simply and easily without expensive equipment? thanks for any tips!
Thank you for sharing this...I bought an older antique brass pendant and wasn't sure how to clean it. I will start off giving this a try...it sure is simple.
very interesting..will keep this in mind.was looking for something to clean the brass on my 1866 rifle.I am not ready to cover it in ketchup but will try some other things..thanks!
Thanks for your tip. This is the brightest my brass/bronze has looked (I don't know the difference between the two). But now I have a pinkish tint on the metal. Any ideas?
Love to have you come by our Old Marines Gun n Brass cleaning Camp .......You R a Very Improvise , Adapt , Overcome Lady , and Bet Your Dad is one helluva guy .....S/Fi .......Bubba ( Mustang O-5 67-88 Retired ) .......RVN 69-71 . p.s. I am proud of you n your simplicity .
Carisa Love Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that!!! It's totally weird, and a little bit messy, but it definitely works :) Thanks so much for stopping by!
Great tip, using it right now to clean some old tarnished LP gas connectors so I can make sure they don't have any pitting or cracks. You have a nice voice for presentations unlike some on youtube. Plus you're easy on the eyes too ; ).
I do ammo reloading, and all I use is a splash of Windex and a splash of water with dish soap and it polishes them like gold. no scrubbing needed just let them sit in it
Awesome! Haven't heard that one - thanks! So for other stuff besides bullet casings where you can't necessarily let the entire piece soak or if you just need to spot treat - non-diluted ketchup works well because you can dab it on and it won't run off. For future reference if you ever need it :) I'll give the windex / dish soap combo a try too. Great tip!
I frigging love this....I work at a costume jewelry business would I be able to use this on brass plated jewelry covered in gold, rose gold and silver?
Hi Sahdir. Sorry for the delayed reply! This will only work on copper and brass directly - it won't have an effect on the outer gold / rose gold / silver coating.
Am trying it and it works. I don’t think it has as much of a shine or good of color as when you first get it but it cleans a lot off. Wonder if it harms the copper at all cause I have been letting it sit for like two hours
I was using toothpaste on my brass and copper and it did a good job, but it sticks everywhere and makes it difficult to remove in the tiny crevices. Thank you so much for this much easier method.
+Timothy Kuntz I wasn't kidding when I said I used to clean my pennies when I was a kid. We used ketchup or BBQ sauce to make them shiny instead of brown :) I guess it was my mom's idea!
Maynard Rojen Esplanada Thanks very much! I'm not sure I understand your question - can you give me some more info and I'll try to help. Is the lapel pin made of copper or some other metal? Brass is an alloy that contains copper and some chemical reactions can cause the copper to leach out of the metal, making the surface pink. Just want to make sure I have all the info before telling you how to fix it.
I gave you a thumbs up for the ketchup idea but I like my ketchup for my fries and burgers haha. When I clean my cases for reloading my last step is to use a little bit vinegar, I don't leave it on for more that 30 seconds as it is very acidic but my goodness it works well.
Nice!But this is the question:I have a small(about 10inches high)table top water fountain and is brass.This is going to take a lot of ketchup.Can I use tomatoe juice instead?Thank You
+Augie Sanchez Great question. I haven't tried it so I can't say for sure that it will work as well, but I know that it definitely won't hurt. Here's what I would suggest: test on a small area (apply with a q-tip maybe?) using just tomato juice and if it doesn't seem to do much after 15-20 minutes then try again after adding some vinegar to the tomato juice. Again, test in a small area, maybe a little more out of sight this time as too much vinegar could cause the brass to turn pink (it leaches the copper out to the surface of the metal), and that's not easy to get rid of. Tomato juice has malic and citric acid in it but I think it's that mixture + the vinegar that really makes it a winning combo! Will you let me know how it works out? I'd love to know!
Thank You & So Simple & easy to have, "Cleaning Solution"! I came here curiously after a 3 prong electrical wire end was very tarnished & didnt want to But a Typical Chemical solution Costing much much more than a new Wire end! Again Thank you! :)
Though I have never tried it on brass or copper, I can (straight-faced) say that cat urine is the most powerful 'metal remover' in existence. I bought a brand-new muzzleloading rifle a few decades ago, left it laying on it's locking case (which had a foam eggshell-type liner) and went to get a beer in the fridge. When I came back, I locked the case and put it in the closet. Two months later, at hunting season, I unlocked the case and THE RIFLE'S BLUING CAME OFF!!! Bluing is like an industrial-epoxy paint! I couldn't figure out how a new, hot-blued gun lost it's bluing - until I saw the stains in the foam. I smelled it an instantly figured out what had happened. While getting a beer, my cat had pissed in the gun case (he liked the foam feel, I guess). I came back, and locked the rifle in with the high-urea cat urine - and it destroyed the muzzleloader's finish! I never tested this idea again, but never forgot - if you want to remove BATTLESHIP PAINT (or gun bluing), use cat urine and time!
Awesome thanks as I have brass everything on door handles, light fittings, wall socket plugs etc. So I will use a paintbrush to apply the ketchup and then wipe clean with water, as Brasso makes such a black mess everywhere when cleaning with it.
Nice pendants. I don’t know if your aware, but the black dust in those cases contain lead residue from the priming compound. Touching them and then your ketchup will contaminate the bottle then your fridge when you put it away. Please be careful and wash your hand in between.
Hi, Thank you for the tutorial!! I just tried it on my copper necklace, and it worked really well on the most part, but there is some part that turned red-ish, and I cant get rid of that. Do you know why is that and what to do? Thank you!!!
+Jenny Li Sorry to hear that! I have had that happen before and my best guess is that there was some sort of other residue already on that part of the metal that caused a different reaction between the copper and the acids in the ketchup. Have you tried scrubbing it with very fine (#0000) steel wool?
+Jenny Li Are you sure the necklace is made of solid copper and not brass or some other metal? I'm a little confused because clean copper is pretty much the color of rose gold :) Brass can turn pink with too much acidity sometimes. The only other thing I can think of is to maybe try Brasso which is a metal polish.
Ya, i bought it from urban outfitters, and I checked the website, it said copper there. I think the color is cool as long as its not dull and black lol. Thank you very much for the help!!
Nice video. How should I do this in order to clean a guitar input jack that's still soldered to the guitar? (I don't want to unsolder and later resolder it in place).
Hey Shadow Reaper. Sorry for the delayed reply! If you still need to do this, you can use a small paintbrush to apply ketchup to the input jack (if it's made of brass or copper?) and simply wipe it off when it's done.
this video was made for me omg, i was looking up how to clean brass for my bullet shells and thats what this vid is about without mentioning in the tittle!
Zakkusu Fea That's awesome! I wasn't sure many people would be looking for that! What are you going to do with yours? There are definitely other ways to clean brass (and copper) but some of them (like vinegar/lemon juice/salt) can actually leave a patina on the bullet shells which I think is due to the chemical reaction with the gunpowder residue, since it doesn't seem to be a problem with other brass items. Hence, the magic solution for shiny bullets is ketchup :)
JewelryTutorialHQ Vinegar (malic acid) and a miniscule amount of citric and malic acid from the tomatoes used to make the ketchup. *AND* there is *SALT* (160 mg.) in Heinz Ketchup. *SO*... Ketchup = vinegar + Salt. *SO*... It IS vinegar and salt.
OgMandin0 Right, but straight vinegar (*acetic acid*) is often too strong for brass and can leach out the copper to the surface, causing a pink patina on the brass. The other ingredients in the ketchup appear to 'soften' the effect of the vinegar while still cleaning it. The vinegar and salt combo has not worked for me - it turned my bullet shells pink and even blue in spots in only a few minutes, so I stick with the ketchup. Of course, leaving ketchup on way too long can cause the same issues, but it does the job easily and reliably in 30 minutes or less.
JewelryTutorialHQ You are correct the primary acid in vinegar is acetic acid. But, it ALSO contains malic acid. It is all a matter of "DEGREES..." The pH of ketchup is about 3.9. The pH of grocery store vinegar (" called 5% strength" is 2.4. (THat's right the stronger acid has a LOWER pH...) It is ALL about the concentration of the acid + how much salt is added. *PLEASE* CONTINUE to do it your way. But know dilute (=water added) vinegar and a few grains of salt would work equally well. NOTHING magic about ketchup.
Sweet ! Thank you ! I was looking for an idea that did not consist of the salt and white vinegar..I have a graphics card for a gaming computer I wanna paint it and clean the copper heat pipes on it ..I might just b able to do the catsup trick and let it sit..thanks!!
Glad to help! Another reason I prefer the ketchup (catsup) to vinegar and salt is because it's thick enough to sit so you can spot treat without having to submerge the whole item (which is not always convenient). Also, it goes on great with a paintbrush. Hope this works out for your graphics card, thanks for stopping by!
Thk you thk you Jessica. that is a simply amazing tip. Soaked it and it came right off. almost immediately. You should make bottles of ketchup and sell as brass cleaners! I am so inspired now - my African coinlike necklace looks like new and its been hanging in the bottom of my drawer for years because I love it but it was totally tarnished. I'm going to see if ketchup will remove rust from white refrigerator now. thx again. Ellie
Awesome! Thanks Ellie :) Sorry I missed your nice comment before - thanks for visiting and I'm glad this was useful! Ketchup may not work for rust - but I've heard Coca Cola can take care of that so you might give that a try!
can you use vinegar as a substitute? I ask because I know ketchup is mostly vinegar. Does ketchup have other helpful cleaning "chemicals" that will do a better job?
Hi +Erich Taylor! Great question. True that ketchup is mostly vinegar but indeed it has additional cleaning power that comes from the tomatoes in the form of malic and citric acid. Many people do use vinegar (or a mixture of salt and vinegar) but sometimes that can actually be much too harsh for brass and cause the copper to leach out to the surface and leaving a matte salmony pink patina instead of a shiny gold finish! I prefer using ketchup since I've never had that problem with it. Hope that helps. Thanks for visiting!
yes it does help. I never thought about the acidic content of the tomatoes either. Its more of a natural cleaner rather than using synthetic and expensive cleaners that might damage the metal. Very good information. Thanks
+Linda Robert I believe it would! I've had lots of comments from people using this method on antique brass of all kinds. I would however, suggest covering the handle somehow to protect it, maybe with some kind of low residue tape or something? You can also use a brush to apply the ketchup in tight spaces. Have fun!
I wanna use this method on some antique furniture fixtures.. I've heard that white vinegar also works. Have you tried that, and if so, does the ketchup still work better?
Hellkitten Actually, I do think the ketchup works better. Sometimes straight vinegar is way too harsh and can cause a pink patina to show on the surface of the brass. Ketchup of course contains vinegar but with all the other ingredients it's not so harsh unless you leave it on way too long (and then the same pink patina can happen). Other commenters have shared that they used this method on antique brass knobs and it worked perfectly! I would suggest trying one first and check the progress at 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, etc. up to 30. As soon as it looks ready wash it off. Then you can do a batch with the rest of the fixtures. Let us know how it goes!
So if you want to polish it? What would you use? I have scratches in a drum cymbal that cost 500$ :( I have tried cleaning it - I have tried everything. Any suggestions?
+L.A DiNiro Ok, that's a tough one. Generally when you polish metal you use a series of abrasives that start out really rough and get progressively finer until you can no longer see the scratches. Are cymbals made of brass? (sorry if that's a dumb question). If so, and the scratches aren't super deep, you might be able to use a rotary tool like a dremel with a sanding wheel on it and change out the bits for finer and finer sandpaper until the scratch is gone, then buff it back to a shine with some polishing compound and a buffing wheel. If you don't have a rotary tool of course you can do it by hand with a lot of elbow grease. BUT I want to be clear that I have absolutely zero experience doing this on anything other than jewelry so please use caution if you plan to try this. If there's a scratch on the underside or somewhere you can test it out first that would be a good idea. You probably would only need to do spot-work on the individual scratches, not necessarily the whole surface of the cymbal. Hope that helps, and good luck!
Hi Stacey, sorry for the delayed reply! I recommend using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) to protect the metal after cleaning. I wish I had mentioned that in the video!
"Nerd Alert"...so adorable...lol😆. Make jewelry as well, but picked up an old ring at flea market today I love for a couple $$s, but needs to be cleaned and looking for other methods besides the one I've always used. Thanks for I info.
I love the ketchup trick. It’s like magic. Within just a very few minutes it removes that oxidation and bam! Bright shiny brass or copper! It’s very very cool. I do it in my hands and rub the items. Smelly but it works!!
***** I imagine over time with many many cleanings it could potentially do that, yes. But I haven't noticed any visible effects on items I've cleaned several times so far. I doubt it's anything that an actual polishing couldn't rectify, though! If you were to leave the metal in the ketchup for days it would start to leach out the copper and turn the surface of the brass dull and pink, by the way. But you shouldn't have any problems using ketchup on brass or copper for under 30 minutes at a time!
+Blair Smith Yes! If they are made of copper and don't have any sort of coating then it will work! I'm not sure about proof condition but it will get you part of the way there for sure - take the brown off and make them more pink :)
At home we use to put aluminum-foil in the bottom of a container and put a couple of spoons of bicarbonate on it. then we put what ever brass or silver jewelry we want on it and pour boiling water to cover. a minute later a chemical reaction have removed most if not all of the discoloration. try it and say what you think :)
Cheryl Wagner Sorry for the late reply! Crystal, glass, and non-porous gemstones should be fine with the ketchup. I can't say what might happen with a foil-backed crystal, though so that might be something to consider. Porous gemstones (usually softer stones like turquoise, etc.) could potentially be affected, as well as organic beads like pearls, wood, coral. Instead of covering the whole ring in ketchup like I do in the video, another option is to use a small paintbrush and paint the ketchup on the areas around the crystal, just to be safe.
I don't have a bottle handy but packets of ketchup work just as easy. Makes easy cleaning of bezatine and box copper chains. This method will keep a shine a few days.
Great Tutorial. Old Ketchup and BBQ sauce packages in the fridge for years. Took them out and emptied them on a plastic plate with 3 WW2 medals. The 1939-1945 Star, The Burma Star & The Italy Star. Now they look like they would have in 1945. Be sure to rinse well to neutralize any remaining acid. Dilution is key. Then dry well. Now to find out how to clean the ribbons. Using the Foil & Baking Soda method for the silver medals.
Awesome! BBQ sauce works great too. Glad you got some use out of those old packages and that your special medals are shiny and new again! Thanks so much for stopping by!
so I had some dirty ends of shells (took a saw and chopped the ends of) and tried cleaning them with this tactict. 30 minutes wasn't enough, so I put them to a jar with ketchup and will check results in the morning
+Chubbi Turtles Unfortunately not. You can try baking soda, hot water, and aluminum foil for cleaning silver. I don't have a tutorial on that yet but it's pretty simple if you look it up!
Thank you much for the reply! This old teapot has been in the family for generations. Comes from our ancestors who had a castle in Scotland eons ago! Would love to visit that place but apparently it was destroyed during the wars my Gram said. The spout looks like a snake mouth, the handle is full Amber, the whole length of it. I will be careful as one of the grandchildren will inherit one day.
+Linda Robert Oh how wonderful! It sounds absolutely amazing. I'm glad you were able to keep such a treasure as a connection to your family history! Sad news about the castle though :( By the way, after you clean it and get it nice and shiny, you can apply Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/1ON8nYT) to protect it and prevent it from tarnishing again so quickly. You just apply it with a soft cloth and then buff off the extra (using the same cloth). You can apply several coats for better protection. Brass items that sit out in the open (as I imagine your teapot might) tend to oxidize more quickly, as it's oxygen that causes that to happen in the first place. The wax creates a barrier and protects the metal from the air. I'd love to hear how the ketchup works for you, and the wax too if you use it!
👉 BEFORE YOU COMMENT:
1.) I have already been schooled on the fact that these are not called 'bullets' and that even 'shells' is apparently incorrect terminology. Now I know - "casings!" Got it. Thanks! I'm all learned up 👍
2.) YES! I know that brass doesn't 'rust' - I should have said 'oxidized'. I just said the wrong word; I paid attention in science classes and I remember that 'rust' specifically refers to 'iron oxide' and that brass does not contain iron so therefore cannot produce iron oxide. Mistakes happen (- have you ever made a mistake? No? Good for you - you should make a video and share it on RUclips to celebrate that fact! Just hope that you don't make any mistakes in that video or you will never live it down ☠️ - ) and I didn't feel like reshooting the whole video because (silly me!) I thought people would let that one slide. HAHAHA!
3.) YEP - vinegar and salt can also clean brass and copper. I prefer 🍅ketchup🍅 because it ALSO contains citric acid and malic acid (from those juicy tomatoes) in addition to the acetic acid (from the vinegar) and salt, which makes for a super awesome cleaning combo. PLUS - you can easily spot-treat with ketchup (use a q-tip or a tiny paintbrush) or slather it on a larger object if you can't submerge it in anything. And anyway - who can stand the smell of straight vinegar? WHO??🦉
4.) Did you read all of this? Comment '🍟🍟🍟' below!
Thanks for watching :)
I'll tell you the secret, just named it after me (selfish me hahaha)
Tamarind. - Shiny copper pennies in seconds rubbing between your finger.
Your welcome
Now, any trick to shine cupro-nickel ?
That's hilarious! I'm in my 60s and always remember my Moms' response whenever someone corrected her..."well, you understood me, right" ?! Hah! Thanks for all your great tips & tutorials.
(Stella in Austin)
Fries please.
Im a sailor, bit more of a smarter gun owner than the hillbillies and took metallurgy in college.
Yes brass does rust lol, my ship I'm on has a bell that rusted through. Entirety cast brass and years of neglect left massive brown "petina" and green "rust" as it errodes. Our windless gypsy heads have chunks pitted out as well as switches and knobs. It's highly resistant but neglect let's it happen.
Don't worry about the comments, you're showing something awesomely useful and not to mention not reloading these casings lol.
TBH if I can suggest if you want a really neat idea the rust if left comes out in a sea green and blue, imagine making a spiral wrap from the rim to the back of the casing using a faux petina or use a clear coat in a spiral dip into a high salt brine and let sit until desired effect. Then just clean the insides and clear coat.
JewelryTutorialHQ Easy, Tiger.
Jessica, forever grateful here... I'm blown away how simple this is and NON-TOXIC!!! OMG, I have been using Mother's polish forever... this is SO MUCH EASIER!!! Thank you!!!
You are so welcome! Thanks so much for your comment. I'm glad this helped!
I just cleaned my dolphin sculpture and the difference is amazing. My mom has to be smiling down at me. Thanks a million. Mahallo
Hi Tom! I'm so happy to hear that this worked for you :) By the way, to 'keep' that shine you may look into using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) as a protective coating. Exposure to air is what causes tarnish so anything that creates a barrier will help prolong the shine. I wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
I tried ketchup on antique brass bathroom fittings and it worked well! Thanks. Your crystal pendants are very nice btw.
I have no idea why someone would dislike this video. They must be from the , FREE THE BRASS, movement or something weird like that. Great tip!
Because people are a-holes. Never understood why people gives thumbs down for no reason.
You probably don't understand why because you are not made of brass. WHAT IF YOU WERE???
*Great video! I at first thought it was a joke when I first saw the ketchup being poured. I almost continued to think it was a joke until I scrolled down to the comments and noticed you left this response to someone else:*
“Vinegar is amazing but oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong or brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal.
Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you’ll have the same problem, of course)”
*Maybe it would have helped to mention that in your actual video! It would have definitely been helpful for people who didn’t see that response of yours like I did! Otherwise... great video! Thanks a ton!!* ♡
Hi Kenzi! Yes, you are so right! I wish I would have thought to mention that in the video :( 🤦🏻♀️
Thanks for stopping by to say hello!
Just tried it on a copper bracelet. Amazing results, looks brand new!! Thank you much!
Fantastic. I can't believe how easy that was. My brass stuff looks like gold plated. !!!! Thank you so much.
+Kathie Wilson Wonderful! That's so great to hear :) Thanks for visiting!
It's the vinegar in the ketchup that cleans the brass/copper. Vinegar is slightly acidic, which works wonders when cleaning things of this nature.
Tj Moran Thanks for visiting! Vinegar is amazing! But oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong for brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal.
Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you'll have the same problem, of course).
This method is amazing! I just tried it on some vintage handles that were BLACK. 25 minutes later they were beautiful! The best part is that the ketchup doesn't strip away the patina. I'll be using this a lot - already have a second batch going.
Thanks!
Yay! That's so great to hear!! I have never tried this on metal with a patina, so that's good to know. Thank you so much for letting me know - I'm so glad this method helped with your lovely vintage handles :)
Thank you so much!!! Brought a small designer toy made in 2017 with a copper mask that was just looking ok and on the dull side.. Your method has made it look fantastic and back to the original shiney release I can see on the internet.
Amazing - that's so great to hear! Thanks so much for the tip 🙏
I give a huge thanks to you Jessica! I had a few tarnished copper rounds that I had tried to clean over and over then I found you video, it worked so well!!! Thank you
+Potato So glad to hear that - thanks for stopping by! By the way, I'm curious - did you try this on live rounds? Someone else is asking and honestly I don't know much about ammo - I just play with the empty shells :)
+JewelryTutorialHQ oh I'm not talking about live rounds, I'm talking about copper coins (copper rounds)
+Potato AHHHHH ok, lol. Sorry about that. I get so many questions about the bullets I assumed you meant ammo!!
Thank you so much for the awesome tip! I used this to polish up some old military buttons that I purchased for my uniform. They only make anodized buttons these days and they just don't look nearly as good so this was a much needed trick!
Thanks Cameron! I'm glad to hear this worked for you :) By the way - to keep that shine on your buttons and save you from cleaning them again soon, you might try using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw). It will add a protective coating that keeps oxygen from causing the metal to tarnish again. Wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
Thank you Jessica! Instead of me buying new kitchen cabinet hinges I'm going to try your ketchup cleaning idea. My hinges are not real brass but some type of imitation and they tarnished over time but I think they will clean nicely with your ketchup idea. Thank you so very much for making this video.
Thanks for stopping by to say hello! I hope this worked out for your hinges 🤞
holy shinoli! this worked immediately, didn't even have to wait 20 min. thank you SO much... I inherited some decorative platters from my grandmother that aren't valuable, but are sentimental. I don't know if they are copper or brass, but this worked! you took a load off my mind and now i can display these!
+Cat Dwyer Sorry Cat - looks like I missed your comment. Just wanted to come back and say thanks and I'm so glad this helped you clean up your beautiful platters :)
Thanks!
Sorry I'm just now seeing this! Thank you so very much, I really appreciate it. I'm so glad this video helped ☺️
My friends take hours to polish their brass and this technique took less than 15 mins and is just as effective
Thanks
Very cool, thanks for sharing! Glad this was useful to you!
Nice tip thank you . Have you any experience with gold plated bronze jewelry? Thanks .
Thank you so much! I used to try to clean pennies too! I never got them clean though. I've been collecting wheat-backs and other coins since I was a kid and I LOVE brass knick knacks. My cousin just gave me a brass/glass hour glass as a house warming gift today on 1 condition, the next time he sees it "it had better be shining!" It's late here, but just as soon as I get home tomorrow, I'll be doing this. Thanks again! :)))
branden burks Awesome!!! I hope it works out for you :) Others have had great results too - I look forward to hearing yours!
That is the coolest thing ever! I have a question for you - I have a copper jug with a very high lip which I want to cut away. How can I do that simply and easily without expensive equipment? thanks for any tips!
Thank you for sharing this...I bought an older antique brass pendant and wasn't sure how to clean it. I will start off giving this a try...it sure is simple.
Will Mike Thanks! It IS simple and it should work perfectly for your antique brass pendant. Thanks for stopping by!
very interesting..will keep this in mind.was looking for something to clean the brass on my 1866 rifle.I am not ready to cover it in ketchup but will try some other things..thanks!
Found an ancient celtic brass bracelet the other day and I'm going to try this trick, thanks.
MrGerryodonothing Very cool! Hope it worked out for you :) Thanks so much for visiting!
Thanks for this. I was about to clean my bullet shells for my artwork.
Thanks for your tip. This is the brightest my brass/bronze has looked (I don't know the difference between the two). But now I have a pinkish tint on the metal. Any ideas?
Love to have you come by our Old Marines Gun n Brass cleaning Camp .......You R a Very Improvise , Adapt , Overcome Lady , and Bet Your Dad is one helluva guy .....S/Fi .......Bubba ( Mustang O-5 67-88 Retired ) .......RVN 69-71 . p.s. I am proud of you n your simplicity .
Just cleaned my copper anklet. Worked Beautifully. Thank you.
Carisa Love Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that!!! It's totally weird, and a little bit messy, but it definitely works :) Thanks so much for stopping by!
Great tip, using it right now to clean some old tarnished LP gas connectors so I can make sure they don't have any pitting or cracks. You have a nice voice for presentations unlike some on youtube. Plus you're easy on the eyes too ; ).
+tom h (Dr. Death) Thanks very much :) Glad you found it helpful!
I do ammo reloading, and all I use is a splash of Windex and a splash of water with dish soap and it polishes them like gold. no scrubbing needed just let them sit in it
Awesome! Haven't heard that one - thanks! So for other stuff besides bullet casings where you can't necessarily let the entire piece soak or if you just need to spot treat - non-diluted ketchup works well because you can dab it on and it won't run off. For future reference if you ever need it :)
I'll give the windex / dish soap combo a try too. Great tip!
No problem glad to help, thanks for the video
If you know someone that reloads ammunition you could ask them to clean the brass up in their tumbler
Works great!
I used Tomato Paste mixed in water.
I frigging love this....I work at a costume jewelry business would I be able to use this on brass plated jewelry covered in gold, rose gold and silver?
Hi Sahdir. Sorry for the delayed reply! This will only work on copper and brass directly - it won't have an effect on the outer gold / rose gold / silver coating.
Am trying it and it works. I don’t think it has as much of a shine or good of color as when you first get it but it cleans a lot off. Wonder if it harms the copper at all cause I have been letting it sit for like two hours
thank you! will try that on brass or copper old drink coasters
Awesome and thank-you. Worked fantastic on my old Pog Brass Slammer
Great to hear - thanks so much for reporting back! I totally had to look that up and see what it is - I had no idea 😂
I was using toothpaste on my brass and copper and it did a good job, but it sticks everywhere and makes it difficult to remove in the tiny crevices. Thank you so much for this much easier method.
Awesome! I'm glad to hear this helped :) Thanks so much for stopping by!
iam just getting started in Reloading ammo and this is a great way to clean up the casings . what ever made you try ketup in the first place ?
+Timothy Kuntz I wasn't kidding when I said I used to clean my pennies when I was a kid. We used ketchup or BBQ sauce to make them shiny instead of brown :) I guess it was my mom's idea!
4 years later. You. Are. A. Lifesaver!
That is so cool! But do you know how to remove copper build up on a lapel pin? Please answer this...
Maynard Rojen Esplanada Thanks very much! I'm not sure I understand your question - can you give me some more info and I'll try to help. Is the lapel pin made of copper or some other metal? Brass is an alloy that contains copper and some chemical reactions can cause the copper to leach out of the metal, making the surface pink. Just want to make sure I have all the info before telling you how to fix it.
I gave you a thumbs up for the ketchup idea but I like my ketchup for my fries and burgers haha. When I clean my cases for reloading my last step is to use a little bit vinegar, I don't leave it on for more that 30 seconds as it is very acidic but my goodness it works well.
Nice!But this is the question:I have a small(about 10inches high)table top water fountain and is brass.This is going to take a lot of ketchup.Can I use tomatoe juice instead?Thank You
+Augie Sanchez Great question. I haven't tried it so I can't say for sure that it will work as well, but I know that it definitely won't hurt.
Here's what I would suggest: test on a small area (apply with a q-tip maybe?) using just tomato juice and if it doesn't seem to do much after 15-20 minutes then try again after adding some vinegar to the tomato juice. Again, test in a small area, maybe a little more out of sight this time as too much vinegar could cause the brass to turn pink (it leaches the copper out to the surface of the metal), and that's not easy to get rid of.
Tomato juice has malic and citric acid in it but I think it's that mixture + the vinegar that really makes it a winning combo! Will you let me know how it works out? I'd love to know!
I clean money too. You seem like a really nice person. Don't let the haters change you.
Thank You & So Simple & easy to have, "Cleaning Solution"! I came here curiously after a 3 prong electrical wire end was very tarnished & didnt want to But a Typical Chemical solution Costing much much more than a new Wire end! Again Thank you! :)
Excellent information 🇺🇸
Glad it was helpful!
Though I have never tried it on brass or copper, I can (straight-faced) say that cat urine is the most powerful 'metal remover' in existence. I bought a brand-new muzzleloading rifle a few decades ago, left it laying on it's locking case (which had a foam eggshell-type liner) and went to get a beer in the fridge. When I came back, I locked the case and put it in the closet. Two months later, at hunting season, I unlocked the case and THE RIFLE'S BLUING CAME OFF!!! Bluing is like an industrial-epoxy paint! I couldn't figure out how a new, hot-blued gun lost it's bluing - until I saw the stains in the foam. I smelled it an instantly figured out what had happened. While getting a beer, my cat had pissed in the gun case (he liked the foam feel, I guess). I came back, and locked the rifle in with the high-urea cat urine - and it destroyed the muzzleloader's finish! I never tested this idea again, but never forgot - if you want to remove BATTLESHIP PAINT (or gun bluing), use cat urine and time!
+Lance Cole Hahaha OMG. CATS, lol!!! Thanks for sharing :)
Awesome thanks as I have brass everything on door handles, light fittings, wall socket plugs etc. So I will use a paintbrush to apply the ketchup and then wipe clean with water, as Brasso makes such a black mess everywhere when cleaning with it.
Thanks so much for visiting, Arch Angel. I hope this worked well for you!
Nice pendants. I don’t know if your aware, but the black dust in those cases contain lead residue from the priming compound. Touching them and then your ketchup will contaminate the bottle then your fridge when you put it away. Please be careful and wash your hand in between.
Cool i will try it now! But do you think this will work on silver?
+funny movies Unfortunately, no. This works on copper and brass but not silver :(
Hi, Thank you for the tutorial!! I just tried it on my copper necklace, and it worked really well on the most part, but there is some part that turned red-ish, and I cant get rid of that. Do you know why is that and what to do? Thank you!!!
+Jenny Li Sorry to hear that! I have had that happen before and my best guess is that there was some sort of other residue already on that part of the metal that caused a different reaction between the copper and the acids in the ketchup. Have you tried scrubbing it with very fine (#0000) steel wool?
+JewelryTutorialHQ Ya I did. It's like rose gold color lol.
+Jenny Li Are you sure the necklace is made of solid copper and not brass or some other metal? I'm a little confused because clean copper is pretty much the color of rose gold :) Brass can turn pink with too much acidity sometimes.
The only other thing I can think of is to maybe try Brasso which is a metal polish.
Ya, i bought it from urban outfitters, and I checked the website, it said copper there. I think the color is cool as long as its not dull and black lol. Thank you very much for the help!!
Just used your technique to clean a copper bracelet--looks good as new! Thanks so much!
hsswitz Fantastic! So glad to hear it. Thanks for letting me know :)
Your "before you comment" was super cute! Thanks for this trick. Kind of trippy! 😊
Nice video. How should I do this in order to clean a guitar input jack that's still soldered to the guitar? (I don't want to unsolder and later resolder it in place).
Hey Shadow Reaper. Sorry for the delayed reply! If you still need to do this, you can use a small paintbrush to apply ketchup to the input jack (if it's made of brass or copper?) and simply wipe it off when it's done.
this video was made for me omg, i was looking up how to clean brass for my bullet shells and thats what this vid is about without mentioning in the tittle!
Zakkusu Fea That's awesome! I wasn't sure many people would be looking for that! What are you going to do with yours?
There are definitely other ways to clean brass (and copper) but some of them (like vinegar/lemon juice/salt) can actually leave a patina on the bullet shells which I think is due to the chemical reaction with the gunpowder residue, since it doesn't seem to be a problem with other brass items. Hence, the magic solution for shiny bullets is ketchup :)
JewelryTutorialHQ Vinegar (malic acid) and a miniscule amount of citric and malic acid from the tomatoes used to make the ketchup. *AND* there is *SALT* (160 mg.) in Heinz Ketchup.
*SO*... Ketchup = vinegar + Salt. *SO*... It IS vinegar and salt.
OgMandin0 Right, but straight vinegar (*acetic acid*) is often too strong for brass and can leach out the copper to the surface, causing a pink patina on the brass. The other ingredients in the ketchup appear to 'soften' the effect of the vinegar while still cleaning it.
The vinegar and salt combo has not worked for me - it turned my bullet shells pink and even blue in spots in only a few minutes, so I stick with the ketchup. Of course, leaving ketchup on way too long can cause the same issues, but it does the job easily and reliably in 30 minutes or less.
JewelryTutorialHQ You are correct the primary acid in vinegar is acetic acid. But, it ALSO contains malic acid. It is all a matter of "DEGREES..." The pH of ketchup is about 3.9. The pH of grocery store vinegar (" called 5% strength" is 2.4. (THat's right the stronger acid has a LOWER pH...) It is ALL about the concentration of the acid + how much salt is added.
*PLEASE* CONTINUE to do it your way. But know dilute (=water added) vinegar and a few grains of salt would work equally well. NOTHING magic about ketchup.
I have pennies and I have catsup...thanks you saved me a trip and time to Wally's world. I am cleaning jewelry.
Interesting. Never knew catsup could do that. Thank you 😊
Sweet ! Thank you ! I was looking for an idea that did not consist of the salt and white vinegar..I have a graphics card for a gaming computer I wanna paint it and clean the copper heat pipes on it ..I might just b able to do the catsup trick and let it sit..thanks!!
Glad to help! Another reason I prefer the ketchup (catsup) to vinegar and salt is because it's thick enough to sit so you can spot treat without having to submerge the whole item (which is not always convenient). Also, it goes on great with a paintbrush. Hope this works out for your graphics card, thanks for stopping by!
Thk you thk you Jessica. that is a simply amazing tip. Soaked it and it came right off. almost immediately. You should make bottles of ketchup and sell as brass cleaners! I am so inspired now - my African coinlike necklace looks like new and its been hanging in the bottom of my drawer for years because I love it but it was totally tarnished. I'm going to see if ketchup will remove rust from white refrigerator now. thx again. Ellie
Awesome! Thanks Ellie :) Sorry I missed your nice comment before - thanks for visiting and I'm glad this was useful!
Ketchup may not work for rust - but I've heard Coca Cola can take care of that so you might give that a try!
can you use vinegar as a substitute? I ask because I know ketchup is mostly vinegar. Does ketchup have other helpful cleaning "chemicals" that will do a better job?
Hi +Erich Taylor! Great question. True that ketchup is mostly vinegar but indeed it has additional cleaning power that comes from the tomatoes in the form of malic and citric acid.
Many people do use vinegar (or a mixture of salt and vinegar) but sometimes that can actually be much too harsh for brass and cause the copper to leach out to the surface and leaving a matte salmony pink patina instead of a shiny gold finish! I prefer using ketchup since I've never had that problem with it.
Hope that helps. Thanks for visiting!
yes it does help. I never thought about the acidic content of the tomatoes either. Its more of a natural cleaner rather than using synthetic and expensive cleaners that might damage the metal. Very good information. Thanks
Can you use this trick on items that have semiprecious stones already in them?
Hi! Would this work on an antique Middle Ages brass tea pot with amber handle?
+Linda Robert I believe it would! I've had lots of comments from people using this method on antique brass of all kinds. I would however, suggest covering the handle somehow to protect it, maybe with some kind of low residue tape or something? You can also use a brush to apply the ketchup in tight spaces. Have fun!
I wanna use this method on some antique furniture fixtures.. I've heard that white vinegar also works. Have you tried that, and if so, does the ketchup still work better?
Hellkitten Actually, I do think the ketchup works better. Sometimes straight vinegar is way too harsh and can cause a pink patina to show on the surface of the brass. Ketchup of course contains vinegar but with all the other ingredients it's not so harsh unless you leave it on way too long (and then the same pink patina can happen).
Other commenters have shared that they used this method on antique brass knobs and it worked perfectly! I would suggest trying one first and check the progress at 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, etc. up to 30. As soon as it looks ready wash it off. Then you can do a batch with the rest of the fixtures.
Let us know how it goes!
So if you want to polish it? What would you use? I have scratches in a drum cymbal that cost 500$ :( I have tried cleaning it - I have tried everything. Any suggestions?
+L.A DiNiro Ok, that's a tough one. Generally when you polish metal you use a series of abrasives that start out really rough and get progressively finer until you can no longer see the scratches. Are cymbals made of brass? (sorry if that's a dumb question).
If so, and the scratches aren't super deep, you might be able to use a rotary tool like a dremel with a sanding wheel on it and change out the bits for finer and finer sandpaper until the scratch is gone, then buff it back to a shine with some polishing compound and a buffing wheel. If you don't have a rotary tool of course you can do it by hand with a lot of elbow grease. BUT I want to be clear that I have absolutely zero experience doing this on anything other than jewelry so please use caution if you plan to try this. If there's a scratch on the underside or somewhere you can test it out first that would be a good idea. You probably would only need to do spot-work on the individual scratches, not necessarily the whole surface of the cymbal.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
It did help tremendously... So thank you so much. And yes my cymbals are made of brass :)
I love your video and will subscribe to it ,and your past is what made you what, and who you are. Love the video time for me to clean some brass
Thanks! Will let you know how it turns out! Will look for that finishing wax too!
Hi there, do you use a specific lacquer after to stop it discolouring / rusting / oxidising afterwards?
Hi Stacey, sorry for the delayed reply! I recommend using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) to protect the metal after cleaning. I wish I had mentioned that in the video!
"Nerd Alert"...so adorable...lol😆. Make jewelry as well, but picked up an old ring at flea market today I love for a couple $$s, but needs to be cleaned and looking for other methods besides the one I've always used. Thanks for I info.
I don't have a chain for my new brass pendant...where do you usually get your chains? I am looking for a gold tone or brass chain. Thank you
Will Mike I usually look on Etsy and Ebay and compare prices for chains!
It's the citric acid right?
Thank you! Now that's a much better way to use bullets. I look forward to your crystal bullet tutorial.
I love the ketchup trick. It’s like magic. Within just a very few minutes it removes that oxidation and bam! Bright shiny brass or copper! It’s very very cool. I do it in my hands and rub the items. Smelly but it works!!
Yes! That weird metallic smell... I get it from sterling silver as well. Thanks so much for visiting my channel!
Where do I get bullets? I don't have any warzone nearby.
A shooting range, if you live in the US. If not, you can pick empty casings up off Ebay.
Really nice tutorial vid. Thanks I'm going to try this right now!
Does this corrode the metal slowly diminishing the quality/texture?
***** I imagine over time with many many cleanings it could potentially do that, yes. But I haven't noticed any visible effects on items I've cleaned several times so far. I doubt it's anything that an actual polishing couldn't rectify, though!
If you were to leave the metal in the ketchup for days it would start to leach out the copper and turn the surface of the brass dull and pink, by the way. But you shouldn't have any problems using ketchup on brass or copper for under 30 minutes at a time!
This work with copper rounds?
The fact that you cleaned your pennies when you were younger makes me trust your advice.
Does this work for old pennies? I have real old ones that I want to look back to proof condition if that's possible.
+Blair Smith Yes! If they are made of copper and don't have any sort of coating then it will work! I'm not sure about proof condition but it will get you part of the way there for sure - take the brown off and make them more pink :)
Thanks for the tutorial. About citric acid - you can find it in ebay or amazon.
Gonna go grab my ketchup bottle now!
thevegasunset Great tip, thanks so much!
At home we use to put aluminum-foil in the bottom of a container and put a couple of spoons of bicarbonate on it. then we put what ever brass or silver jewelry we want on it and pour boiling water to cover. a minute later a chemical reaction have removed most if not all of the discoloration. try it and say what you think :)
+Abrin78 Yes! Great tip! Chemistry is fun, isn't it? :)
Now how do you keep it shiny?
I clicked on this video to find out best way to clean my Penny Collection. Judge if you want. Lol
I'm going to try this with my ROTC Belt buckle.
+Chad Leo Cool! Let us know how it goes :)
thanks for this I was going to do the vinegar..now going to try ketchup...I'm concerned though..I'm cleaning a ring that is crystal and copper???
Cheryl Wagner Sorry for the late reply! Crystal, glass, and non-porous gemstones should be fine with the ketchup. I can't say what might happen with a foil-backed crystal, though so that might be something to consider.
Porous gemstones (usually softer stones like turquoise, etc.) could potentially be affected, as well as organic beads like pearls, wood, coral.
Instead of covering the whole ring in ketchup like I do in the video, another option is to use a small paintbrush and paint the ketchup on the areas around the crystal, just to be safe.
I went a little too far cleaning brass dresser hardware with vinegar. Seeing the pink patina. What can I do to bring back the brass color?
+Mary Ellen Ross
You can polish it back up with rouge and a polishing wheel. Maybe a brass polishing agent and some elbow grease.
GRACIAS POR COMPARTIR.SALUDOS DESDE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO.
"Judge if you want." ROFL!
So wouldn't vinegar do the same thing? Save the ketchup for the Fries Movement...lol
I don't have a bottle handy but packets of ketchup work just as easy. Makes easy cleaning of bezatine and box copper chains. This method will keep a shine a few days.
Luv this. Beautiful n very intelligent. Also interesting as hell. Ty
thank you soo so much i have a brass fidgetspinner and this work sooo good
Great Tutorial. Old Ketchup and BBQ sauce packages in the fridge for years. Took them out and emptied them on a plastic plate with 3 WW2 medals. The 1939-1945 Star, The Burma Star & The Italy Star. Now they look like they would have in 1945. Be sure to rinse well to neutralize any remaining acid. Dilution is key. Then dry well. Now to find out how to clean the ribbons. Using the Foil & Baking Soda method for the silver medals.
Awesome! BBQ sauce works great too. Glad you got some use out of those old packages and that your special medals are shiny and new again! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Kool worked great for me thanks i cleaned copper exhaust on my mini bike
Awesome! Glad to hear it - that's a new one :) Thanks for stopping by to say hi!
so I had some dirty ends of shells (took a saw and chopped the ends of) and tried cleaning them with this tactict. 30 minutes wasn't enough, so I put them to a jar with ketchup and will check results in the morning
what if its on a handbag connect D ring? how to not ruin the bag?
Thank you for that AWWWWSOME trick. I love it.
Thanks Craig! Glad it was helpful. I appreciate you stopping by to say so!
Tamarind/lemon rind and salt are traditionally used in India.
Nice! Thanks for sharing this! I love that there are many different ways to clean without chemicals 🙏
works for antiques silver?
+Chubbi Turtles Unfortunately not. You can try baking soda, hot water, and aluminum foil for cleaning silver. I don't have a tutorial on that yet but it's pretty simple if you look it up!
thank you .
short and down to the point.
What If you have a tuba?
+Michael Bliss Then you're gonna need a lot of ketchup! But all joking aside, probably a traditional brass polish will be more appropriate :)
Simple and informative....thank you and God bless
Chris Maloney Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by :)
i have got brass buttons on a pair of pants can i get some ketchup and i paper towel to do this
Thank you much for the reply! This old teapot has been in the family for generations. Comes from our ancestors who had a castle in Scotland eons ago! Would love to visit that place but apparently it was destroyed during the wars my Gram said.
The spout looks like a snake mouth, the handle is full Amber, the whole length of it. I will be careful as one of the grandchildren will inherit one day.
+Linda Robert Oh how wonderful! It sounds absolutely amazing. I'm glad you were able to keep such a treasure as a connection to your family history! Sad news about the castle though :(
By the way, after you clean it and get it nice and shiny, you can apply Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/1ON8nYT) to protect it and prevent it from tarnishing again so quickly. You just apply it with a soft cloth and then buff off the extra (using the same cloth). You can apply several coats for better protection.
Brass items that sit out in the open (as I imagine your teapot might) tend to oxidize more quickly, as it's oxygen that causes that to happen in the first place. The wax creates a barrier and protects the metal from the air. I'd love to hear how the ketchup works for you, and the wax too if you use it!