How to clean brass and copper sheets

How to clean brass and copper sheets

The other day, I was doing a workshop for 3rd year students of the accessory department in college and the one question to which everyone wanted to know the answer to was – How to clean brass and copper sheets?
Ofcourse the net is abound with tips and solutions, but I thought that I would share some easy methods that work well for me. So in this post I am going to tell you how to clean copper and brass sheets,small articles using natural ingredients.

How to clean brass and copper sheets

One of my earliest memories of festivals as a kid, is the image of my mother cleaning brass lamps and figures in our house with brasso. Years later when I started doing metalwork, she asked if I wanted her to get some for me, for the metal sheets, particularly copper that I got from the local market were filthy. To her amusement I nodded my head in negative and went on to fill a tray with some vinegar and salt. I soaked the black sheet in and it came out sparkling clean. Ta Da!! its was like MAGIC!

Again, there are many recipes on the net but here are three that work for me, though there may be variations that work better for other people:

How to clean brass and copper sheets

1. Copper Sheet/Penny/ charms – Pour vinegar in a tub/tray large enough to soak your sheet and add enough salt till you saturate the liquid. Immerse copper sheet, take out and scrub any stubborn spots with a brass brush. Wash under running water and dry with a soft cloth.
2. Brass sheets: Use process 1 if its slightly dirty. but if the sheet is black or has firescale then you require citric acid. Boil water in a pot large enough to soak your sheet, add citric acid crystals (ones that are used to make Paneer) slowly and stir till they dissolve. Remove pot of the stove and immerse metal sheet, scrub clean and wash. If you sheet is big, use a stainless ladle to pour the solution on the sheet and scrub as you pour and wash immediately under water. I usually do this in my stone sink and flush down a lot of water
3. Small Brass/Copper items –  This is a traditional family recipe that we use to clean figures of Gods and Goddess during festivals. Soak tamarind in a bowl (large enough to soak your item) of water until it disintegrates. Soak the item in this mix for 15-20 minutes and scrub clean with half a lemon, Wash with water and dry with a soft cloth.

How to Clean copper and brass

 Other  Cleaning methods

– Rub Tomato Sauce
– Clean with lemon juice
– Use cleaners meant for brass and copper
– Use polishing agent on scrubbing with lemon to acquire shine

My top additional tips to clean brass and copper sheets

#If you are allergic to lemon juice/vinegar/tamarind please wear gloves
# My hands and neck itch after I clean metal due to the impurities on it. After cleaning, I wash my  hands well with a soap free hand wash/facewash and apply lots of moisturizer or cream and  avoid touching metal for a few hours.
#do not leave metal soaked in the solution for a long time. Also dry immediately after washing to avoid salt deposit on metal (It will happen if you use bore or tap water)

I have personally never cleaned wire with any of these methods – I only do a dry scrub and it works well for me but I think you can also clean wire with these recipes. Whatever method you use to clean your metal sheets, even if they are natural, remember to dilute solution with lots of water before pouring them down the drain.

I hope you find it interesting
Cheers

 

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6 responses to “How to clean brass and copper sheets”

  1. motidana avatar

    Wow Divya , love you for writing this post . Remember , the other day , I mentioned that I had misplaced the notes I had taken down at the workshop I took with you . Your post is really solved the problem , specially as I am working on metals right now. Thank you for sharing this post 🙂

  2. Divya N avatar

    Thanks, I am glad that it has helped you refresh your memory

  3. Greco avatar

    I didn’t know tamarind could be so useful when cleaning! Thanks for the tip! I do have a question though. What if the piece is too big to use this method? Should I just use another?

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      Big pieces are difficult to clean. If its a sculpture you can do it part by part but if its a sheet you can wipe it with a cloth drenched in citric acid plus water or vinegar and salt and scrub as you go

  4. Richard Averill avatar
    Richard Averill

    Thank you, very informative. I am sure I will read again at least a few times.

  5. Pure Envy avatar
    Pure Envy

    Thanks for sharing such an informative post. Will share it with my friends too. Keep posting

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