[Hallicrafters] Wrights Brass Polish

[Scott Seickel]

Barry,

I've read a lot of the posts on 390 reflector concerning
cleaners.  Don't know if any have merit. I have a hard time
believing that if I use it on my chassis, it will crack in half
one day.  If the cleaner actually strips a small fraction of the
coating thickness, revealing new surface I would imagine that
this would not be a bad thing.  I think that the surface
will last quite long as the plating itself is durable, unlike brass
or silver which tarnish very rapidly.  I will avoid any cleaner
contact with the tube sockets and any other components.
A coating after cleaning
would probably  make the radio chassis look unauthentic. 
I think the chassis will age gracefully after a good cleaning.
The surface I cleaned is not "polished", but it really looks like a 
brand new chassis.  I am thinking that it is like turning the clock
 back 50 years, as all  I am removing is an accumulation of grime.
And it was really easy....No scrubbing at all.  The cleaner is water
based and the bottle says that you can rinse off all polish with water.
Maybe a good wiping with a damp sponge would be a good idea to
remove any traces of cleaner.  And as a final note, wearing gloves
and doing in a ventilated area is probably a good idea as you
suggest a possible hazard with cadmium oxide.  I guess my radio
will be the guniea pig here.  Will let  you know how I make out.

Thanks,
Scott



  






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barry Hauser" <barry_hauser at juno.com>
To: <polaraligned at earthlink.net>
Cc: <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 11:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] Wrights Brass Polish


> Wow, Scott!
> 
> That's pretty impressive.  Based on some posts I've read about some
> strong cleaners and polishes, I might have some concerns:
> 
> -- Read somewhere (R-390 reflector, I think) that ammonia is bad for
> brass structurally.  Somehow it can weaken brass gears and bearings,
> making them more brittle and subject to wear.  I don't know if this is
> so, or to what extent, etc.  Will shining your belt buckle with Brasso
> will eventually cause your pants to fall down?  I think someone might
> have noticed that phenomenon by now.
> 
> -- Really strong chemical cleaners, like Tarnx, are said to get things
> bright and shiny right away, but by virtue of stripping the metal, cause
> much more rapid oxidation thereafter.  Also, some of these products
> consume some metal along with the oxides, and might be a bit dicey on
> plated surfaces.
> 
> -- Ionizing cleaners, such as Simple Green and 409 can soak into porous
> insulators like phenolic and ceramic, leaving salts behind which can
> result in arcing.  Doubtful that Wrights also has this property. 
> 
> But --it's all hearsay and that section of the cover you did looks
> terrific.  Of course, very shiny SX-28 chassis may not be traditional
> ;-).  It would probably be a good idea to protect newly cleaned surfaces
> with something, but I'm not sure what.  Would be nice to to replicate the
> MFP coating the mil radios have, but not quite so yellow/gold.  I
> sometimes do a final wipedown with WD-40 which leaves a residue, but it's
> not a great solution.  Maybe some kind of spray on clearcoat that is heat
> resistant and won't discolor.
> 
> As a final note:  Many of these chassis are cad-plated, and cadmium oxide
> is supposed to be nasty stuff.  Does anyone know if the witches brew
> concocted by polishing it off represents any particular hazard?
> 
> Barry
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, 29 Jan 2003 20:09:36 -0500 "Scott Seickel"
> <polaraligned at earthlink.net> writes:
> > I tried this stuff on my SX-28 chassis on the 
> > advice of  a 390 buddie.  I am amazed by this 
> > stuff.  My chassis has a wonderful green patina
> > very much like well weathered copper, though 
> > there are no signs of water damage.  There is no
> > scrubbing it seems to work by chemical action.
> > Has ammonia in it and smells strongly like ammonia.
> > Wondering if anyone has used this stuff on a chassis
> > and if you all think it is safe to use.  Let me tell you that
> > it makes the chassis look like NEW and I mean NEW.
> > Unbelievable.  Pictures do not do it justice.  Cleaned
> > metal really looks like new.
> > Check out pictures I posted:
> > http://home.earthlink.net/~polaraligned/_wsn/page3.html
> > 
> > Let me know what you  think.
> > 
> 
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