Green Spots on Brass Whistle

[Matthewlawson3]

Hi everyone! I pulled my brass Killarney D whistle out today after about a month and noticed that it had a green spot or two on the tube. I had it stored safely in a Pinegrove Leather roll. What are these green areas and how do I prevent them in the future? I just wiped them off today.

[Andro]

It's verdigris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdigris

Just clean it off. Happens more often near salt air. Keep the brass tube polished and it wont happen so much.

[busterbill]

I sort of freaked out when I saw the first copper spot on my whistle and green ones too! They polish out easily. I use Weiman's liquid brass polish. I found mine at the grocery store. It is a water rinse-able polish that doesn't leave a residue. I squirt it on a soft terry cloth at the kitchen sink then rub the whistle down. If it doesn't come off right away try a reapplication. It seldom takes more than three tries in my experience. I usually takes less than 5 minute. Nothing fancy is required.

Some brass polishes are pretty stinky and have a bit of grit to them. I think Brasso falls into that category, so I stick to Weiman's. I have heard Wright's liquid works well, though I have not used it.

[swizzlestick]

The leather is great for physical protection, but it may be adding to the problem. The brass could be reacting with tanning chemicals in the leather. And I know that in more humid climates, leather has a tendency to attract moisture.

For example, cowboy reenactors -- we have several in this part of the US -- sometimes find their brass cartridges discolored by their leather gunbelts.

You might want to keep your whistle outside the roll while at home.

[Matthewlawson3]

I sort of freaked out when I saw the first copper spot on my whistle and green ones too! They polish out easily. I use Weiman's liquid brass polish. I found mine at the grocery store. It is a water rinse-able polish that doesn't leave a residue. I squirt it on a soft terry cloth at the kitchen sink then rub the whistle down. If it doesn't come off right away try a reapplication. It seldom takes more than three tries in my experience. I usually takes less than 5 minute. Nothing fancy is required.

Some brass polishes are pretty stinky and have a bit of grit to them. I think Brasso falls into that category, so I stick to Weiman's. I have heard Wright's liquid works well, though I have not used it.

Would a brass polishing cloth work just as well?

[busterbill]

Would a brass polishing cloth work just as well?

You could always try. The liquid is pretty simple if it doesn't work. It would probably depend on how much verdigres you've got. The liquid will melt if away faster with less rubbing.

[facet]

I've used Brasso to remove tarnish and spots and it works quite well. To keep the surface clean, follow with Renaissance wax. It does not leave a slippery surface like other waxes (especially those containing silicone).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

[MichaelLoos]

The Pre-Lim cleaner made by the same company that makes Renaissance wax is much more recommendable than Brasso - aart from being smelly, I've found Brasso to quicken further tarnishing after cleaning.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pre-lim-surfac ... SwJm1Z1LjQ

[an seanduine]

It is possible ro passivate brass to eliminate tarnishing. With Brasso the simplest thing is to thoroughly rinse the residue wth water. This considerable lessens the re-tarnishing. A more permanent solution is to apply a solution of sodium dichromate to the brass. This ´passivates´ the surface, forming a thin barrier of copper chromate, which is passive and does not tarnish. This is similar to the process with aluminum forming oxides on exposure to the air to stop further corrosion.

Bob

[Matthewlawson3]

Can one use toothpaste with a brush to put it on?

[busterbill]

Toothpaste has never done much for verdigres on brass in my limited experience. Whatever is in brass polish causes a chemical reaction which melts it away without affecting the surface. I've used a t shirt or worn terry cloth with to apply Weiman"s liquid with limited rubbing. It isn't really a matter of scrubbing. John Sindt recommended Wright's liquid to me some year ago. I think they may a similar chemical composition. The Weiman's has a bit of a smell but it is not overpowering and doesn"t seem more toxic than dish or laundry soap, (neither of them you would want to ingest but they don't muck up your house when used as directed.) I've never even used gloves for the brief job of whistle cleaning but I am sure you could if you are concerned about chemicals.

[Matthewlawson3]

I sort of freaked out when I saw the first copper spot on my whistle and green ones too! They polish out easily. I use Weiman's liquid brass polish. I found mine at the grocery store. It is a water rinse-able polish that doesn't leave a residue. I squirt it on a soft terry cloth at the kitchen sink then rub the whistle down. If it doesn't come off right away try a reapplication. It seldom takes more than three tries in my experience. I usually takes less than 5 minute. Nothing fancy is required.

Some brass polishes are pretty stinky and have a bit of grit to them. I think Brasso falls into that category, so I stick to Weiman's. I have heard Wright's liquid works well, though I have not used it.

So you just apply to a cloth and rub the whistle down? Any rinsing with water needed afterwards?

Or do you just apply and rub down and that's it?

[busterbill]

I either squirt the polish on the cloth or the whistle, whichever strikes my fancy then rub it gently and rinse under warm water from the faucet. The cloth I use will actually go black as it picks up the tarnish. I usually do this right at the kitchen sink. I also take the mouthpiece and tube apart and clean each part separately since there is sometimes a bit of tarnish where they meet. Polishing the inside of the joint where the mouthpiece meets the body will keep that area free moving. but I stay away from the inside near the blade. I'll just spin the cloth in there going in a bit more than half and inch. Depending on how much tarnish is on the tube it can be one application or two or three. After rinsing I drag one of my giant pipe cleaners (those Super Colossal craft pipe cleaners from Amaon I have mentioned in past posts) through the tube to dry the inside but a small piece of cloth on a string, taped to a chopstick or a bit on a flute clean out stick would take care of that as well.

It's pretty simple once you get the stuff lined up.

[Matthewlawson3]

I either squirt the polish on the cloth or the whistle, whichever strikes my fancy then rub it gently and rinse under warm water from the faucet. The cloth I use will actually go black as it picks up the tarnish. I usually do this right at the kitchen sink. I also take the mouthpiece and tube apart and clean each part separately since there is sometimes a bit of tarnish where they meet. Polishing the inside of the joint where the mouthpiece meets the body will keep that area free moving. but I stay away from the inside near the blade. I'll just spin the cloth in there going in a bit more than half and inch. Depending on how much tarnish is on the tube it can be one application or two or three. After rinsing I drag one of my giant pipe cleaners (those Super Colossal craft pipe cleaners from Amaon I have mentioned in past posts) through the tube to dry the inside but a small piece of cloth on a string, taped to a chopstick or a bit on a flute clean out stick would take care of that as well.

It's pretty simple once you get the stuff lined up.

Thank you! You rinse the whistle under the faucet or the cloth after you rub the whistle?