Polishing brass

[rgouette]

jeweler's rouge

yeah but, does anyone really want to use something named 'rouge' on their pipes?

[MTGuru]

Again, good info from people who have obviously done their homework on the subject of brass care.

A sincere question, then.

I have brass pieces which I polished with Simichrome a year ago, 3 years ago, 5 years ago ... And these pieces are today as bright and shining as the day they were polished. I see no evidence of premature corrosion, rapid tarnishing, season cracking, ugly patina, discoloration, etc. Brass whistles which I handle regularly show only normal signs of wear around the fingerholes, occasionally touched up with a rouge cloth.

So what am I doing wrong?

Will I wake up one morning to find, like Dorian Gray or M. Valdemar, that all my brass has gone to hell?

[Ted]

Simichrome leaves an anti-corrosive residue after cleaning. If you are a low corrosion sweat kind of guy, you can keep your brass looking great. Others MMV. Many think the oxidized brass looks great. With anti-oxidation containing polishes and cloths, you might want to repolish annually +/- , but certainly not a weekly chore. It depends on what you like.

[Patrick D'Arcy]

There hasn't been an "anti-corrosive residue" invented yet that can hold back my bodily fluids! Burn baby, burn!

Patrick.

[MTGuru]

There hasn't been an "anti-corrosive residue" invented yet that can hold back my bodily fluids!

That's waaaay too much information.

If you are a low corrosion sweat kind of guy

I guess I am. It's what I always emphasize in my Craigslist personals. "I like jazz and trad, enjoy sunsets and long walks on the beach, and my sweat is non-corrosive." Chicks find that irrestible.

Seriously, I can go for a month on a new set of guitar strings, but know friends who can kill a string in 10 minutes flat.