Cleaning with Isopropyl Alcohol
- Stine
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Cleaning with Isopropyl Alcohol
Not a "clogging" question.
Being the finicky must-play-with-clean-instrument freak I am... I clean my (steel?)flute with Isopropyl Alcohol, which works extremely well. I have a brass whistle, and I'm afraid to clean it with this stuff until I'm sure it won't do any damage to the metal. I don't believe we have any other sort of brass cleaners around the house. Any ideas?
Being the finicky must-play-with-clean-instrument freak I am... I clean my (steel?)flute with Isopropyl Alcohol, which works extremely well. I have a brass whistle, and I'm afraid to clean it with this stuff until I'm sure it won't do any damage to the metal. I don't believe we have any other sort of brass cleaners around the house. Any ideas?
- Rod Sprague
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If you can get the search function to actually work (I can't without 10,000 replies), there is a formula which includes white vinegar for cleaning brass whistles on a past thread. Because I can't find it, I just use straight vinegar and it seems to clean up the brass. I think it was maybe Wombly or a builder that had published the formula.
How do you prepare for the end of the world?
- happyturkeyman
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Just like washing clothes with various agents, test anything on some inconspicuous corner before using it to clean the whole schpiel.
I know whistles don't have corners, just think outside the box, okay?
I know whistles don't have corners, just think outside the box, okay?
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
- Bloomfield
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It was Zubivka.The Weekenders wrote:If you can get the search function to actually work (I can't without 10,000 replies), there is a formula which includes white vinegar for cleaning brass whistles on a past thread. Because I can't find it, I just use straight vinegar and it seems to clean up the brass. I think it was maybe Wombly or a builder that had published the formula.
Zoobie Doobie wrote:Heat a glass or two of vinegar in a pan, bring it to boiling while dissolving kitchen salt in it to saturation. I.e. keep adding salt and stirring until the salt doesn't seem to dissolve any more. It does take a lot, like half-a-glass of salt.
Watch out, do this soup in a well ventilated kitchen: there's chlorine evaporating.
Let it cool outside. Pour in a bottle, slowly to leave the salt deposit in the pan. Stopper the bottle for storage.
This liquid is non toxic, use it on a rag to remove stains on brass/copper whitles (I clean my Sindt with it). Wipe dry. If you dislike the faint vinegar smell remaining, wash with soapy water before drying.
/Bloomfield
- Wanderer
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But I guess you gotta filter out the spambots.
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BTW, this same effect is why taco bell taco sauce cleans pennies..Bloomfield wrote:It was Zubivka.The Weekenders wrote:If you can get the search function to actually work (I can't without 10,000 replies), there is a formula which includes white vinegar for cleaning brass whistles on a past thread. Because I can't find it, I just use straight vinegar and it seems to clean up the brass. I think it was maybe Wombly or a builder that had published the formula.
Zoobie Doobie wrote:Heat a glass or two of vinegar in a pan, bring it to boiling while dissolving kitchen salt in it to saturation. I.e. keep adding salt and stirring until the salt doesn't seem to dissolve any more. It does take a lot, like half-a-glass of salt.
Watch out, do this soup in a well ventilated kitchen: there's chlorine evaporating.
Let it cool outside. Pour in a bottle, slowly to leave the salt deposit in the pan. Stopper the bottle for storage.
This liquid is non toxic, use it on a rag to remove stains on brass/copper whitles (I clean my Sindt with it). Wipe dry. If you dislike the faint vinegar smell remaining, wash with soapy water before drying.
here comes the science:
http://www.cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/cleaningcopper.html
The copper in the tarnish would be in the 2+ form. Chloride ions do not bond strongly to this form. However, they do bond fairly strongly to the 1+ form. A reaction that would be unfavorable in the absence of chloride ions, Cu + Cu2+ *--> 2Cu1+, becomes favorable when the chloride is present to tie up the Cu1+ form (as [CuCl2]-).
The first process can be viewed as transfer of an electron from Cu (metallic copper) to Cu2+. This is followed by reaction of the Cu1+ with the chloride. The resulting copper-chloride complex is soluble in water. It's the electron-transfer aspect of the chemistry (the conversion of metallic copper and the Cu2+, to Cu1+) that makes the role of the salt a little surprising.
Last edited by Wanderer on Tue Sep 28, 2004 10:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- GaryKelly
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IPA is a toxic, irritant, highly flammable, low flash-point, unpleasant substance. Skin contact is to be avoided, preferrably with gloves and/or barrier cream. Breathing its vapours is not to be recommended either.Rod Sprague wrote:It is mildly toxic and won’t get you drunk anyway, so don’t ingest it.
Personally I'd recommend Goddard's cleaning cloths. They have two in particular which are excellent and long-lasting...one for silver, and one for copper & brass. The silver polishing cloth actually works a treat on my laughing whistle (it has to, I can't find the other cloth I had).
Goddard's stuff can be had direct from them http://www.goddards.com/
or from any number of online hardware stores (or even real ones. I get mine from Sainsbury's supermarket here in Blighty).
Does an excellent job on the brass rings of my flutes too, without affecting or marking the adjacent wood.
Just use the cloths, don't bother with the liquids or gels or foams... the cloths are apparently "impregnated" (lovely word) anyway. But they do work well.
"It might be a bit better to tune to one of my fiddle's open strings, like A, rather than asking me for an F#." - Martin Milner
- waitingame
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- IDAwHOa
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- Tell us something.: I play whistles. I sell whistles. This seems just a BIT excessive to the cause. A sentence or two is WAY less than 100 characters.
I interpreted "clean" to mean steriliize. THAT is what my wife means by clean! Will any of these forumulas mentioned sterilize as well as clean?NorCalMusician wrote:Iso will clean the brass just fine. Make sure you wipe the residue off while it is still wet or it may leave a whitish film behind.
Steven - IDAwHOa - Wood Rocks
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
- GaryKelly
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No. You'll have to boil your whistles. Or soak them in bleach. Especially the wooden ones like the Bleazey, where the germs are tenacious.*
*Warning. Boiling whistles or soaking them in bleach is likely to destroy the whistles completely. Under no circumstances should you boil your whistle or soak it in bleach. The author cannot be held responsible for the stupidity of others. Hot coffee is hot, and may scald you.
*Warning. Boiling whistles or soaking them in bleach is likely to destroy the whistles completely. Under no circumstances should you boil your whistle or soak it in bleach. The author cannot be held responsible for the stupidity of others. Hot coffee is hot, and may scald you.
"It might be a bit better to tune to one of my fiddle's open strings, like A, rather than asking me for an F#." - Martin Milner