👉 BEFORE YOU COMMENT: 1.) I have already been schooled on the fact that these are not called 'bullets' and that even 'shells' is apparently incorrect terminology. Now I know - "casings!" Got it. Thanks! I'm all learned up 👍 2.) YES! I know that brass doesn't 'rust' - I should have said 'oxidized'. I just said the wrong word; I paid attention in science classes and I remember that 'rust' specifically refers to 'iron oxide' and that brass does not contain iron so therefore cannot produce iron oxide. Mistakes happen (- have you ever made a mistake? No? Good for you - you should make a video and share it on UA-cam to celebrate that fact! Just hope that you don't make any mistakes in that video or you will never live it down ☠️ - ) and I didn't feel like reshooting the whole video because (silly me!) I thought people would let that one slide. HAHAHA! 3.) YEP - vinegar and salt can also clean brass and copper. I prefer 🍅ketchup🍅 because it ALSO contains citric acid and malic acid (from those juicy tomatoes) in addition to the acetic acid (from the vinegar) and salt, which makes for a super awesome cleaning combo. PLUS - you can easily spot-treat with ketchup (use a q-tip or a tiny paintbrush) or slather it on a larger object if you can't submerge it in anything. And anyway - who can stand the smell of straight vinegar? WHO??🦉 4.) Did you read all of this? Comment '🍟🍟🍟' below! Thanks for watching :)
I'll tell you the secret, just named it after me (selfish me hahaha) Tamarind. - Shiny copper pennies in seconds rubbing between your finger. Your welcome Now, any trick to shine cupro-nickel ?
That's hilarious! I'm in my 60s and always remember my Moms' response whenever someone corrected her..."well, you understood me, right" ?! Hah! Thanks for all your great tips & tutorials. (Stella in Austin)
Im a sailor, bit more of a smarter gun owner than the hillbillies and took metallurgy in college. Yes brass does rust lol, my ship I'm on has a bell that rusted through. Entirety cast brass and years of neglect left massive brown "petina" and green "rust" as it errodes. Our windless gypsy heads have chunks pitted out as well as switches and knobs. It's highly resistant but neglect let's it happen. Don't worry about the comments, you're showing something awesomely useful and not to mention not reloading these casings lol. TBH if I can suggest if you want a really neat idea the rust if left comes out in a sea green and blue, imagine making a spiral wrap from the rim to the back of the casing using a faux petina or use a clear coat in a spiral dip into a high salt brine and let sit until desired effect. Then just clean the insides and clear coat.
Jessica, forever grateful here... I'm blown away how simple this is and NON-TOXIC!!! OMG, I have been using Mother's polish forever... this is SO MUCH EASIER!!! Thank you!!!
Tj Moran Thanks for visiting! Vinegar is amazing! But oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong for brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal. Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you'll have the same problem, of course).
Hi Tom! I'm so happy to hear that this worked for you :) By the way, to 'keep' that shine you may look into using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) as a protective coating. Exposure to air is what causes tarnish so anything that creates a barrier will help prolong the shine. I wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
*Great video! I at first thought it was a joke when I first saw the ketchup being poured. I almost continued to think it was a joke until I scrolled down to the comments and noticed you left this response to someone else:* “Vinegar is amazing but oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong or brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal. Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you’ll have the same problem, of course)” *Maybe it would have helped to mention that in your actual video! It would have definitely been helpful for people who didn’t see that response of yours like I did! Otherwise... great video! Thanks a ton!!* ♡
This method is amazing! I just tried it on some vintage handles that were BLACK. 25 minutes later they were beautiful! The best part is that the ketchup doesn't strip away the patina. I'll be using this a lot - already have a second batch going. Thanks!
Yay! That's so great to hear!! I have never tried this on metal with a patina, so that's good to know. Thank you so much for letting me know - I'm so glad this method helped with your lovely vintage handles :)
Thank you so much!!! Brought a small designer toy made in 2017 with a copper mask that was just looking ok and on the dull side.. Your method has made it look fantastic and back to the original shiney release I can see on the internet.
Thank you Jessica! Instead of me buying new kitchen cabinet hinges I'm going to try your ketchup cleaning idea. My hinges are not real brass but some type of imitation and they tarnished over time but I think they will clean nicely with your ketchup idea. Thank you so very much for making this video.
Thank you so much for the awesome tip! I used this to polish up some old military buttons that I purchased for my uniform. They only make anodized buttons these days and they just don't look nearly as good so this was a much needed trick!
Thanks Cameron! I'm glad to hear this worked for you :) By the way - to keep that shine on your buttons and save you from cleaning them again soon, you might try using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw). It will add a protective coating that keeps oxygen from causing the metal to tarnish again. Wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
Thank you so much! I used to try to clean pennies too! I never got them clean though. I've been collecting wheat-backs and other coins since I was a kid and I LOVE brass knick knacks. My cousin just gave me a brass/glass hour glass as a house warming gift today on 1 condition, the next time he sees it "it had better be shining!" It's late here, but just as soon as I get home tomorrow, I'll be doing this. Thanks again! :)))
holy shinoli! this worked immediately, didn't even have to wait 20 min. thank you SO much... I inherited some decorative platters from my grandmother that aren't valuable, but are sentimental. I don't know if they are copper or brass, but this worked! you took a load off my mind and now i can display these!
+Cat Dwyer Sorry Cat - looks like I missed your comment. Just wanted to come back and say thanks and I'm so glad this helped you clean up your beautiful platters :)
I give a huge thanks to you Jessica! I had a few tarnished copper rounds that I had tried to clean over and over then I found you video, it worked so well!!! Thank you
+Potato So glad to hear that - thanks for stopping by! By the way, I'm curious - did you try this on live rounds? Someone else is asking and honestly I don't know much about ammo - I just play with the empty shells :)
Carisa Love Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that!!! It's totally weird, and a little bit messy, but it definitely works :) Thanks so much for stopping by!
I do ammo reloading, and all I use is a splash of Windex and a splash of water with dish soap and it polishes them like gold. no scrubbing needed just let them sit in it
Awesome! Haven't heard that one - thanks! So for other stuff besides bullet casings where you can't necessarily let the entire piece soak or if you just need to spot treat - non-diluted ketchup works well because you can dab it on and it won't run off. For future reference if you ever need it :) I'll give the windex / dish soap combo a try too. Great tip!
Thank you for sharing this...I bought an older antique brass pendant and wasn't sure how to clean it. I will start off giving this a try...it sure is simple.
Love to have you come by our Old Marines Gun n Brass cleaning Camp .......You R a Very Improvise , Adapt , Overcome Lady , and Bet Your Dad is one helluva guy .....S/Fi .......Bubba ( Mustang O-5 67-88 Retired ) .......RVN 69-71 . p.s. I am proud of you n your simplicity .
very interesting..will keep this in mind.was looking for something to clean the brass on my 1866 rifle.I am not ready to cover it in ketchup but will try some other things..thanks!
Thank You & So Simple & easy to have, "Cleaning Solution"! I came here curiously after a 3 prong electrical wire end was very tarnished & didnt want to But a Typical Chemical solution Costing much much more than a new Wire end! Again Thank you! :)
I was using toothpaste on my brass and copper and it did a good job, but it sticks everywhere and makes it difficult to remove in the tiny crevices. Thank you so much for this much easier method.
I gave you a thumbs up for the ketchup idea but I like my ketchup for my fries and burgers haha. When I clean my cases for reloading my last step is to use a little bit vinegar, I don't leave it on for more that 30 seconds as it is very acidic but my goodness it works well.
Though I have never tried it on brass or copper, I can (straight-faced) say that cat urine is the most powerful 'metal remover' in existence. I bought a brand-new muzzleloading rifle a few decades ago, left it laying on it's locking case (which had a foam eggshell-type liner) and went to get a beer in the fridge. When I came back, I locked the case and put it in the closet. Two months later, at hunting season, I unlocked the case and THE RIFLE'S BLUING CAME OFF!!! Bluing is like an industrial-epoxy paint! I couldn't figure out how a new, hot-blued gun lost it's bluing - until I saw the stains in the foam. I smelled it an instantly figured out what had happened. While getting a beer, my cat had pissed in the gun case (he liked the foam feel, I guess). I came back, and locked the rifle in with the high-urea cat urine - and it destroyed the muzzleloader's finish! I never tested this idea again, but never forgot - if you want to remove BATTLESHIP PAINT (or gun bluing), use cat urine and time!
I love the ketchup trick. It’s like magic. Within just a very few minutes it removes that oxidation and bam! Bright shiny brass or copper! It’s very very cool. I do it in my hands and rub the items. Smelly but it works!!
That is the coolest thing ever! I have a question for you - I have a copper jug with a very high lip which I want to cut away. How can I do that simply and easily without expensive equipment? thanks for any tips!
this video was made for me omg, i was looking up how to clean brass for my bullet shells and thats what this vid is about without mentioning in the tittle!
Zakkusu Fea That's awesome! I wasn't sure many people would be looking for that! What are you going to do with yours? There are definitely other ways to clean brass (and copper) but some of them (like vinegar/lemon juice/salt) can actually leave a patina on the bullet shells which I think is due to the chemical reaction with the gunpowder residue, since it doesn't seem to be a problem with other brass items. Hence, the magic solution for shiny bullets is ketchup :)
JewelryTutorialHQ Vinegar (malic acid) and a miniscule amount of citric and malic acid from the tomatoes used to make the ketchup. *AND* there is *SALT* (160 mg.) in Heinz Ketchup. *SO*... Ketchup = vinegar + Salt. *SO*... It IS vinegar and salt.
OgMandin0 Right, but straight vinegar (*acetic acid*) is often too strong for brass and can leach out the copper to the surface, causing a pink patina on the brass. The other ingredients in the ketchup appear to 'soften' the effect of the vinegar while still cleaning it. The vinegar and salt combo has not worked for me - it turned my bullet shells pink and even blue in spots in only a few minutes, so I stick with the ketchup. Of course, leaving ketchup on way too long can cause the same issues, but it does the job easily and reliably in 30 minutes or less.
JewelryTutorialHQ You are correct the primary acid in vinegar is acetic acid. But, it ALSO contains malic acid. It is all a matter of "DEGREES..." The pH of ketchup is about 3.9. The pH of grocery store vinegar (" called 5% strength" is 2.4. (THat's right the stronger acid has a LOWER pH...) It is ALL about the concentration of the acid + how much salt is added. *PLEASE* CONTINUE to do it your way. But know dilute (=water added) vinegar and a few grains of salt would work equally well. NOTHING magic about ketchup.
Great tip, using it right now to clean some old tarnished LP gas connectors so I can make sure they don't have any pitting or cracks. You have a nice voice for presentations unlike some on youtube. Plus you're easy on the eyes too ; ).
Awesome thanks as I have brass everything on door handles, light fittings, wall socket plugs etc. So I will use a paintbrush to apply the ketchup and then wipe clean with water, as Brasso makes such a black mess everywhere when cleaning with it.
Nice pendants. I don’t know if your aware, but the black dust in those cases contain lead residue from the priming compound. Touching them and then your ketchup will contaminate the bottle then your fridge when you put it away. Please be careful and wash your hand in between.
Thk you thk you Jessica. that is a simply amazing tip. Soaked it and it came right off. almost immediately. You should make bottles of ketchup and sell as brass cleaners! I am so inspired now - my African coinlike necklace looks like new and its been hanging in the bottom of my drawer for years because I love it but it was totally tarnished. I'm going to see if ketchup will remove rust from white refrigerator now. thx again. Ellie
Awesome! Thanks Ellie :) Sorry I missed your nice comment before - thanks for visiting and I'm glad this was useful! Ketchup may not work for rust - but I've heard Coca Cola can take care of that so you might give that a try!
Thanks for your tip. This is the brightest my brass/bronze has looked (I don't know the difference between the two). But now I have a pinkish tint on the metal. Any ideas?
Am trying it and it works. I don’t think it has as much of a shine or good of color as when you first get it but it cleans a lot off. Wonder if it harms the copper at all cause I have been letting it sit for like two hours
"Nerd Alert"...so adorable...lol😆. Make jewelry as well, but picked up an old ring at flea market today I love for a couple $$s, but needs to be cleaned and looking for other methods besides the one I've always used. Thanks for I info.
I frigging love this....I work at a costume jewelry business would I be able to use this on brass plated jewelry covered in gold, rose gold and silver?
Hi Sahdir. Sorry for the delayed reply! This will only work on copper and brass directly - it won't have an effect on the outer gold / rose gold / silver coating.
At home we use to put aluminum-foil in the bottom of a container and put a couple of spoons of bicarbonate on it. then we put what ever brass or silver jewelry we want on it and pour boiling water to cover. a minute later a chemical reaction have removed most if not all of the discoloration. try it and say what you think :)
+Timothy Kuntz I wasn't kidding when I said I used to clean my pennies when I was a kid. We used ketchup or BBQ sauce to make them shiny instead of brown :) I guess it was my mom's idea!
I don't have a bottle handy but packets of ketchup work just as easy. Makes easy cleaning of bezatine and box copper chains. This method will keep a shine a few days.
Great Tutorial. Old Ketchup and BBQ sauce packages in the fridge for years. Took them out and emptied them on a plastic plate with 3 WW2 medals. The 1939-1945 Star, The Burma Star & The Italy Star. Now they look like they would have in 1945. Be sure to rinse well to neutralize any remaining acid. Dilution is key. Then dry well. Now to find out how to clean the ribbons. Using the Foil & Baking Soda method for the silver medals.
Awesome! BBQ sauce works great too. Glad you got some use out of those old packages and that your special medals are shiny and new again! Thanks so much for stopping by!
+American Outdoor Notification Systems Thanks so much for your comment! Actually, that's not completely true! Yes, ketchup has a lot of vinegar in it, but it also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes, so it works better and faster than just using vinegar. I did a side-by-side test and ketchup cleaned my brass completely after just 20 minutes, and there was absolutely zero visible change in the same time with straight vinegar. I also repeated the experiment using warm vinegar, with the same results. Try it sometime! Also, in many cases, straight vinegar can actually be much too harsh on the brass, causing some of the copper to leach out to the surface and leaving a matte pink finish that's difficult to remove. This isn't always the case so I believe it might depend on the particular brass alloy - there are lots of different alloys out there that are all called 'brass'.
+American Outdoor Notification Systems Actually tomato (juice) will do exactly the same thing without vinegar. Tomato is very acidic and will remove tarnish off of copper and brass.
Maynard Rojen Esplanada Thanks very much! I'm not sure I understand your question - can you give me some more info and I'll try to help. Is the lapel pin made of copper or some other metal? Brass is an alloy that contains copper and some chemical reactions can cause the copper to leach out of the metal, making the surface pink. Just want to make sure I have all the info before telling you how to fix it.
Nice!But this is the question:I have a small(about 10inches high)table top water fountain and is brass.This is going to take a lot of ketchup.Can I use tomatoe juice instead?Thank You
+Augie Sanchez Great question. I haven't tried it so I can't say for sure that it will work as well, but I know that it definitely won't hurt. Here's what I would suggest: test on a small area (apply with a q-tip maybe?) using just tomato juice and if it doesn't seem to do much after 15-20 minutes then try again after adding some vinegar to the tomato juice. Again, test in a small area, maybe a little more out of sight this time as too much vinegar could cause the brass to turn pink (it leaches the copper out to the surface of the metal), and that's not easy to get rid of. Tomato juice has malic and citric acid in it but I think it's that mixture + the vinegar that really makes it a winning combo! Will you let me know how it works out? I'd love to know!
Nice video. How should I do this in order to clean a guitar input jack that's still soldered to the guitar? (I don't want to unsolder and later resolder it in place).
Hey Shadow Reaper. Sorry for the delayed reply! If you still need to do this, you can use a small paintbrush to apply ketchup to the input jack (if it's made of brass or copper?) and simply wipe it off when it's done.
Hi, Thank you for the tutorial!! I just tried it on my copper necklace, and it worked really well on the most part, but there is some part that turned red-ish, and I cant get rid of that. Do you know why is that and what to do? Thank you!!!
+Jenny Li Sorry to hear that! I have had that happen before and my best guess is that there was some sort of other residue already on that part of the metal that caused a different reaction between the copper and the acids in the ketchup. Have you tried scrubbing it with very fine (#0000) steel wool?
+Jenny Li Are you sure the necklace is made of solid copper and not brass or some other metal? I'm a little confused because clean copper is pretty much the color of rose gold :) Brass can turn pink with too much acidity sometimes. The only other thing I can think of is to maybe try Brasso which is a metal polish.
Ya, i bought it from urban outfitters, and I checked the website, it said copper there. I think the color is cool as long as its not dull and black lol. Thank you very much for the help!!
Sweet ! Thank you ! I was looking for an idea that did not consist of the salt and white vinegar..I have a graphics card for a gaming computer I wanna paint it and clean the copper heat pipes on it ..I might just b able to do the catsup trick and let it sit..thanks!!
Glad to help! Another reason I prefer the ketchup (catsup) to vinegar and salt is because it's thick enough to sit so you can spot treat without having to submerge the whole item (which is not always convenient). Also, it goes on great with a paintbrush. Hope this works out for your graphics card, thanks for stopping by!
I wanna use this method on some antique furniture fixtures.. I've heard that white vinegar also works. Have you tried that, and if so, does the ketchup still work better?
Hellkitten Actually, I do think the ketchup works better. Sometimes straight vinegar is way too harsh and can cause a pink patina to show on the surface of the brass. Ketchup of course contains vinegar but with all the other ingredients it's not so harsh unless you leave it on way too long (and then the same pink patina can happen). Other commenters have shared that they used this method on antique brass knobs and it worked perfectly! I would suggest trying one first and check the progress at 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, etc. up to 30. As soon as it looks ready wash it off. Then you can do a batch with the rest of the fixtures. Let us know how it goes!
{"judge if you want...." I am laughing my butt off over here! I love that line and your look that went with it. Academy Award goes to.....YOU! Great video, thanks for the great tip. I love your jewelry too.
brotus59 Thank you so much :) I almost took that part out but decided to leave it in since it's just so... 'me'. Lol. Glad you liked the video, thanks for visiting!
+JewelryTutorialHQ I'm so glad you put this on youtube...I've been looking to restore an old coin without damaging it..thanks for all of your replies too! :)
Sorry ......it's for my Marine Corps duty buckles as I do Not throw them away , and save them all , but the NEVR-DULL Does Not work as well as your simple method because I have tried white vinegar saly flour paste to a Non Shine to a D.I. for a young boot would have to impress in 2nd phase on that sandbar in S.C. ........Thanx Again Kiddo !
Thank you much for the reply! This old teapot has been in the family for generations. Comes from our ancestors who had a castle in Scotland eons ago! Would love to visit that place but apparently it was destroyed during the wars my Gram said. The spout looks like a snake mouth, the handle is full Amber, the whole length of it. I will be careful as one of the grandchildren will inherit one day.
+Linda Robert Oh how wonderful! It sounds absolutely amazing. I'm glad you were able to keep such a treasure as a connection to your family history! Sad news about the castle though :( By the way, after you clean it and get it nice and shiny, you can apply Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/1ON8nYT) to protect it and prevent it from tarnishing again so quickly. You just apply it with a soft cloth and then buff off the extra (using the same cloth). You can apply several coats for better protection. Brass items that sit out in the open (as I imagine your teapot might) tend to oxidize more quickly, as it's oxygen that causes that to happen in the first place. The wax creates a barrier and protects the metal from the air. I'd love to hear how the ketchup works for you, and the wax too if you use it!
+Linda Robert I believe it would! I've had lots of comments from people using this method on antique brass of all kinds. I would however, suggest covering the handle somehow to protect it, maybe with some kind of low residue tape or something? You can also use a brush to apply the ketchup in tight spaces. Have fun!
Hi Stacey, sorry for the delayed reply! I recommend using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) to protect the metal after cleaning. I wish I had mentioned that in the video!
so I had some dirty ends of shells (took a saw and chopped the ends of) and tried cleaning them with this tactict. 30 minutes wasn't enough, so I put them to a jar with ketchup and will check results in the morning
can you use vinegar as a substitute? I ask because I know ketchup is mostly vinegar. Does ketchup have other helpful cleaning "chemicals" that will do a better job?
Hi +Erich Taylor! Great question. True that ketchup is mostly vinegar but indeed it has additional cleaning power that comes from the tomatoes in the form of malic and citric acid. Many people do use vinegar (or a mixture of salt and vinegar) but sometimes that can actually be much too harsh for brass and cause the copper to leach out to the surface and leaving a matte salmony pink patina instead of a shiny gold finish! I prefer using ketchup since I've never had that problem with it. Hope that helps. Thanks for visiting!
yes it does help. I never thought about the acidic content of the tomatoes either. Its more of a natural cleaner rather than using synthetic and expensive cleaners that might damage the metal. Very good information. Thanks
So if you want to polish it? What would you use? I have scratches in a drum cymbal that cost 500$ :( I have tried cleaning it - I have tried everything. Any suggestions?
+L.A DiNiro Ok, that's a tough one. Generally when you polish metal you use a series of abrasives that start out really rough and get progressively finer until you can no longer see the scratches. Are cymbals made of brass? (sorry if that's a dumb question). If so, and the scratches aren't super deep, you might be able to use a rotary tool like a dremel with a sanding wheel on it and change out the bits for finer and finer sandpaper until the scratch is gone, then buff it back to a shine with some polishing compound and a buffing wheel. If you don't have a rotary tool of course you can do it by hand with a lot of elbow grease. BUT I want to be clear that I have absolutely zero experience doing this on anything other than jewelry so please use caution if you plan to try this. If there's a scratch on the underside or somewhere you can test it out first that would be a good idea. You probably would only need to do spot-work on the individual scratches, not necessarily the whole surface of the cymbal. Hope that helps, and good luck!
👉 BEFORE YOU COMMENT:
1.) I have already been schooled on the fact that these are not called 'bullets' and that even 'shells' is apparently incorrect terminology. Now I know - "casings!" Got it. Thanks! I'm all learned up 👍
2.) YES! I know that brass doesn't 'rust' - I should have said 'oxidized'. I just said the wrong word; I paid attention in science classes and I remember that 'rust' specifically refers to 'iron oxide' and that brass does not contain iron so therefore cannot produce iron oxide. Mistakes happen (- have you ever made a mistake? No? Good for you - you should make a video and share it on UA-cam to celebrate that fact! Just hope that you don't make any mistakes in that video or you will never live it down ☠️ - ) and I didn't feel like reshooting the whole video because (silly me!) I thought people would let that one slide. HAHAHA!
3.) YEP - vinegar and salt can also clean brass and copper. I prefer 🍅ketchup🍅 because it ALSO contains citric acid and malic acid (from those juicy tomatoes) in addition to the acetic acid (from the vinegar) and salt, which makes for a super awesome cleaning combo. PLUS - you can easily spot-treat with ketchup (use a q-tip or a tiny paintbrush) or slather it on a larger object if you can't submerge it in anything. And anyway - who can stand the smell of straight vinegar? WHO??🦉
4.) Did you read all of this? Comment '🍟🍟🍟' below!
Thanks for watching :)
I'll tell you the secret, just named it after me (selfish me hahaha)
Tamarind. - Shiny copper pennies in seconds rubbing between your finger.
Your welcome
Now, any trick to shine cupro-nickel ?
That's hilarious! I'm in my 60s and always remember my Moms' response whenever someone corrected her..."well, you understood me, right" ?! Hah! Thanks for all your great tips & tutorials.
(Stella in Austin)
Fries please.
Im a sailor, bit more of a smarter gun owner than the hillbillies and took metallurgy in college.
Yes brass does rust lol, my ship I'm on has a bell that rusted through. Entirety cast brass and years of neglect left massive brown "petina" and green "rust" as it errodes. Our windless gypsy heads have chunks pitted out as well as switches and knobs. It's highly resistant but neglect let's it happen.
Don't worry about the comments, you're showing something awesomely useful and not to mention not reloading these casings lol.
TBH if I can suggest if you want a really neat idea the rust if left comes out in a sea green and blue, imagine making a spiral wrap from the rim to the back of the casing using a faux petina or use a clear coat in a spiral dip into a high salt brine and let sit until desired effect. Then just clean the insides and clear coat.
JewelryTutorialHQ Easy, Tiger.
Jessica, forever grateful here... I'm blown away how simple this is and NON-TOXIC!!! OMG, I have been using Mother's polish forever... this is SO MUCH EASIER!!! Thank you!!!
You are so welcome! Thanks so much for your comment. I'm glad this helped!
It's the vinegar in the ketchup that cleans the brass/copper. Vinegar is slightly acidic, which works wonders when cleaning things of this nature.
Tj Moran Thanks for visiting! Vinegar is amazing! But oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong for brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal.
Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you'll have the same problem, of course).
I just cleaned my dolphin sculpture and the difference is amazing. My mom has to be smiling down at me. Thanks a million. Mahallo
Hi Tom! I'm so happy to hear that this worked for you :) By the way, to 'keep' that shine you may look into using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) as a protective coating. Exposure to air is what causes tarnish so anything that creates a barrier will help prolong the shine. I wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
I tried ketchup on antique brass bathroom fittings and it worked well! Thanks. Your crystal pendants are very nice btw.
Just tried it on a copper bracelet. Amazing results, looks brand new!! Thank you much!
I have no idea why someone would dislike this video. They must be from the , FREE THE BRASS, movement or something weird like that. Great tip!
Because people are a-holes. Never understood why people gives thumbs down for no reason.
You probably don't understand why because you are not made of brass. WHAT IF YOU WERE???
*Great video! I at first thought it was a joke when I first saw the ketchup being poured. I almost continued to think it was a joke until I scrolled down to the comments and noticed you left this response to someone else:*
“Vinegar is amazing but oftentimes, vinegar alone is much too strong or brass and can cause the copper to leach out and leave a a dull salmony-pink patina on the surface of the metal.
Ketchup also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes which also help to clean the metal, but but the other stuff in the ketchup (tomatoes, sugar, etc) seems to prevent a pink patina from being an issue (unless you leave the ketchup on way too long and you’ll have the same problem, of course)”
*Maybe it would have helped to mention that in your actual video! It would have definitely been helpful for people who didn’t see that response of yours like I did! Otherwise... great video! Thanks a ton!!* ♡
Hi Kenzi! Yes, you are so right! I wish I would have thought to mention that in the video :( 🤦🏻♀️
Thanks for stopping by to say hello!
This method is amazing! I just tried it on some vintage handles that were BLACK. 25 minutes later they were beautiful! The best part is that the ketchup doesn't strip away the patina. I'll be using this a lot - already have a second batch going.
Thanks!
Yay! That's so great to hear!! I have never tried this on metal with a patina, so that's good to know. Thank you so much for letting me know - I'm so glad this method helped with your lovely vintage handles :)
Fantastic. I can't believe how easy that was. My brass stuff looks like gold plated. !!!! Thank you so much.
+Kathie Wilson Wonderful! That's so great to hear :) Thanks for visiting!
Thank you so much!!! Brought a small designer toy made in 2017 with a copper mask that was just looking ok and on the dull side.. Your method has made it look fantastic and back to the original shiney release I can see on the internet.
Amazing - that's so great to hear! Thanks so much for the tip 🙏
Thank you Jessica! Instead of me buying new kitchen cabinet hinges I'm going to try your ketchup cleaning idea. My hinges are not real brass but some type of imitation and they tarnished over time but I think they will clean nicely with your ketchup idea. Thank you so very much for making this video.
Thanks for stopping by to say hello! I hope this worked out for your hinges 🤞
Thank you so much for the awesome tip! I used this to polish up some old military buttons that I purchased for my uniform. They only make anodized buttons these days and they just don't look nearly as good so this was a much needed trick!
Thanks Cameron! I'm glad to hear this worked for you :) By the way - to keep that shine on your buttons and save you from cleaning them again soon, you might try using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw). It will add a protective coating that keeps oxygen from causing the metal to tarnish again. Wish I would have mentioned that in the video!
Thank you so much! I used to try to clean pennies too! I never got them clean though. I've been collecting wheat-backs and other coins since I was a kid and I LOVE brass knick knacks. My cousin just gave me a brass/glass hour glass as a house warming gift today on 1 condition, the next time he sees it "it had better be shining!" It's late here, but just as soon as I get home tomorrow, I'll be doing this. Thanks again! :)))
branden burks Awesome!!! I hope it works out for you :) Others have had great results too - I look forward to hearing yours!
holy shinoli! this worked immediately, didn't even have to wait 20 min. thank you SO much... I inherited some decorative platters from my grandmother that aren't valuable, but are sentimental. I don't know if they are copper or brass, but this worked! you took a load off my mind and now i can display these!
+Cat Dwyer Sorry Cat - looks like I missed your comment. Just wanted to come back and say thanks and I'm so glad this helped you clean up your beautiful platters :)
I give a huge thanks to you Jessica! I had a few tarnished copper rounds that I had tried to clean over and over then I found you video, it worked so well!!! Thank you
+Potato So glad to hear that - thanks for stopping by! By the way, I'm curious - did you try this on live rounds? Someone else is asking and honestly I don't know much about ammo - I just play with the empty shells :)
+JewelryTutorialHQ oh I'm not talking about live rounds, I'm talking about copper coins (copper rounds)
+Potato AHHHHH ok, lol. Sorry about that. I get so many questions about the bullets I assumed you meant ammo!!
My friends take hours to polish their brass and this technique took less than 15 mins and is just as effective
Thanks
Very cool, thanks for sharing! Glad this was useful to you!
Just cleaned my copper anklet. Worked Beautifully. Thank you.
Carisa Love Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that!!! It's totally weird, and a little bit messy, but it definitely works :) Thanks so much for stopping by!
I do ammo reloading, and all I use is a splash of Windex and a splash of water with dish soap and it polishes them like gold. no scrubbing needed just let them sit in it
Awesome! Haven't heard that one - thanks! So for other stuff besides bullet casings where you can't necessarily let the entire piece soak or if you just need to spot treat - non-diluted ketchup works well because you can dab it on and it won't run off. For future reference if you ever need it :)
I'll give the windex / dish soap combo a try too. Great tip!
No problem glad to help, thanks for the video
If you know someone that reloads ammunition you could ask them to clean the brass up in their tumbler
Thank you for sharing this...I bought an older antique brass pendant and wasn't sure how to clean it. I will start off giving this a try...it sure is simple.
Will Mike Thanks! It IS simple and it should work perfectly for your antique brass pendant. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for this. I was about to clean my bullet shells for my artwork.
Found an ancient celtic brass bracelet the other day and I'm going to try this trick, thanks.
MrGerryodonothing Very cool! Hope it worked out for you :) Thanks so much for visiting!
Tamarind/lemon rind and salt are traditionally used in India.
Nice! Thanks for sharing this! I love that there are many different ways to clean without chemicals 🙏
Love to have you come by our Old Marines Gun n Brass cleaning Camp .......You R a Very Improvise , Adapt , Overcome Lady , and Bet Your Dad is one helluva guy .....S/Fi .......Bubba ( Mustang O-5 67-88 Retired ) .......RVN 69-71 . p.s. I am proud of you n your simplicity .
"Judge if you want." ROFL!
very interesting..will keep this in mind.was looking for something to clean the brass on my 1866 rifle.I am not ready to cover it in ketchup but will try some other things..thanks!
Thank You & So Simple & easy to have, "Cleaning Solution"! I came here curiously after a 3 prong electrical wire end was very tarnished & didnt want to But a Typical Chemical solution Costing much much more than a new Wire end! Again Thank you! :)
Works great!
I used Tomato Paste mixed in water.
Awesome and thank-you. Worked fantastic on my old Pog Brass Slammer
Great to hear - thanks so much for reporting back! I totally had to look that up and see what it is - I had no idea 😂
I was using toothpaste on my brass and copper and it did a good job, but it sticks everywhere and makes it difficult to remove in the tiny crevices. Thank you so much for this much easier method.
Awesome! I'm glad to hear this helped :) Thanks so much for stopping by!
Excellent information 🇺🇸
Glad it was helpful!
Nice tip thank you . Have you any experience with gold plated bronze jewelry? Thanks .
thank you! will try that on brass or copper old drink coasters
I gave you a thumbs up for the ketchup idea but I like my ketchup for my fries and burgers haha. When I clean my cases for reloading my last step is to use a little bit vinegar, I don't leave it on for more that 30 seconds as it is very acidic but my goodness it works well.
4 years later. You. Are. A. Lifesaver!
Interesting. Never knew catsup could do that. Thank you 😊
Though I have never tried it on brass or copper, I can (straight-faced) say that cat urine is the most powerful 'metal remover' in existence. I bought a brand-new muzzleloading rifle a few decades ago, left it laying on it's locking case (which had a foam eggshell-type liner) and went to get a beer in the fridge. When I came back, I locked the case and put it in the closet. Two months later, at hunting season, I unlocked the case and THE RIFLE'S BLUING CAME OFF!!! Bluing is like an industrial-epoxy paint! I couldn't figure out how a new, hot-blued gun lost it's bluing - until I saw the stains in the foam. I smelled it an instantly figured out what had happened. While getting a beer, my cat had pissed in the gun case (he liked the foam feel, I guess). I came back, and locked the rifle in with the high-urea cat urine - and it destroyed the muzzleloader's finish! I never tested this idea again, but never forgot - if you want to remove BATTLESHIP PAINT (or gun bluing), use cat urine and time!
+Lance Cole Hahaha OMG. CATS, lol!!! Thanks for sharing :)
I love the ketchup trick. It’s like magic. Within just a very few minutes it removes that oxidation and bam! Bright shiny brass or copper! It’s very very cool. I do it in my hands and rub the items. Smelly but it works!!
Yes! That weird metallic smell... I get it from sterling silver as well. Thanks so much for visiting my channel!
Just used your technique to clean a copper bracelet--looks good as new! Thanks so much!
hsswitz Fantastic! So glad to hear it. Thanks for letting me know :)
That is the coolest thing ever! I have a question for you - I have a copper jug with a very high lip which I want to cut away. How can I do that simply and easily without expensive equipment? thanks for any tips!
this video was made for me omg, i was looking up how to clean brass for my bullet shells and thats what this vid is about without mentioning in the tittle!
Zakkusu Fea That's awesome! I wasn't sure many people would be looking for that! What are you going to do with yours?
There are definitely other ways to clean brass (and copper) but some of them (like vinegar/lemon juice/salt) can actually leave a patina on the bullet shells which I think is due to the chemical reaction with the gunpowder residue, since it doesn't seem to be a problem with other brass items. Hence, the magic solution for shiny bullets is ketchup :)
JewelryTutorialHQ Vinegar (malic acid) and a miniscule amount of citric and malic acid from the tomatoes used to make the ketchup. *AND* there is *SALT* (160 mg.) in Heinz Ketchup.
*SO*... Ketchup = vinegar + Salt. *SO*... It IS vinegar and salt.
OgMandin0 Right, but straight vinegar (*acetic acid*) is often too strong for brass and can leach out the copper to the surface, causing a pink patina on the brass. The other ingredients in the ketchup appear to 'soften' the effect of the vinegar while still cleaning it.
The vinegar and salt combo has not worked for me - it turned my bullet shells pink and even blue in spots in only a few minutes, so I stick with the ketchup. Of course, leaving ketchup on way too long can cause the same issues, but it does the job easily and reliably in 30 minutes or less.
JewelryTutorialHQ You are correct the primary acid in vinegar is acetic acid. But, it ALSO contains malic acid. It is all a matter of "DEGREES..." The pH of ketchup is about 3.9. The pH of grocery store vinegar (" called 5% strength" is 2.4. (THat's right the stronger acid has a LOWER pH...) It is ALL about the concentration of the acid + how much salt is added.
*PLEASE* CONTINUE to do it your way. But know dilute (=water added) vinegar and a few grains of salt would work equally well. NOTHING magic about ketchup.
Wow ketchup is really the "all purpose sauce"
Great tip, using it right now to clean some old tarnished LP gas connectors so I can make sure they don't have any pitting or cracks. You have a nice voice for presentations unlike some on youtube. Plus you're easy on the eyes too ; ).
+tom h (Dr. Death) Thanks very much :) Glad you found it helpful!
Awesome thanks as I have brass everything on door handles, light fittings, wall socket plugs etc. So I will use a paintbrush to apply the ketchup and then wipe clean with water, as Brasso makes such a black mess everywhere when cleaning with it.
Thanks so much for visiting, Arch Angel. I hope this worked well for you!
Your "before you comment" was super cute! Thanks for this trick. Kind of trippy! 😊
Nice pendants. I don’t know if your aware, but the black dust in those cases contain lead residue from the priming compound. Touching them and then your ketchup will contaminate the bottle then your fridge when you put it away. Please be careful and wash your hand in between.
Thk you thk you Jessica. that is a simply amazing tip. Soaked it and it came right off. almost immediately. You should make bottles of ketchup and sell as brass cleaners! I am so inspired now - my African coinlike necklace looks like new and its been hanging in the bottom of my drawer for years because I love it but it was totally tarnished. I'm going to see if ketchup will remove rust from white refrigerator now. thx again. Ellie
Awesome! Thanks Ellie :) Sorry I missed your nice comment before - thanks for visiting and I'm glad this was useful!
Ketchup may not work for rust - but I've heard Coca Cola can take care of that so you might give that a try!
I clicked on this video to find out best way to clean my Penny Collection. Judge if you want. Lol
Kool worked great for me thanks i cleaned copper exhaust on my mini bike
Awesome! Glad to hear it - that's a new one :) Thanks for stopping by to say hi!
Thanks for your tip. This is the brightest my brass/bronze has looked (I don't know the difference between the two). But now I have a pinkish tint on the metal. Any ideas?
I love your video and will subscribe to it ,and your past is what made you what, and who you are. Love the video time for me to clean some brass
Am trying it and it works. I don’t think it has as much of a shine or good of color as when you first get it but it cleans a lot off. Wonder if it harms the copper at all cause I have been letting it sit for like two hours
I clean money too. You seem like a really nice person. Don't let the haters change you.
"Nerd Alert"...so adorable...lol😆. Make jewelry as well, but picked up an old ring at flea market today I love for a couple $$s, but needs to be cleaned and looking for other methods besides the one I've always used. Thanks for I info.
I frigging love this....I work at a costume jewelry business would I be able to use this on brass plated jewelry covered in gold, rose gold and silver?
Hi Sahdir. Sorry for the delayed reply! This will only work on copper and brass directly - it won't have an effect on the outer gold / rose gold / silver coating.
At home we use to put aluminum-foil in the bottom of a container and put a couple of spoons of bicarbonate on it. then we put what ever brass or silver jewelry we want on it and pour boiling water to cover. a minute later a chemical reaction have removed most if not all of the discoloration. try it and say what you think :)
+Abrin78 Yes! Great tip! Chemistry is fun, isn't it? :)
I have pennies and I have catsup...thanks you saved me a trip and time to Wally's world. I am cleaning jewelry.
Thanks for the tutorial. About citric acid - you can find it in ebay or amazon.
Gonna go grab my ketchup bottle now!
thevegasunset Great tip, thanks so much!
iam just getting started in Reloading ammo and this is a great way to clean up the casings . what ever made you try ketup in the first place ?
+Timothy Kuntz I wasn't kidding when I said I used to clean my pennies when I was a kid. We used ketchup or BBQ sauce to make them shiny instead of brown :) I guess it was my mom's idea!
I don't have a bottle handy but packets of ketchup work just as easy. Makes easy cleaning of bezatine and box copper chains. This method will keep a shine a few days.
So wouldn't vinegar do the same thing? Save the ketchup for the Fries Movement...lol
Great Tutorial. Old Ketchup and BBQ sauce packages in the fridge for years. Took them out and emptied them on a plastic plate with 3 WW2 medals. The 1939-1945 Star, The Burma Star & The Italy Star. Now they look like they would have in 1945. Be sure to rinse well to neutralize any remaining acid. Dilution is key. Then dry well. Now to find out how to clean the ribbons. Using the Foil & Baking Soda method for the silver medals.
Awesome! BBQ sauce works great too. Glad you got some use out of those old packages and that your special medals are shiny and new again! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Thanks! Will let you know how it turns out! Will look for that finishing wax too!
Cleaning with Ketchup is just like cleaning with Vinegar. Ketchup has Vinegar in it, and that's why this works the way it does.
+American Outdoor Notification Systems Thanks so much for your comment! Actually, that's not completely true! Yes, ketchup has a lot of vinegar in it, but it also has malic acid and citric acid from the tomatoes, so it works better and faster than just using vinegar.
I did a side-by-side test and ketchup cleaned my brass completely after just 20 minutes, and there was absolutely zero visible change in the same time with straight vinegar. I also repeated the experiment using warm vinegar, with the same results. Try it sometime!
Also, in many cases, straight vinegar can actually be much too harsh on the brass, causing some of the copper to leach out to the surface and leaving a matte pink finish that's difficult to remove. This isn't always the case so I believe it might depend on the particular brass alloy - there are lots of different alloys out there that are all called 'brass'.
+American Outdoor Notification Systems Actually tomato (juice) will do exactly the same thing without vinegar. Tomato is very acidic and will remove tarnish off of copper and brass.
Really nice tutorial vid. Thanks I'm going to try this right now!
Thank you! Now that's a much better way to use bullets. I look forward to your crystal bullet tutorial.
This is so weird but cool! Thanks for the tip😀
+BubbiePop I agree :) Thanks for visiting!
Luv this. Beautiful n very intelligent. Also interesting as hell. Ty
thank you soo so much i have a brass fidgetspinner and this work sooo good
That is so cool! But do you know how to remove copper build up on a lapel pin? Please answer this...
Maynard Rojen Esplanada Thanks very much! I'm not sure I understand your question - can you give me some more info and I'll try to help. Is the lapel pin made of copper or some other metal? Brass is an alloy that contains copper and some chemical reactions can cause the copper to leach out of the metal, making the surface pink. Just want to make sure I have all the info before telling you how to fix it.
Cool i will try it now! But do you think this will work on silver?
+funny movies Unfortunately, no. This works on copper and brass but not silver :(
The fact that you cleaned your pennies when you were younger makes me trust your advice.
Nice!But this is the question:I have a small(about 10inches high)table top water fountain and is brass.This is going to take a lot of ketchup.Can I use tomatoe juice instead?Thank You
+Augie Sanchez Great question. I haven't tried it so I can't say for sure that it will work as well, but I know that it definitely won't hurt.
Here's what I would suggest: test on a small area (apply with a q-tip maybe?) using just tomato juice and if it doesn't seem to do much after 15-20 minutes then try again after adding some vinegar to the tomato juice. Again, test in a small area, maybe a little more out of sight this time as too much vinegar could cause the brass to turn pink (it leaches the copper out to the surface of the metal), and that's not easy to get rid of.
Tomato juice has malic and citric acid in it but I think it's that mixture + the vinegar that really makes it a winning combo! Will you let me know how it works out? I'd love to know!
GRACIAS POR COMPARTIR.SALUDOS DESDE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO.
Nice video. How should I do this in order to clean a guitar input jack that's still soldered to the guitar? (I don't want to unsolder and later resolder it in place).
Hey Shadow Reaper. Sorry for the delayed reply! If you still need to do this, you can use a small paintbrush to apply ketchup to the input jack (if it's made of brass or copper?) and simply wipe it off when it's done.
Thank you for that AWWWWSOME trick. I love it.
Thanks Craig! Glad it was helpful. I appreciate you stopping by to say so!
Simple and informative....thank you and God bless
Chris Maloney Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by :)
Hi, Thank you for the tutorial!! I just tried it on my copper necklace, and it worked really well on the most part, but there is some part that turned red-ish, and I cant get rid of that. Do you know why is that and what to do? Thank you!!!
+Jenny Li Sorry to hear that! I have had that happen before and my best guess is that there was some sort of other residue already on that part of the metal that caused a different reaction between the copper and the acids in the ketchup. Have you tried scrubbing it with very fine (#0000) steel wool?
+JewelryTutorialHQ Ya I did. It's like rose gold color lol.
+Jenny Li Are you sure the necklace is made of solid copper and not brass or some other metal? I'm a little confused because clean copper is pretty much the color of rose gold :) Brass can turn pink with too much acidity sometimes.
The only other thing I can think of is to maybe try Brasso which is a metal polish.
Ya, i bought it from urban outfitters, and I checked the website, it said copper there. I think the color is cool as long as its not dull and black lol. Thank you very much for the help!!
Sweet ! Thank you ! I was looking for an idea that did not consist of the salt and white vinegar..I have a graphics card for a gaming computer I wanna paint it and clean the copper heat pipes on it ..I might just b able to do the catsup trick and let it sit..thanks!!
Glad to help! Another reason I prefer the ketchup (catsup) to vinegar and salt is because it's thick enough to sit so you can spot treat without having to submerge the whole item (which is not always convenient). Also, it goes on great with a paintbrush. Hope this works out for your graphics card, thanks for stopping by!
I'm going to try this with my ROTC Belt buckle.
+Chad Leo Cool! Let us know how it goes :)
I wanna use this method on some antique furniture fixtures.. I've heard that white vinegar also works. Have you tried that, and if so, does the ketchup still work better?
Hellkitten Actually, I do think the ketchup works better. Sometimes straight vinegar is way too harsh and can cause a pink patina to show on the surface of the brass. Ketchup of course contains vinegar but with all the other ingredients it's not so harsh unless you leave it on way too long (and then the same pink patina can happen).
Other commenters have shared that they used this method on antique brass knobs and it worked perfectly! I would suggest trying one first and check the progress at 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, etc. up to 30. As soon as it looks ready wash it off. Then you can do a batch with the rest of the fixtures.
Let us know how it goes!
{"judge if you want...." I am laughing my butt off over here! I love that line and your look that went with it. Academy Award goes to.....YOU! Great video, thanks for the great tip. I love your jewelry too.
brotus59 Thank you so much :) I almost took that part out but decided to leave it in since it's just so... 'me'. Lol. Glad you liked the video, thanks for visiting!
+JewelryTutorialHQ I'm so glad you put this on youtube...I've been looking to restore an old coin without damaging it..thanks for all of your replies too! :)
thank you .
short and down to the point.
Use vinegar with water is the same stuff that clean your shells :-)
Regards Thomas
Thanks, going to clean my vintage belt buckles with this method.
+ShockMe1994 Awesome! Let me know how it works for you!
I don't have a chain for my new brass pendant...where do you usually get your chains? I am looking for a gold tone or brass chain. Thank you
Will Mike I usually look on Etsy and Ebay and compare prices for chains!
Sorry ......it's for my Marine Corps duty buckles as I do Not throw them away , and save them all , but the NEVR-DULL Does Not work as well as your simple method because I have tried white vinegar saly flour paste to a Non Shine to a D.I. for a young boot would have to impress in 2nd phase on that sandbar in S.C. ........Thanx Again Kiddo !
Thank you much for the reply! This old teapot has been in the family for generations. Comes from our ancestors who had a castle in Scotland eons ago! Would love to visit that place but apparently it was destroyed during the wars my Gram said.
The spout looks like a snake mouth, the handle is full Amber, the whole length of it. I will be careful as one of the grandchildren will inherit one day.
+Linda Robert Oh how wonderful! It sounds absolutely amazing. I'm glad you were able to keep such a treasure as a connection to your family history! Sad news about the castle though :(
By the way, after you clean it and get it nice and shiny, you can apply Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/1ON8nYT) to protect it and prevent it from tarnishing again so quickly. You just apply it with a soft cloth and then buff off the extra (using the same cloth). You can apply several coats for better protection.
Brass items that sit out in the open (as I imagine your teapot might) tend to oxidize more quickly, as it's oxygen that causes that to happen in the first place. The wax creates a barrier and protects the metal from the air. I'd love to hear how the ketchup works for you, and the wax too if you use it!
BEAUTIFUL you Are! Thanks for the Ketchup Way! Subbed!
Hi! Would this work on an antique Middle Ages brass tea pot with amber handle?
+Linda Robert I believe it would! I've had lots of comments from people using this method on antique brass of all kinds. I would however, suggest covering the handle somehow to protect it, maybe with some kind of low residue tape or something? You can also use a brush to apply the ketchup in tight spaces. Have fun!
Hi there, do you use a specific lacquer after to stop it discolouring / rusting / oxidising afterwards?
Hi Stacey, sorry for the delayed reply! I recommend using some Renaissance Wax (amzn.to/2gaYsUw) to protect the metal after cleaning. I wish I had mentioned that in the video!
so I had some dirty ends of shells (took a saw and chopped the ends of) and tried cleaning them with this tactict. 30 minutes wasn't enough, so I put them to a jar with ketchup and will check results in the morning
Where do I get bullets? I don't have any warzone nearby.
A shooting range, if you live in the US. If not, you can pick empty casings up off Ebay.
can you use vinegar as a substitute? I ask because I know ketchup is mostly vinegar. Does ketchup have other helpful cleaning "chemicals" that will do a better job?
Hi +Erich Taylor! Great question. True that ketchup is mostly vinegar but indeed it has additional cleaning power that comes from the tomatoes in the form of malic and citric acid.
Many people do use vinegar (or a mixture of salt and vinegar) but sometimes that can actually be much too harsh for brass and cause the copper to leach out to the surface and leaving a matte salmony pink patina instead of a shiny gold finish! I prefer using ketchup since I've never had that problem with it.
Hope that helps. Thanks for visiting!
yes it does help. I never thought about the acidic content of the tomatoes either. Its more of a natural cleaner rather than using synthetic and expensive cleaners that might damage the metal. Very good information. Thanks
Great tip, thank you for sharing. :)
KayMac91407 My pleasure. Thanks so much for visiting :)
It's the citric acid right?
So if you want to polish it? What would you use? I have scratches in a drum cymbal that cost 500$ :( I have tried cleaning it - I have tried everything. Any suggestions?
+L.A DiNiro Ok, that's a tough one. Generally when you polish metal you use a series of abrasives that start out really rough and get progressively finer until you can no longer see the scratches. Are cymbals made of brass? (sorry if that's a dumb question).
If so, and the scratches aren't super deep, you might be able to use a rotary tool like a dremel with a sanding wheel on it and change out the bits for finer and finer sandpaper until the scratch is gone, then buff it back to a shine with some polishing compound and a buffing wheel. If you don't have a rotary tool of course you can do it by hand with a lot of elbow grease. BUT I want to be clear that I have absolutely zero experience doing this on anything other than jewelry so please use caution if you plan to try this. If there's a scratch on the underside or somewhere you can test it out first that would be a good idea. You probably would only need to do spot-work on the individual scratches, not necessarily the whole surface of the cymbal.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
It did help tremendously... So thank you so much. And yes my cymbals are made of brass :)
Can you use this trick on items that have semiprecious stones already in them?
Thanks for you tip I'm going to use it for my brass drain
+E type jag Excellent! Hope it works out for you. Thanks so much for visiting!
This is wonderful, thank you so much