August 23, 2013

A Tale of Brass and Ketchup

I'm not dead yet!  While I've got quite a bit to catch up on, I figured I'd do up a quick and dirty post on one tiny thing I actually accomplished this week.  And since I don't have the time to write a bunch of words, you get a PHOTO STORY!


This machine is in terrible shape.  But look at that cool round access plate in back!


Let's take it off!


Well shit, that looks pretty nasty and beat up.


Hmmm... all I have on hand is some chrome polish; let's see if that does anything.


Nope.

Hey, this is probably steel plated with brass, yeah?  That's probably rust that got to the steel through the worn off brass, right?  Let's drown it in Evapo-Rust!


Huh, still there.  Soooo, not rust then?


Wait, if a magnet won't stick to it, it must be solid brass!  That's not rust, it's tarnish and verdigris!  We need KETCHUP!


Well that helped somewhat, but looks like there's just too much damage for ketchup to handle on it's own. 


Time to bring out the big guns.   Go, hot vinegar, go!


Excellent; now all we need is a little elbow grease!  HAHA, forget elbow grease, we have a DREMEL and POLISHING TOOLS!


Well wouldja look at that!



WHADDA YA MEAN WE STILL GOTTA CLEAN THE REST OF THE MACHINE?
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9 comments:

  1. Lauren StowellAugust 23, 2013 at 11:16 AM

    Daaaang, you are super crafty. I bow down! I would never have thought of any of these things...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Laced AngelAugust 23, 2013 at 11:23 AM

      I learned the ketchup trick from a fellow bartender on a slow night. The internet is responsible for the hot vinegar suggestion! :)

      Delete
  2. AuntieNanAugust 23, 2013 at 12:44 PM

    Can't wait to try the Heinz on some old belt buckles I've got!
    Nancy N

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Laced AngelAugust 23, 2013 at 4:12 PM

      Seems to clean tarnish of off silver too, though I've only seen it done on a small piece of jewelry.

      Delete
  3. AdiAugust 23, 2013 at 6:12 PM

    Dremels are magical tools of goodness. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Laced AngelAugust 23, 2013 at 9:01 PM

      YES they are! I'm barely scratching the surface (och, terrible pun) of what I can do with mine. I've got a huge kit of tips and whatnot; I should put them to use more often!

      Delete
  4. UnknownAugust 25, 2013 at 3:07 PM

    I need to bookmark this. I have 1 machine currently that needs a bit of cleaning and 1 machine I'm picking up from my grandmother's house next week that I've never see inside the cabinet. This may come in handy! Any other tutorials you have or know of for caring for these old beauties, feel free to pass along :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownAugust 25, 2013 at 3:07 PM

    I need to bookmark this. I have 1 machine currently that needs a bit of cleaning and 1 machine I'm picking up from my grandmother's house next week that I've never see inside the cabinet. This may come in handy! Any other tutorials you have or know of for caring for these old beauties, feel free to pass along :)

    ReplyDelete

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