I spent time this weekend experimenting with various cleaning techniques for the brass parts of the clock.

I created a buffing station from an old motor I found in the back of my shop. The motor goes to a scroll saw that came out of my grandfather’s shop years ago. The scroll saw will get setup eventually but in the mean time, I’ve put the motor to good use. A trip to the local hardware shop (Amesbury Industrial Supply) and I had a couple of buffing wheels, a fine wire brush wheel, and a couple of buffing compounds.

Both the face for the seconds hand and the minutes hand are going to get replaced so I used these for some trials.

After some experimentation, I came to the conclusion the fine wire brush wheel is not a good option. It leave fine scratches that are hard to remove. I am sure when I get to the smaller parts, it would do more damage than good. I asked around and was told to make a wheel out of scotchbrite pads. It works pretty well.

I also Googled a while to find out the best method of removing the tarnish and grit. There were lots of opinions from industrial cleaners I’d likely need a permit to buy down to lemon juice and salt. I tried a number of the options (CLR, LimeAway, Lysol Cleanser, etc.) One method worked better than the rest - catsup. To be totally honest, I didn’t have catsup in the house but I thought through the active ingredients and came up with plain old vinegar and tomato paste. I mixed up a batch and used a brush to “paint” it on. I washed it off after about 15-20 minutes. Worked pretty well.

So, here is my current process …

1. (home made) catsup brushed on and washed off after 20 minutes
2. buffing with a scotchbrite wheel
3. buffing with a medium buffing wheel and #3 cleaner compound
4. buffing with a fine buffing wheel and #6 polishing compound

Here is a before and after shot of the minute face …

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Posted in Restoration, Tower Clocks |

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