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Cleaning Tarnished Copper
Q: Cleaning Copper. I need a good solution to cleaning tarnished and oxidized copper. I prefer one that doesn't take a whole day to do one item. However, all hints are welcome I have a huge amount of copper to clean. Thanks -- Deb "Deb Dowdy" Reply (Ref:0892)
Answer #1: Copper Cleaning. There is a product on the market for cleaning bathroom tiles called KaBOOM. It is not advertised as a copper cleaner. I believe it is because they do not want to assume the risk of someone damaging their copper products. It is wooooonderful for cleaning copper. But as fast as you spray it on, you must rinse "immediately". It instantly shines. I have used it many times. The bottle warns you about not allowing it to set on metals. I then use a regular copper cleaner to "spit shine". -- Janice Murphy Comment
Answer #2: Cleaning Tarnished Copper. Tomato ketchup left on the object for 20 to 30 minutes will remove the tarnish, other acid treatments are also effective; a paste made from salt and lemon juice works pretty good too.
Very dirty objects can be given an ultrasonic clean, you can buy one on eBay for a quite reasonable price. Elecrtolysis is another way and it will work with rusty Iron as well, be a bit careful though as you can lose valuable coins by leaving it in the bath for too long. To set up an electrolytic cleaner for copper you will need a car battery, bath of common salt and a metal object that you are willing to lose as it will end up covered by whatever comes of the object you are cleaning. Avoid short circuits if you are using a battery (or put a lov voltage light bulb in series to limit the current) -- Albert Morrison Comment