Cleaning the statue of Liberty

[Cincy Aquaholic]

Well, not really but along the sames lines I believe . . . what do you all use to remove that green corrosion/oxidation from copper fittings in your boat such as the sea water strainer housings?

I spent a good 4 hours in my bilge after replacing my fuel filters getting it all sparkly and clean (boy did that feel good!!) but can't seem to clean off that green stuff that formed on those strainers I assume from the previous owners use and exposure in salt/brackish water.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[rhodyboater]

Three steps to cleaning copper based alloys (brass, bronze, copper):
1)If not decorative use a stiff brass or stainless wire brush dipped in any liquid brass cleaner. If decorative, do not use metal brush, use nylon brush.
2)Clean all residue away first with water, then with solvent.
Lacquer thinner or acetone works best but be careful of interaction with fiberglass(?). This is an important step...do not eliminate!
3)Finish off with a paste wax and buff.

For the record, when the bronze statue atop the US Congress building in Washington was removed, they cleaned it by "sandblasting" it with crushed walnut shells. Bottom line, you need some type of abrasive action to remove the copper oxide that forms.

 

[Redhook98]

In the Navy, we used bug juice (i.e. Kool Aid). Grab a sugar-free pack of 19-cent koolaid and mix a few cups of water with it. Use a brass or SS brush and brush the corrosion off. It works great! Nice and shiny. The KoolAid is essentially pure citric acid. This is how we did it on all the exposed brass on the ships I was stationed on.

I recommend Cherry or Lemonade. The Cherry gives it a really nice reddish glow (VERY light tint). The lemonade gives it the natural tint.

Make sure to rinse with clean water when you are done.