Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Brass piano casters need cleaning

I purchased at auction an old Starr 6' Grand a couple of weeks ago and the brass casters are really green. Has anyone used Tarn-X to clean brass? Also what would anyone recommend to clean these wretched looking wheels? The piano was sitting on an old carpet that had been soaked in water. The roof leaked and part of the floor had caved in. Fortunately the piano was in remarkably good shape.

Elwood D [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
Piano technician - Martin, Tennessee, USA
2004

June 27, 2008

Hi, Elwood. There are so many brass polishes that it's hard to recommend any one over the others, but Tarn-x is not for brass

Usually, how fast a brass polish works is inversely proportional to how warm a glow the polish leaves. No commercial polish is as fast as vinegar ⇦in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] plus salt, for example, but this leaves a rally raw look (and it's too aggressive for some things). At the other extreme I think no other polish leaves as warm a look as Brasso ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] but it is slow :-)

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

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