Cleaning Brass Without and With TSP

boge · Post by **boge** » Tue May 04, 2010 5:30 pm

J.B., the stuff I use is the Dollar Store brand or that sold by Walmart. 32 oz.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Realemon-100- ... z/10294762

Hornman120 · Post by **Hornman120** » Tue May 04, 2010 6:23 pm

I did a google search and found a reference on Wikipedia
(I know, they aren't always the best source for accurate information)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisodium_phosphate

And found this statement:
TSP is generally not good for cleaning bathrooms, because it can corrode metal and can damage grout.

So maybe it's dissolving the brass and that's why you are getting such good results!

TSP used to a regular ingredient in laundry detergents, but with the environmental issues related to phosphates in our water supply, it's used was banned in consumer products about 40 years ago. The TSP products that you can still buy at Hardware/Home Improvement/Paint Stores are considered commercial use and suitable for surface preparation prior to painting.

8mm · Post by **8mm** » Tue May 04, 2010 7:52 pm

If I leave my brass in 4 hours I easily get the results in the first pic with the stuff that comes with the ceramic media, I use the vibrating type, I usually only go 2-3 hours..seems the soupier I make the ceramic media batch by adding water the cleaner they get..and the one teaspoon of the cleaner

Clarence · Post by **Clarence** » Tue May 04, 2010 7:53 pm

John Boy,

You may have forgotten some basic chemistry. 14 is the highest pH on the basic side, not the acid side. The acid side is 0.

I find a capful of the Dave Maurer burnishing compound does a pretty good job in 3-4 hrs.

Clarence

8mm · Post by **8mm** » Tue May 04, 2010 8:11 pm

I dont know if it helps or not, here's what i been doing with the Kit, when done cleaning I seperate the brass and media with the regular brass seperator and leave the water and ceramic in the pail till next use, then when I am ready to use it again I stir it up good then run through a strainer and let drain for a couple minutes, then pour into the vibrator, its already pretty saturated with water then add one teaspoon of the cleaner and enough water again to make it soupy, it doesnt move the cases around fast or very much with that much water but it sure cleans em up in 2 hours.

boge · Post by **boge** » Tue May 04, 2010 8:19 pm

J.B., DO NOT dilute the lemon juice. Use about 1/3 of the bottle STRAIGHT.

boge · Post by **boge** » Wed May 05, 2010 1:37 am

Good objective test. However, after reading the Wikipedia page on TSP I am reluctant to use it:

TSP was once the major component of laundry and dishwashing detergents. However, the phosphate contained in these products was not removed from wastewater during treatment and was then subsequently discharged into watersheds and larger bodies of water. There, phosphate was often the limiting agent for waterborne plant life, and the excess caused algal blooms and subsequent eutrophication of lakes and estuaries. In the United States, the Clean Water Act severely limited the use of phosphates in general, and trisodium phosphate in particular, in consumer cleaning products.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisodium_phosphate

WhereÂ´s Dutch Bill, our resident chemist when we need him.

montana charlie · Post by **montana charlie** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:45 pm

I realize I am resurrecting a pretty old thread, but I am (personally) just getting around to looking into TSP for cleaning case interiors.

For any who are still having trouble finding the 'real thing'...that Is TSP cleaner WITH the phosphate still in it...you might investigate this seller on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/1lb-TSP-Trisodium-P ... 414f469edb

His price isn't bad, and the shipping is within reason.
I have not ordered any, myself, as I am just now returning to this subject.

CM

montana charlie · Post by **montana charlie** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:50 pm

Additional information...

Early in this thread I asked John Boy what polishing compound he was using the TSP with. But, his Strat-O-Sheen is only available in large packages.
Since, it is described as 'tumbler soap', I did some Googling.

Turns out that '910 tumbling soap' and 'Raytech tumbling soap' are recommended by various jewelry-making equipment houses.
Looking for the best price, I checked both out pretty thoroughly.

While reading information on the Raytech site, I clicked on the 'Add to Cart' link...and I found myself in a Shopping Cart on the LYMAN WEBSITE!

Yup...it's sold by Lyman brcause Raytech is a Lyman company. It's the same company that makes Turbo Bright...a product that most reloaders have heard of.

A pound of the Raytech soap is ten dollars from Lyman, with four bucks for shipping. But, if you want two pounds the shipping is only two bucks more.

I will choose the Raytech...but not because Lyman makes it. My decision is based on the fact that it is the tumbling soap product carried by Kingsley North...the jewelry-making house I normally deal with.
But, I'll buy from Lyman because their shipping is more reasonable.

To get to Raytech products on the Lyman site, you must go through the Raytech website. Here's a link...
http://www.raytech-ind.com/finish3.htm

CM

montana charlie · Post by **montana charlie** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:17 pm

Hmm...a fairly obvious detail that I managed to miss.
Wish I could find out what their shipping works out to, without establishing an account with them first...
CM

Bad Bill · Post by **Bad Bill** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:05 pm

Just get Spic and Span at the grocery store. It is Trisodium phosphate. So are some dishwater powders. This TSP stuff should be "dirt" cheap at the hardware store.

montana charlie · Post by **montana charlie** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:12 pm

Bad Bill wrote:Just get Spic and Span at the grocery store.

You are wrong, Bill.
Furthermore, after all the reading I have done today, I bet you can't find real TSP in any grocery store...under any brand name.
All of them will say 'phosphate free' on the package.

CM

Bad Bill · Post by **Bad Bill** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:44 pm

Yep, I think you guys are right. Just googled the formula. Haven't looked at a box for 15 years. It used to be TSB. Now it is calcium carbonate just like the box of our dishwasher detergent I just looked at (that used to be TSB too)

Still, the hardware store might have it. It is used for washing houses before painting and was real cheap. Once upon a time, that is.

Heck, I bet they don't carry the spark coil for my Model T at the garage anymore either.

Remember TCE for cleaning auto parts? Thats a gonner too. Trichloroethane.

Woody · Post by **Woody** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:47 am

What's wrong with a squirt of Dawn and glug of white vinegar?

Woody

High Plains Shooter · Post by **High Plains Shooter** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:26 am

actualy, I think what Bad Bill was referring to was 1,1,1, tricoethylene..an industrial degreaser and contact cleaner. A good metal cleaner bar none.

It used to be marketed to the public in a product with the brand name of Energeen and was sold as a spot remover. When it became more heavily regulated Energeen then just became plain ol' naptha.

HPS