Spring cleaning -

[Contrabombarde]

I have in my possession some spotted metal diapasons for the facade of my practice organ that I'm putting together. They are not speaking, and rather filthy, and I'd like to brighten them up if possible. What suggestions do people have for cleaning off years of grime from metal pipes and bringing out a nice shine that can be done in the warmth of my own home?

 

Thanks very much!

 

Contrabombarde

[DouglasCorr]

I have in my possession some spotted metal diapasons for the facade of my practice organ that I'm putting together. They are not speaking, and rather filthy, and I'd like to brighten them up if possible. What suggestions do people have for cleaning off years of grime from metal pipes and bringing out a nice shine that can be done in the warmth of my own home?

 

Thanks very much!

 

Contrabombarde

 

I once used a cream cleaner for car metal work (not a cheap one) - nice lasting shine! But try on the back of a pipe first and wait a few weeks in case of unforseen problem.

[Tony Newnham]

I once used a cream cleaner for car metal work (not a cheap one) - nice lasting shine! But try on the back of a pipe first and wait a few weeks in case of unforseen problem.

 

I'd guess a gentle wash followed by metal polish should do the trick - just a lot of elbow grease! Just handle the pipes gently, as pipe metal bruises rather easily!

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

[heva]

I've seen an organbuilder using a mixture of chalk and water; applied on new frontpipes, after the protective foil was removed.

[John Maslen]

I have in my possession some spotted metal diapasons for the facade of my practice organ that I'm putting together. They are not speaking, and rather filthy, and I'd like to brighten them up if possible. What suggestions do people have for cleaning off years of grime from metal pipes and bringing out a nice shine that can be done in the warmth of my own home?

 

Thanks very much!

 

Contrabombarde

 

When I were but a lad and helped with one or two cleanings, we cleaned metal pipework with fairy liquid and warm water, with various brushes for the inside - mind you don't disturb the area round the mouth though. Got the grime off very well, but didn't leave a gleaming shine. Spotted metal is usually fairly stiff, so bruising isn't too much of a problem, but take care as dents are difficult to remove.

 

Regards to all

 

John.

[David Coram]

I have in my possession some spotted metal diapasons for the facade of my practice organ that I'm putting together. They are not speaking, and rather filthy, and I'd like to brighten them up if possible. What suggestions do people have for cleaning off years of grime from metal pipes and bringing out a nice shine that can be done in the warmth of my own home?

 

Thanks very much!

 

Contrabombarde

 

I always do this dry, with a variety of soft paintbrushes and feathers and a compressed air line. If you really want, take 'em out and gently hose them. Stand the bottoms on wood, keep them as upright as possible, and you MUST support them part-way up - don't be tempted to lean a top edge against brickwork, for instance. Whatever you do, don't do anything too manual as they'll mis-shape terribly easily once they've been in your hand even for a few seconds. You can shine them up if you like but they'll oxidise again soon enough, so bearing in mind the risk of damage I wouldn't bother