tarnished copper

zamo27

i have been advised to dip my copper in an acid bath to clean very heavy tarnished copper

i am told to use phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid but question is where do i find small quantities of these acids?

fergal.b

You could try leaving it in white vinegar overnight if that doesn't work try some acid toilet/oven cleaner or if it is really bad muriatic brick acid you should be able to get it in your local hardware.
You could also try polishing it with half a lemon and a bit of salt



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my3cents

I wouldn't use any strong acid because I have used them before to patinate copper which is exactly the opposite that you want. In some case with stronger acids you'll also damage any smooth surface and make it a matt finish along with discolouring it so you could end up with a red copper colour or a very pale colour.

However if you want them check out the cleaning products for glass, drains and cement stains in a decent sized hardware/builders merchants, many of the chemicals used are the acids you require.

iirc citric acid (often the ingredient in descalers for kettles and coffee machines) is the acid recommended for cleaning copper.

knickerbocker

zamo27 wrote: »

i have been advised to dip my copper in an acid bath to clean very heavy tarnished copper

i am told to use phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid but question is where do i find small quantities of these acids?

Use Coca-Cola............... swear it'll make you think twice about drinking the stuff in the future.

Leave the copper in the coke over night and it will come out sparkling.