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I stumbled on this stuff quite by accident:

http://www.metalwax.com/

It looks like it might be just the ticket for raw brass iinstruments. Has anyone tried it?

Chuck(G) wrote:I stumbled on this stuff quite by accident:

http://www.metalwax.com/

It looks like it might be just the ticket for raw brass iinstruments. Has anyone tried it?

Betcha it's something like 'Kleen Brite' that is used to clean aluminum parts in air condition heat exchangers. They mention flouride.... which leads me to beleive it contains hyroflouride acids.
don't ya wish stuff like this was available in a small sample? I hate to spring for $18 just to see if it works or not!

Chuck.... have you ever heard of a product called 'Coricone 1700'? It's a sealer for non-ferrous metals. A company I ran for a few years used it to replace anodizing when production got into a pinch. It's some good stuff but a gallon is $75. I've been putting off doing a $75 dollar experiment.

TubaTinker wrote: Chuck.... have you ever heard of a product called 'Coricone 1700'? It's a sealer for non-ferrous metals. A company I ran for a few years used it to replace anodizing when production got into a pinch. It's some good stuff but a gallon is $75. I've been putting off doing a $75 dollar experiment.

You apparently can order it in a 12 oz aerosol spray too.

The stopper for me was the quoted 8 day cure time at room temperature; you can cut that down by baking at 300 F, but then, why not just use lacquer if you're going to all of the trouble to degrease the surfce, spray, then bake it?

Chuck(G) wrote:why not just use lacquer if you're going to all of the trouble to degrease the surfce, spray, then bake it?

When I used Coricone 1700 in an industrial environment, it was just wiped on instead of sprayed. The material is VERY thin... acting more as a sealer than as a coating.

I have used it, but not on an instrument.... the folks like to collect copper and brass "nick nacks" and they had actually bought that stuff. It seemed to work quit well, I just dont know about the "new" stuff since they claim to update their product line every year. I would think it would be perfect for a raw brass horn.... and a lot of time on your hands.

TubaTinker wrote:When I used Coricone 1700 in an industrial environment, it was just wiped on instead of sprayed. The material is VERY thin... acting more as a sealer than as a coating.

Hey Dan, give them a call and ask if they have samples. I just got a note from the Metalwax guy saying he'll send me a sample for less than $10.

I have an old raw gold brass bell I'd like to try it on....so far the best I've found is Maas, which of course is abrasive, so I only apply it once a year. If this stuff is environmentally safe and also won't poison me with its use, I'd give it a try. Not sure I'd go the wax step....I agree it seems like a spray can of lacquer would cure a whole lot faster.
And we can get back into one of those discussions of whether the wax coating affects the sound!
MA

LDC wrote:This may sound like a smart a@*ed question, but it is not. I am really serious.

Is Chuck(G) in the instrument repair business as is the TinkerTuba???

No, I'm not in the business--I do have a day job. But I do repair work as an avocation (it takes all kinds, I guess).