my wife used all of my vinegar. anything else i can used ? i need to soak it
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I’m a bit of a traditionalist and use lemon juice mixed with bicarbonate of soda.
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thanx. i have neither of those.
i have heard ketchup. and i seem to remember something about some kind of soft drink, Coke or something
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Never tried ketchup. Coke will work on tarnished brass - it’s a better use of it than drinking it.
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i have a brass mech that is not hitting as good as it used to. i want to soak it clean before blaming my batteries.
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Bar Keepers Friend. @SessionDrummer, their brass polish powder works great on cymbals, years supply for less than any brand meant for cymbals.
@jinx_d their Cookware powder looks like a winner!
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@Plunderdrum I’ve used BKF for years, BUT, have never worked up the courage to use it on my brass hoard. Metal is metal, Patina is patina, so I don’t know what’s held me back.
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The following was US military approved 50 odd years ago. Did a great job because it’s wadding infused with cleaner which enables you to control the area needed to be polished.
re: https://www.amazon.com/Brasso-Duraglit-Metal-Polish-Wadding/dp/B004G8YNIM
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I’ve only ever used Mothers mag polish. I got a little tub of it from Wal-Mart for 6 bucks or so. Shit works good.
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Sunshine cloths are the most amazing thing ever if you want to pokish metal and give it a mirror shine. Truly phenomenal. Don’t throw them away just because they turn black, they’re still effective. Never used anything that works as well as them, as a final step after cleaning.
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Thanx for the polishing advice 
. but what i was looking to do is clean the contacts. and i am sure all of you know = do not leave any type polisher/conditioner on the contacts.
i ended up running into my neighbor and i bummed some vinegar. the mech is working fine now. having a few beers and blow’n a few clouds last night 
just a tip. if you have a metal mod, polishing it in a drill or on a buffer = if it has any kind of engravings on it, you are damaging it. what this does is round off the edges of the engraving, and after a few/many of these polishing’s will make the mod less attractive. even those waddings and polishes just in hand, if done aggressively will result in the same .
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Another thing to keep in mind, if you are using power to buff/clean/polish, is you need to keep an EYE on the HEAT. Slower, and cooler is better. Heat can wreck/ruin/change the metal.
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good ol’ brasso
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On the topic of polishing - gp released something they called the PnB (polish and brush). It was two attachments made to fit in a drill / dremmel- absolutely brilliant. If you ever see them up for sale grab them. So handy for those with limited space or need to polish / brush atomisers evenly. one side has a 510 female - one side a 510 male. On the opposing ends it fits into a drill. So you can use various grits and cloths in the palm of your hand/ other ways while they spin at whatever designated speed.
To the contact polishing - After using the sunshine on anything related to contacts I clean with a micro fiber, then I soak the parts in either alcohol, vinegar, or soapy water, then I dry with a micro fiber.
The above posted acid wash is really interesting.
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What’s “GP” ?
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Sorry vapourart (who made the gp series) - a Greek company who made higher end vape gear. Now out of business unfortunately.
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Jumping in late here, but get yourself a jewelers cloth off of Amazon. Used for rings and such and works wonders on my brass mechs, probably the most non-abrasive method you can use.
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