Sundown Sailing Adventures

Green, dull, 30-year-old built-up tarnish. This was the state of everything bronze on Sundown.

“No problem,” I thought. “Surely there’s a solution like Tarn-X we can just dip all those port lights, fixtures and hardware in. They’ll be back to their showroom shine in no time.” Well, that was a nice delusion.

I researched how to clean bronze and came up with variations on a “library paste”* that sounded promising and “green.” One part flour to one part salt with enough white vinegar added to achieve a thick but spreadable consistency. (*I have fond memories of library paste – the flour and water goo my mother made as a substitute for Elmer’s glue during my childhood craft time.) I mixed up a huge batch and submersed many pieces and parts, including hatch hardware.

Some of the pieces came out shiny, while others came out worse. I’m sure it’s because the bronze quality varies from piece to piece. My husband thought dipping the pieces in a bath of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid would do the trick. I hated this option as it’s not environmentally friendly, but gave in to trying it. The acid bath removed green oxidation, but didn’t render any shine.  So I accepted the fact that I’d been trying to avoid all along – there’s no quick fix and this polishing process was going to take a lot of time and elbow grease.

I donned my alien costume complete with a respirator mask and safety goggles. Then I got to work using a polishing wheel attached to a grinder loaded with volumes of polishing compound. On some pieces, like the inside rings of the port lights, I used a brush wheel attached to a drill press. (This method is not recommended for more decorative bronze hardware as it can scratch the surface.)

The results are good, but I’m not finished, so I’ll sign off for now to get back at it. Stayed tuned for the next post where I’ll feature the rebuilt port lights.

-krs