Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Engineering Techniques and Materials. => Topic started by: Colin Bishop on May 18, 2006, 11:13:16 pm
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Does anyone know how to get corrosion off copper strip? (verdigris). This isn't strictly a modelling question. The interior lights in my new (old - 1983) yacht have lots of copper strip on them which rely on make or break contact to turn on and off. Unfortunately the strip has a coating of verdigris which means that they don't work properly. Since the strip is small and fiddly I really need a magic potion to restore them to their original condition. Any ideas?
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Are they removable? I believe standing them overnight in Coca-Cola might do the trick!
Rick
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HP brown sauce is good too - try it on an old 2p piece ! - makes you wonder what it does to your insides !
rats
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Colin, I have had a similar problem with the frame of an old clockwork and used a spray, which is usually meant for cleaning in the household, but will do a proper job. In Germany it`s callec "Ciillit Bang"....
Also something that we have used with a good result was a bit of soap-water where usual Chalk was resolved in. Rubb the chalk over a grinding paper and make a paste with a bit soap-water. Works wonderfull, also if you want to polish brass etc.
J?rg
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. If I've got this right then what I have to do is to spray it with Cillit Bang, put a dollop of HP sauce on it and leave it to soak overnight in Coke - and they worry about pyrotechnics!
I've been doing a bit of digging around separately and one of the key ingredients for cleaning copper seems to be citric acid so maybe the answer's a lemon...
Got some things to try anyway.
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... the lemon might be o.K. ....- if it is guided by a gin. ;D
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Whisky and ginger - every time!
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Salt and vinegar: make a paste, wipe on, leave 10 secs, wipe off: all clean and sparkly. Do NOT use to flavour crisps afterwards!
Mike
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Whisky and ginger - every time!
Not a malt I hope :o :o
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Hi All
Looking at this thread it seems that most model boaters are alcaholics surely this can't be true ??? ???
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I certainly hope so with my hangover this morning!!
Bob
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Not a malt I hope
Famous Grouse with the ginger, Bowmore on its own... Don't try painting waterlines.
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Bob, from a certain age you`ll get more for your money- `cause the hangover lasts longer..... ::)
J?rg
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Aye Aye all,
Whisky your the divil, story time............ ;D ....... the story goes one night not so long ago one had a FEW drams of what I now call the 'truth whisky' BUNNAHABHAIN is its name - 12 year old single malt whisky - very nice...... Truth whisky because I was sitting glass in one hand, and a photograph of a certain Fairmile B which had been captured by the Gerries during the raid of St Nazaire and me thinks - by these Germans were awfully tall gents during the 2nd world war - about 7 foot tall.....judging by two of them standing by the funnel - because they were the same height as the funnel. Ah, says me, its the whisky and the angle the photograph has been taken :D. So, gets the magnifying glass out and goes over the photograph compairing various heights of the crew against various objects on the boat. Ah, they are the right height for the guns, they look about average height round about 5'6". So, I get a 1/24 figure from another model, measured it 2 3/4" - about 5'6" stands it by the funnel on a certain Fairmile....blinking heck the funnel is about an inch bigger.....a few words that are not allowed ;D ;D (put that in for Martin) out with all the drawings, realised I had built the funnel from the wrong scale drawing. Another drink of whisky, maybe it will look right....nothing for it 1.30 in the morning...out with the deadly craft knife, screwdriver, well I had to prise the funnel off, thought I would have to make a new superstructure (as luck had it - the funnel came off). Out with the junior hacksaw - drew a line, dont know what state it was in and attacked it with the junior hacksaw - at that time I came to me senses - got wrong for making noise...left until the morning.
Morning...big hangover, lasted a long time...not as long as it took to rectify my mistakes with the hacksaw blade.
Moral of the story is....if you are going to have a drink of whisky look at somebugger elses model ;D ;D
Time for a wee dram before the forum police arrive. :o :o ;D
Aye
John E
BLUEBIRD
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John, welcome to the club..... ::), in my case I have had a figure, with which I tried to scale out some items on a boat. I made them until I found out that the figure, called scale 1:32 was either a giant or the creator of this figure had no ideas of the antopometry of human beings. After the hangover I proved myself wrong and flattended everything with a hammer.
O.K.- now back to the copper-question....- any success?
J?rg
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With the weather we've had this last week I haven't been down to the boat. Hopefully next week.... (if it's still afloat)
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anything slightly acidic will take it off. Vinegar, lemon juice, cillit bang.....
..make sure you rinse it off with clean water or WD40 afterwards though, else the acid will attack it.
When it's all dry slap some silicone grease on it.
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Well, I had a go today. Tried Mike's paste of salt & vinegar but found that just vinegar seemed to work OK. I wouldn't describe the resulting finish as sparkling but the lights do come on now so have doused them in WD40 and will try again next week. Also noticed just what a good cleaning agent straight vinegar is. I believe the Napoleonic Royal Navy used to use it to disinfect their wooden walls. Thanks everyone for your suggestions - much appreciated. - Colin
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Let's deviate a little......
BLACK WIRE ROT......
Remind me of the cause of this problem with the negative wire on batteries and the ways to prevent this problem in future.
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Black wire corrosion - with my model aircraft hat on I've seen a few crashes result from this over the years. It most often occurs when the battery is a NiCad. It starts at the battery end and works its way along the negative wire eventually reaching the circuit board. It happens much more rapidly if the equipment is kept in a cold damp place. Leaving the battery discharged for long periods seems to make it worse. So to minimise the risk of it happening keep your gear in a warm dry place and don't leave the battery flat for extended periods. With my boats I dry out any water after a session with tissue and leave the boat with hatches removed for a day or so.
Alan