cleaning brass buttons

[sjv]

Is there any safe way to clean brass buttons?

[coinnut]

Is there any safe way to clean brass buttons?


There are no safe ways to clean anything lol But the method I use is a soft (block type) brass brush and a good amount of water and dish soap and scrub. The brass is softer than the other metals, so it leaves minimal scarring. Remember, cleaning will expose all the corrosion that is under the dirt, so you may think you damaged it by cleaning, but the damage was already there. Del also has a good chemical method for cleaning buttons, but he charges $100.00 for his advice rofl Payment is in coppers of course :rolleyes: If you look over some old posts, he mentioned it a couple of times there Sal.

[sjv]

My question is how do you know if there's brass under the dark layer or if it's in fact the copper layer exposed? The button below was totally dark and I scrubbed lightly after soaking it until I started seeing the brass. I tried to clean up my civil war button and all I got was a shiny patina coated button.

[sjv]

I guess you never know for sure until you try to clean it. :grin: