I have noticed several brass engines for sale on the internet that say they are lightly tarnished. Is it easy to remove this or should I stay away from engines like this?
dwfin1985 (UP fan)
Brass tarnishes over time. It’s only cosmetic. Most unpainted brass engines are also covered with a clear coat lacquer which can discolor over time. I have a 30 year old Westside 4-8-4 still in unpainted condition. It has a slight tarnish on it, but that’s all. One of these days (yeah, right) I’ll get around to painting it.
Most customer painters I know of use a sand blasting apparatus to remove the lacquer coat, clean the brass and provide a bit of a “tooth” for paint adhesion. North Coast Hobbies makes a sandblasting booth that will clean up any brass loco. They don’t have a website, but here’s their address, phone and email: P.O. Box 31 McKees Rocks, PA 15136-0031 (412) 331-1410 northcoast@mailcity.com. I found this at: http://secure.infoharvest.ca/NMRA/PNR/3div/vendornp.htm#N
Brasso will also remove tarnish on uncoated brass, but it’s kinda hard to use in some of the confined areas on a locomotive.
Oh yeah. Here’s a website for a custom painter that describes what he does to prepare brass for painting: http://members.aol.com/backshop/paint.html
Andre
I wouldn’t be too concerned if you are going to paint them. How do they run? How about wheel wear? (reduces value)
Brass has become Collector Item’s. Condition, condition, conndition.
I collect brass some times you can get it cheaper if its tarnished! As said before you can paint right over it, or clean it up with brasso or jewelry cleaner that is what I do. One way of keeping tarnish off is dont handle it that much the oils on your fingers cause alot of tarnish.
I’ve passed up the opportunity to buy used brass units in good condition a few years back. Thanks to today’s highly detailed plastic locomotives, used brass is more affordable.
I’m hoping that sooner or later HO brass models of the EP4, EP5, and U50 turn up on Ebay.
You can get a real bargain in brass on E-bay if you get one painted by the previous owner especially if it’s weathered. I got a United PFM Southern RR PS-4 pacific (4-6-2) for less than $150. It was painted in a Great Northern scheme. Sometime soon I plan to paint in in Southern colors.
Bob DeWoody
Homemade brass and copper cleaner
i’d test this on a non-visible part before trying it on a loco . also working around detail parts may be a pain and of course it won’t work at all if the brass is coated