Jeweler's Rouge

[KFCA]

Hope I'm asking this in the correct forum, and I'm sure this a very low-tech question, but...

Every so often, in one of the Sunday newspaper "magazines" (perhaps "Parade") there's been a full-page advertisement for what sounds like a super-duper metal polish, clearly better than any other on the market.

It was claimed that this particular product was invented by an ordinary houewife who was dissatisfied with the products available, and, in conjunction with a chemist friend, "invented" this new metal polish.

As far as I can figure, the main difference between hers & "the others" is "jeweler's rouge".
Since I don't understand exactly what this is or how it may help, & since I have a nasty brass chandeleir-polishing job in my immediate future. I'd appreciate any comments on my prospective purchase.

BTW, I've tried both ketchup & lemon juice in the past as environmentally-friendly brass polishings with somewhat limited success.

[Rob Lister]

Originally posted by KFCA
Hope I'm asking this in the correct forum, and I'm sure this a very low-tech question, but...

Every so often, in one of the Sunday newspaper "magazines" (perhaps "Parade") there's been a full-page advertisement for what sounds like a super-duper metal polish, clearly better than any other on the market.

It was claimed that this particular product was invented by an ordinary houewife who was dissatisfied with the products available, and, in conjunction with a chemist friend, "invented" this new metal polish.

As far as I can figure, the main difference between hers & "the others" is "jeweler's rouge".
Since I don't understand exactly what this is or how it may help, & since I have a nasty brass chandeleir-polishing job in my immediate future. I'd appreciate any comments on my prospective purchase.

BTW, I've tried both ketchup & lemon juice in the past as environmentally-friendly brass polishings with somewhat limited success.

Don't buy brass polish to clean copper. (edit: strike that. Brass and copper tarnish is the same chemical mostly so either will do as well as the other) Buy copper polish, available at any hardware store near you. Likely, the less environmentally friendly it is, the quicker you can complete the job and get back to huggin' a tree.

It's all about resource allotment.

[Rolfe]

I guess this is the wrong time to mention that jewellers' rouge is the only thing which will explode in Amber (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380809060/qid=1090692761/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/202-4565359-7982209)?

Sorry, carry on. :D

Rolfe.

[LucyR]

Originally posted by KFCA

As far as I can figure, the main difference between hers & "the others" is "jeweler's rouge".
Since I don't understand exactly what this is or how it may help, & since I have a nasty brass chandeleir-polishing job in my immediate future. I'd appreciate any comments on my prospective purchase.


Jeweler's rouge is an oxide of iron. Supposed to be good for polishing most metals. May be appropriate for something as soft as brass, I don't know.

Aside: Gee Rob, I must say I really like reading your posts. You have a wonderful facility to resolve complicated problems and ethical dilemmas with a few pithy remarks. How I wish I could see things with such clarity.

[SGT]

Originally posted by Rolfe
I guess this is the wrong time to mention that jewellers' rouge is the only thing which will explode in Amber (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380809060/qid=1090692761/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/202-4565359-7982209)?

Sorry, carry on. :D

Rolfe.

This is not fair! When I started reading this thread I thought exactly that the first time I heard about jeweller's rouge was reading The Guns of Avalon, book two of The Amber Chronicles and I intended to mention it, but you beated me.

[Rob Lister]

Originally posted by LucyR
Aside: Gee Rob, I must say I really like reading your posts. You have a wonderful facility to resolve complicated problems and ethical dilemmas with a few pithy remarks. How I wish I could see things with such clarity.

Pending notification of previous sarcasm withstanding, all ethical dilemmas are best solved in pithy manners.

BTW, pith is the only glue you can get that sticks to ethics and washes off with soap and water.

[pupdog]

For copper & its alloys, pickle in 1 gallon of sulfuric acid in 9 gallons of water at 125 - 175 degrees F. If more than about 85% copper and there's an oxide film, use 1 pint per gallon sulfuric acid, 2-4 ounces/gallon sodium dichromate at room temperature or up to 175 degrees F.

If the surface is rough after pickling, use a dip consisting of 2 gallons sulfuric acid, 1 gallon nitric acid, and 5 gallons water, and agitate the piece.

To make it nice and bright, use a final dip of 2 gallons sulfuric, 1 gallon nitric, and one half ounce of hydrochloric acids plus 1-1/2 gallons water at room temperature.

The "ordinary housewife" was probably dissatisfied with the available products because they lacked these essential ingredients.

[Fidelio]

Other than providing propellants in alternate realities my knowledge of rouge is thus:

...Then, using the lap, one begins to polish the mirror using rouge. Polishing is very similar to grinding, except that the resistace between the mirror and the lap is much higher. Cleats must be fastened to the work surface to keep the lap and mirror from sliding. The scratches of the rouge are smaller than a wavelength of light, and the mirror thus becomes a specular (mirror-like) reflector

From here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescope_making

[Dragonrock]

Originally posted by SGT
This is not fair! When I started reading this thread I thought exactly that the first time I heard about jeweller's rouge was reading The Guns of Avalon, book two of The Amber Chronicles and I intended to mention it, but you beated me.

I third the Avalon connection. Only my fear was that this thread was gonna be about someone who thought it was explosive in alternate universes.

[tracer]

Originally posted by LucyR
Jeweler's rouge is an oxide of iron.
So, in other words, it's rust?

[TillEulenspiegel]

My dad was a lifer bird Colonel in the army. I can't tell you how many cans of Brasso he used thru the years on his metals and buttons. Theres two kinds of polish one is on based sulfuric or hydrochloric acids (like Tarnex) that dissolve the tarnish but most leave a cloudy coating ( an oxide of the metal I guess) that must be polished away. The other type is an extremely fine abrasive like Brasso or jewelers rouge ( even toothpaste!) that require a little elbow grease. Either way you'll have to polish by hand. BTW a toothbrush is an ideal polishing tool.

[tracer]

Originally posted by TillEulenspiegel
Theres two kinds of polish one is on based sulfuric or hydrochloric acids (like Tarnex) that dissolve the tarnish but most leave a cloudy coating ( an oxide of the metal I guess) that must be polished away.
Just for the record, TarnEx[TM] is for use on tarnished silver only. It's not supposed to remove tarnish from other metals. And it's based on something called "thiourea", which smells pretty much like it sounds.

[TillEulenspiegel]

I stand corrected, You are right. I guess that "sulfur dioxide" stank ( rotten eggs) is what led me to my misinformation. Haven't seen that crap since I was a kid anyway hehe.