Best Method - Barkeeper's Friend

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Jay-Brew

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I know there is a lot on HBT about Barkeeper's Friend and how to apply it, but of course there are varying opinions.

Wondering if anyone wants to chime in on how I can best use BKF to passivate my brushed stainless steel pot. I have both the powder and the cream.
 
Thanks! A good scrub then I assume? Are the green Scotchbrite abrasive? Do I air dry or wipe dry?
 
Yes, all Scotchbrite is abrasive, but green is the finest of the varieties. Yep, a good scrub should remove the oxidation and allow the acid in the BKF to passivate the surface. Air dry, wipe dry, it doesn't matter. I'd prolly towel dry it once it has been rinsed well.
 
Thanks everyone really appreciate your responses. I will do as you suggest.
 
Yes, all Scotchbrite is abrasive, but green is the finest of the varieties. Yep, a good scrub should remove the oxidation and allow the acid in the BKF to passivate the surface. Air dry, wipe dry, it doesn't matter. I'd prolly towel dry it once it has been rinsed well.

I think the blue might be the least abrasive. It's typically sold as "no scratch". I've used them for epoxy grout removal from the faces of wall tiles where the green ones were specifically not used. Generally, if I'm cleaning my pots and pans, I use BKF and the green. If I'm wiping down counters or backsplashes, I grab the blue.


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I think the blue might be the least abrasive. It's typically sold as "no scratch". I've used them for epoxy grout removal from the faces of wall tiles where the green ones were specifically not used. Generally, if I'm cleaning my pots and pans, I use BKF and the green. If I'm wiping down counters or backsplashes, I grab the blue.

Good to know. I've never seen the blue. Didn't realize there was such a thing.
 
I just discovered this stuff yesterday. I'm amazed I'd never heard of it before as it's been around for over a century. And cheap too, a $2 can will last me a very long time unless we start using it on other things, and even then it will last.

Anyway I used the powder on my Blichmann kettle to get the burnt on crud off the bottom that I gave up on ever removing. I followed the directions on the can and no scrubbing was required, it just wiped off. I rinsed thoroughly and wiped it with a paper towel to dry it, but it was still damp. My wife was amazed at how shiny it way. I only did the inside, now I'm going to do the outside too.
 
What about for a dish washer with that stainless (but not really stainless) panel on the front?



Would I have to just kinda use it on the whole face so there'd be no difference/discoloration?


If the front 'looks' stainless it probably is. More than likely a 200 series but still stainless. Test it on a small spot that is kind of hidden and see how it reacts. Should be fine, BKF works miracles!


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If the front 'looks' stainless it probably is. More than likely a 200 series but still stainless. Test it on a small spot that is kind of hidden and see how it reacts. Should be fine, BKF works miracles!

Great! Thanks!

I can stick a magnet on the face, so it's not very high quality stainless. I'll give it a go though and see what happens!
 
I use this stuff all the time! It is amazing. I usually just use a sponge. You know the kind that do NOT have a scrubbie on the back side? It works great. I can take rust off of stainless that has been in contact with who knows what. It polishes, cleans and passivates.

I left a heating element submerged in water in the HLT. It left a rust mark around where it was. That was a stupid mistake. BKF fixed it for me. I was blown away. I keep a couple cans around because I use it for everything now.
 
You should never need to use the abrasive green Scotch-brite pads on brewing gear. For new SS or periodic cleaning, BKF with a sponge or blue non-scratch pad works great. And follow with a soapy wash.

I have both liquid and powder. The liquid is garbage; the powder is a godsend!
 
You should never need to use the abrasive green Scotch-brite pads on brewing gear. For new SS or periodic cleaning, BKF with a sponge or blue non-scratch pad works great. And follow with a soapy wash.

I have both liquid and powder. The liquid is garbage; the powder is a godsend!

I'm with SpeedYellow here... I use the powdered exclusively, and I typically just use a small amount of water with a sprinkle of BKF (just enough water to let it "flow") with couple sheets of paper towels. Never a problem removing deposits on the bottom of my brewkettle. No need for scouring pads.
 
Lots of good input here that I tried to take advantage of. I have a kettle with some rust inside. Taking the advice in this thread I used BKF powder and a moist sponge to try and deal with the kettle. Did several sessions of wiping out the kettle (mild pressure, lots of pressure, even used the green side of the sponge carefully), rinsed immediately and also tried leaving it on for a while as well before rinsing. It had no affect on the rust. I know this because it is a kettle with weldless fittings and after putting the fittings back on and filling to check for leaks the rust started up well before an hour had passed. Not sure what I could do differently....
 
I will keep trying it. Would it help if I made a paste in a bowl instead of just pouring some on a damp sponge? As I said, I even used the green scrubby side of the sponge too, which did leave some fine scratching on the metal, as I thought it might help getting in the lines where the rust is coming from. Still no luck.
 
A rusty brew kettle? There's so much wrong with that statement, I wouldn't know where to start.
 
Speed yellow. It isn't rusting all over just in a few places. Everyone says that barkeepers friend will passivate this. It readily removes any evidence of rust but I don't feel like the passivating aspect is quite getting going. Also heard that using it (boiling wort) will passivate due to acid in wort. I am going to keep at.


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Sandyeggoxj I can get that online easily. I have read that works better than BKF. Any experience with it? I know rust in a pot isn't unheard of particularly prior to passivating and from everything I read it is possible to deal with it effectively so that is what I am trying to do. Appreciate your suggestions!


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I have a case of it I plan to use for cip on the conical once I get that up and running. I haven't used it yet. I also plan to use it in place of pbw for the cip keg cleaner I'm going to build.
 
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