piperbrew
Well-Known Member
I was cleaning some new brass parts I purchased from Lowe's for use as a MLT bulkhead. All the other pieces cleaned up just fine, but the ball lock turned a dull grey color. I used the process below:
Cleaning Brass
Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 15 minutes at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution.
The bulkhead did turn the water a green/blue color, which was odd since it was in the solution the exact same amount of time as the other pieces. I washed it off and tried again (in a fresh solution), but it did the same thing after 7 minutes or so. I might try some Barkeeper's Friend on it; does anybody have any other suggestions? While it's kind of hard to tell, the inside of the ball lock (the only part any water/wort would touch) does not appear to be as dulled as the outside (granted it's not as "shiny" as the other pieces either). I really don't care how it looks, I just want to make sure nothing is contaminated or compromised because of this.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Cleaning Brass
Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 15 minutes at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution.
The bulkhead did turn the water a green/blue color, which was odd since it was in the solution the exact same amount of time as the other pieces. I washed it off and tried again (in a fresh solution), but it did the same thing after 7 minutes or so. I might try some Barkeeper's Friend on it; does anybody have any other suggestions? While it's kind of hard to tell, the inside of the ball lock (the only part any water/wort would touch) does not appear to be as dulled as the outside (granted it's not as "shiny" as the other pieces either). I really don't care how it looks, I just want to make sure nothing is contaminated or compromised because of this.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
