I have a client with 3 “Bronze” tables. I don’t know how to tell if they are rally bronze or just bronze colored steel. I tried a magnet and it was attracted.(I think I read somewhere that Bronze is not magnetic.) Anyway, the problem she has is that the tables have been marked with water stains by renters and she would like to remove the stains and coat the tables with something to make them waterproof.
How do I tell if they are all bronze and then what the heck do I do about the problem with the staining?
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If they're attracted to a magnet, they're ferrous (steel) with some sort of coating. Bronze is an alloy of brass and copper, neither of which are magnetic.
Wear something sexy if you're gonna talk..
http://grantlogan.net/
From my investigation today, Bronze is 60% Cu and 40% tin, tin has no mag. properties. "Commercial Bronze" is "Brass" and is 90% Cu and 10% Zinc, also no mag. properties. The tables being mag. lead me to believe they are coated steel, although I could not find any rust on them, just the watermarks. I wish I had takem Chem. in school!
I'd try Flitz or similar metal polish. Doesn't really matter if it's plated or not, but if outside, don't think I'd put any kind of clear finish on 'em. If you gotta have some clear, automotive urethanes are great but spendy.
BTW, I've used flitz on most anything... gold, steel, even foberglass... it's pretty amazing stuff.
PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
I use Flitz on my knives, just never thought of it for a project of this size. Mahalo.
After you polish the stains away you can clear coat it with a product called Diamond Clear from EastwoodCo. I polished up a bunch of copper and sprayed on the Diamond Clear with an air brush. The copper has been out in the rain for ~a month now and it still looks shiny and new.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Mahalo, I'll see if anyone carries it over here. A lot of the chemical products we can't get here, because of air restrictions on shipping and the companies won't go to the trouble to ship by sea. I'll check it out.
Flitz is an abrasive/cleaner. I'll bet they sell Mothers mag wheel polish there..same kinda stuff.
Scrub with a paste of bakingsoda and water with a stiff bristle brush. That'll clean it all up w/o really changing the luster too much.
Emeron clear auto will keep it that way.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.
Seams harmless enough. I'll check around for the Emeron, mahalo.
I think Sphere meant Imron. It's wicked serious auto paint. Besides being more permanent than epoxy, and stronger, it's deadly to spray without proper breathing equipment.
Thanks, you corrected my goobered memory, now the toads are chasing the Bondo rasp and a D/A..making me hit the spray booth for fresh air.
Them fumes make ya ferget what you were spraying..Thanks Mr. DuPont. LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.
I was spraying some a few years back. Took off my respirator and sprayed just a little more. Respirators are nasty on a hot day. I went to walk to the other side of the garage, and noticed I was walking, but I thought I was levitating. I could see my feet moving, but couldn't feel them touching ground. Had enough sense to go outside. Then everything was sort of shimmering in the sun. Then the colors were gone and I heard a loud waterfall. Then the street started to stand straight up instead of laying level. After a while I woke up, and heard people sort of yelling at me. Ugg. Sick, headache, and had to clean my gear or throw it out. I don't do car painting much anymore.
That pretty much covers it..good job!
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.
Imron, aka Alwgrip and Alumigrip (IIRC).Used to have different names for different markets. Check the marine supply houses.I think that there is a clear version.
Good ol' Awlgrip, I used that on my sailboat, before I had to sell it and move over here. I'm going out now to check out the tables and will try to get pic to post.
Often bronze objects are pot metal plated with bronze. If you can scratch in a non-visible location, such as the bottom of the foot, you'll be able to tell if the base metal is different.
I'll give this a try tomorrow if she will let me.