We frequently receive emails asking for information on locating parts for restoring lanterns and other railroad artifacts.

Railroadiana collector Rob Hoffer compiled this collection of tips from many collectors. The opinions represent the experience of many collectors, and are offered as suggestions. See Thanks to all the collectors who contributed information. Your milage may vary.

Brass:

BRASSO has worked fine for me in cleaning up brass nautical items.

For big brass jobs I use a strong janitorial supply called KRC-7. It can be ordered from Chemique Chemicals in Moorestown, NJ and is pretty reasonable. It can be diluted for the faint of heart. It's pretty strong phosphoric acid with a few unmentionable elements added. However, it is the only strong product that will not turn bronze a pink or coppery color. It brings out the yellow in the brass. It is suitable for large jobs and works pretty quickly at full or near-full strength. Fine steel wool works after rinsing the acid off. Rubber gloves are a must. Chemique also makes a bizarre little chemical that you can wipe on with a cloth and the brass will not tarnish, even when handled. They're in the phone book and will send order forms upon request.

For non-plated brass & bronze items, I use a DILUTED solution of Muratic Acid, available at Home Depot, Lowe's, Home Quarters, etc. for about $2.00 a quart.

Mix the acid with water (30%/70% respectively). Take a rag, dip it, and rub lightly. The acid will work immediately on the corrosion, and you will immediately get a light, copper colored tarnish.

Take another rag with Brasso or other brass cleaner, and apply it to the bell. You won't have to rub hard, and the copper-colored tarnish easily comes off, leaving a beautiful even patina to the item. Wear gloves and goggles!

I'd do a test patch first. Might get a pink bell. Naval jelly will be better, but the stuff I use is best. Bells don't have much copper in them, so pink metal might not be a problem. However, a bronze whistle or any type of valve brass is usually another deal.

China:

Hydrogen peroxide is a traditional weapon in the conservator's arsenal. It's the favorite bleach for removing stains from paper, and is very good a bleaching items with lead-based pigments (it works great on white lead). It will work on china, but probably very slowly.

Chlorine bleach will work more quickly on china, but most store-bought chlorine bleach preparations contain additives that will soak into the piece if allowed to sit in the bath for a prolonged period of time. Oversoaking a piece will tend to weaken it.

Chloromine-T is a dry-powder chlorine bleach mix that is often used by professional restorers. The product is additive-free, and can be purchased through industrial supply companies. While this is not as powerful as clorox, it won't contaminate the china.

When treating an item, soak in cold solutions only, do not oversoak, and soak the item in cold water when you are finished to rinse away remaining chemicals.

Another way to clean china although not really cost effective is to use over night denture cleaner. An older collector that I know tried this and he said that it worked good.

Locomotive Bells

Polishing a bell may not be as hard as it looks. I've done two recently and offer the following tips. if the bell has paint on it get this off using any commercial grade paint remover. next, apply naval jelly in areas about 6 or 8 square inches at a time. let it set for about 20 mins then wipe off with a damp rag and wash off completely. it will not hurt the brass and will get through most of the heavy corrosion quicker and better than something like Brasso, which is only a polishing agent, not a cleaner. after you've removed all the "green" or heavy dark tarnish (this may take several doses of the naval jelly) go after it with something comparable to NEVR-DULL a cotton wadding polish and cleaner. again, work small, manageable areas at a time. when you finish this step you may only have to give it a final shine with Happich semi-chrome if you can find it or Blue Magic. both are polishing creams and i buy my Blue Magic at a local hot rod shop. they sell it for shining up chrome on cars. I have a Texas & pacific bell in my office that i shined up using these steps and it draws great reviews from even non-railroad types. this is a long process; don't get in a hurry.

I have done two locomotive bells. I have a lathe big enough to handle the bell casting, so I chuck it up and rotate it at a fairly slow speed. If the tarnish etc. is quite bad, I first will use a very fine sandpaper, (no coarser than 320) to clean the bell, holding it against the rotating casting. I personally use a small "flap wheel" on a little angle head grinder. Then, I use a cloth buffing wheel on the grinder, and polishing rouge, starting out with black (coarse grade) compound and then a final polish with red (fine grade)compound. This will give you a beautiful polish on your bell. If you don't have access to a lathe, you could do the same thing on the bench, just use a little care to keep your polish "even".

One addition: Work naval jelly with an old toothbrush before washing it off. this helps break up stubborn spots. remember, naval jelly is a mild acid so don't leave it on too long at a time. do two applications if needed.

I washed the thing down and scrubbed it with Revere Ware Copper Cleaner and a "scrubby thing that I snitched out of the kitchen. This worked OK but, not good enough. I ended up going to the hardware store and buying a buffing thing for the drill and some jewelers' rouge. After I gave the bell a shot of paint remover the buffing wheel and rouge seemed to work *MUCH* better. It took the better part of all day to spruce her up. Lastly, I gave it a shot of Happich semi-chrome which brings out the shine real nice and repainted the yoke, clapper, and base with high gloss black paint.

A word of warning - NEVER - NEVER - NEVER repaint the inside of a bell! This is a tip that it is old. It's like cleaning the back of builders plates - NEVER do that either.

Silverware:

For fine stuff like silver plate, Twinkle (brand name) silver or copper cleaner depending on material. This good cleaner will take off the light tarnish that comes from humidity. It will also leave a light tarnish inhibitor.

Revere Ware Instant Copper / Stainless Steel Cleaner. This stuff works like a top on heavy copper or brass stuff. It is *NOT* recommended for light silver stuff as it seems to be fairly abrasive.

"Never - Dull "The Magic Wadding" polish. This is also a *GOOD* cleaner / polish combination. It is good on most metal objects and I have used it on everything from bells to whistles to lanterns to silver plate.

Simichrome Polish: This is in my humble opinion the *BEST* metal polish on the market today. It is *NOT* cheap. But, it does not take a lot to make a piece of silver shine like new money. The shine also seems to last for about a year. A tip on this stuff would be to use small amounts at a time.

I would like to add Hagerty's Silversmiths' Polish as one of my favorites. It is a liquid and is non abrasive. It also contains a "tarnish preventative". I have used it on fine silver plated instruments for over 20 years. It doesn't "cut" as easily as "Simichrome", which is my first choice for really tarnished items. The only drawback to some of these paste and liquids are the residue left in detail work.

There are also a variety of "Silver polishing cloths" which are good for "maintenance". They are soft and non abrasive and will remove light tarnish. Again, safe enough for fine silver plated musical instruments.

I agree with all, except the use of Simichrome. There is a reason why it works so well and why it takes so little time to clean . . . it is, by all accounts, incredibly abrasive. I am told by those who work with metal that in addition to some very harsh chemistry, it also contains silica/silicate (in the form of finely ground glass) as well as extra fine pumice (the stuff they use in Lava soap) which could rip the hide of an elephant. I have had collectors who have used Simichrome over a period of years see noticeable wear/damage to side marks on silver pieces.

I will add, that a friend who collects railroad flatware, recently purchased a "device" he saw advertised on television. It uses a metallic surface which is placed in a basin along with warm water and detergent (as I recall). This sets up an electronic effect that removes the tarnish. He said it works well, and that he can clean hundreds of pieces of flatware in an evening. Have not seen it first-hand, so can't comment personally.

Also, don't forget the old stand by, Brasso (a bit abrasive, but puts a shine on brass tops like nothing I have ever seen), as well as A-OK Metal Polish which works well on nickel plating. For the benefit of everyone, please do not use the old "vinegar and salt" method to clean brass. It does work, but you might as well take the item and rub it on a concrete sidewalk, it will work as well, and is equally as abrasive. Also, if you own a steel wire brush, throw it away. I have seen many great lanterns and locks ruined by using this technique. A very fine/soft brass brush may be OK in certain circumstances, but not often. Nothing beats non-abrasive cleaners, soft cloths and tons and tons of elbow grease.