porthole cleaning?

[Sea Hunt Video]

Polishing bronze is a project best suited for the next owner.

Sadly, or joyfully, I am "the next owner".

[bottomscraper]

lemons and salt

add Tequila put on some Jimmy Buffet and forget about all that polishing stuff.

(the last time I got Tequila past my lips was about 35 years ago, after drinking most of a bottle on a beach in Ensenada I got so sick that I can't even get it up to my nose without gagging)

I will stick with Rum!

[Steve Laume]

I used to love to buff brass on a wheel and still so sometimes. As far as boat bronze is concerned I think it was meant to have a patina. The only items I do polish on Raven are her bell and builder's plate. These can both be taken home and buffed on a wheel. I also did all the drawer pulls at one time but have pretty much given up on them. Once polished I have tried lacquer and it never seems to hold up for a season. It might be my prep but it tends to peel and look worse than nothing at all. Then there is the added work of getting it off the next time you polish. Now I just wax the parts and they age much more gracefully.

If you just want to clean things up a bit and blend the patina, a Scotch Brite pad works very well. You could apply wax or Penetrol to slow further oxidation.

I have enough trouble keeping up with general maintenance, upgrades, the stainless and bright work that I would never consider polishing bronze, Steve.

[tjr818]

I don't polish Bronze. I polished too much Brass while in the Army. I can't imagine a shiny Liberty Bell or Statue of Liberty. Varnishing and waxing seem to take too much time as it is.