Can someone please tell me the best way to clean a Coleman Copper Fuel Funnel. Its near mint no dents just dirty. I was told by a guy at work use salt and white vinegar place in a bucket for 30 mins. Im just worried if i do this will it dull or take the clear coat off the fuel funnel, or eat or pit into the copper. Any advise would be appreciated or if anyone has any experience using this mixture. I have a great coleman display of items want to add to it with this beautiful copper funnel. Regards Darren
I've used vinegar. It works very well so long as you don't leave it too long. It comes out looking dull because it etches the surface but a quick polish soon fixes that.
Clear coat, you say? Is the funnel clear coated? In that case you should stay out of Autosol, and probably vinegar too. Just give it a gentle clean up with a mild detergent and water. Since you say it's near mint, there should absolutely not be any needs for anything else. Just wash it up in the sink first, and see how it turns out.
Not sure if the clear coat is coming off or even if it has one, but if you look at the pictures closely it’s patchy.
As what Carlsson said or just leave it as it is. Unless if you really want it to be brighter and don't mind removing the clear coat(if there's really any), then Autosol. Autosol's available almost anywhere.
I think it looks like it's in the best condition possible. A genuine, unused NOS-part. Why would you polish that one up? Anything abrasive or rough cleaning would make it almost as an used object, and destroy its rareness, if any. A gentle rinse in water and perhaps some dish soap (i.e. not any kind of machine washing detergent). But each to his own. If you like shiny objects, it's just to start polish. It's your own loss
On the copper funnel below the original thick clear laquer was mostly intact, just a bit dirty. The Autosol cleaned it up nicely. It has a nice deep glow or shine to it. It looks lighter in the photo than it is. I last polished it when I got it a few years ago; it still looks good on the display shelf.
Vinegar and copper will build up verdigris or Copper(II) acetate which is not healthy at all. For cleaning copper I use steel wool (the very finest) and a little citric acid. It works great. Erik
Yes, I agree entirely. It's taken decades to get that patina and once it's removed, it'll take the same number of decades to get it back, if you ever do...
My vote, leave it alone. I have two of these kind of funnels and I think they show the rough road they traveled for God knows how many years! Ain't broke, don't fix it!
In answer to how long you keep things in vinegar, keep a regular eye on it and stop when it's done the job but to be honest it's a process of trial and error. BUT... The funnel looks great the way it is so I'd leave it alone if it were me.
Each person has his/her own opinion on cleaning and polishing brass and copper. I would NEVER use steel wool of any grade. No matter how fine the grade of steel wool, it leaves very fine scratches on the surface that then have to be removed by polishing.
Ok Ok Ok i have read everyone’s thoughts and opinions regarding cleaning this. With all due respect to everyone that piped up and voiced out, i agree your all rite. Looking back and reading over the replies im thinking now what the hell was i thinking, i could of destroyed a bit of history due to my OCD lol. I 100% agree with Carlsson,David,George,ColinG leave it alone let it show its true age and the road its traveled. This is my second Coleman Copper Funnel, this one is shmick, comes with the box and spare filter unused. This one is from Canada - Toronto. My first one is from Wichita, Kansas, i’m not really sure what the difference is Toronto vs Kansas but still i dont see many like this, with no dings or dents. Also why no mesh filter in the Wichita, Kansas funnel ? PS - Im posting off an iphone 6 small screen so its hard to type with chubby fingers, sorry for the spelling, gotta love talk tex.
@Kiwiboy00 That is indeed a fine funnel. It would be really good if you could post pictures of it in the Reference Gallery here: Lamp Paraffinalia Cheers Tony
TBH I only use vinegar on relatively non-critical components, what I really want is an ultrasonic cleaning bath!
@ColinG I got a bog standard rectangular ultra-sonic cleaner, made in China, from the bay of evil. I use it for cleaning delicate and/or tricky things like the coils out of Coleman generators. If you fill your cleaner tank with water, then put the parts you want into a glass jar filled with your cleaning solution (I use water with “Marine Clean”) it works a treat. Cheers Tony
I would clean it with some mild soapy water. To get the dirt off. Once you start removing the laquer you have to polish her up and put on laquer again.
In my restoration shop we use Flitz polish from Germany there is nothing better. Use a soft cloth and go at it. This is if raw metal is exposed. Will clean up copper, brass, bronze etc. Four ott steel wool can also be employed and then follow with a buff on the power buffer, clean up with lacquer thinner. Afterwards put on a coat of lacquer designed for metal from an aerosol or better yet an automotive clear gloss coat for the most protection. Best, Ole
