I've watched a few videos about cleaning vaporisers etc, and a lot of them boil all the various parts in a citric acid solution. It's seems to work to an extent, but has anyone tried it? Just wondering if its the general method? I noticed during a search that Wilko sells it.
I think that the person who invents the foolproof way of cleaning/rejuvinating vapoursers for Tilleys and Vapaluxes will be awarded sainthood ! I think some can lay claim to improvement on performance post 'pet method' but no 'silver bullets' have yet been presented.
It depends on which vaporizer you're working on. If its a Petromax, clones and certain Coleman, citric acid does wonders for some, but still some mechanical means are required in most cases. Not the Tilley which, have a non-removable jet. Citric acid cannot in reality, dissolve or dislodge any hard-carbonized matter inside a tube. In these, you'd usually need mechanical or thermal shock methods. However, Citric might help in getting rid of some less hardened grime, metal oxidation/rust and sludgy deposits as a preliminary step.
I use citric acid in my ultrasonic tank for cleaning burners, brass hoods and other associated brass parts. I have also put vaporisers in, I guess it depends what state it is prior to putting it in. This one cleaned up nicely but when I tried it, the jet had enlarged so no good.....
I used regular gasoline (petrol) to get the grime of from my clogged Tilley R55 vaporizer and it’s working good again. Cleaning was done in an ultrasonic cleaner
I use citric acid regularly to clean things, but care is required. 1. Know what concentration you’re using. 2. Be careful using citric acid on brass. Keep an eye on the brass. If it turns pink, desist as you are beginning to leach zinc from the brass. 3. Citric acid will remove rust from steel. Therefore it takes material away from the object being cleaned if it’s rusted. Delicate steel pieces may therefor disintegrate. Cheers Tony
There's a magic posion called GSR. You'll find the recipe over on the sister site, CCS but you'll have to dig around for it. Basically it's made with citric acid crystals dissolved in water with wallpaper paste flakes added until it makes a thick, gooey paste. You coat whatever metal part you want to clean and leave it until it's done. How long? If I were to say ten minutes or two days it would be wrong so decide for yourself. (Psssst... I leave it on for a couple of hours on dull brass, overnight on very hard blackened brass corrosion). I don't use it on rust very often but it can be applied exactly where you need it and it stays there, so for instance you could avoid the jet hole for instance... and it won't go up inside the tube. A vinegar bath is also very useful but both methods will turn brass pink because the zink has been leached out, leaving only copper behind. Same thing will happen with Brasso which is why most people on this site will try to avoid it and use Mother's Mag instead... and great stuff it is too! Hope this helps. PS. Disclaimer: Don't use vinegar, or citric acid or any abrasive cleaners whatsoever when cleaning a pressure lantern or radiator. Don't leave an acid solution on brass for more that 20 seconds, not that you would because I warned you not to! PPS. I'm being just a little sarcastic. PPPS. Don't use Harpic Max X10 as it contains hydrochloric acid... not that much, but boy does it shift stubborn oxidisation on brass and steel, even stainless steel..... not that I use it of course.
Only if you leave it in too long. I generally put the object in for a 20-30 minute dip and then remove it. It's amazing how much dirt is loosened in that short time, which can then be removed by rinsing and 'working' between the thumbs and fingers. Occasionally a second 20-30 minute dip has been needed - but never a third. I'm not sure where the instructions on the side of a Brasso can say to use it as a bath i.e. immerse objects in it for any length of time, so I'd be interested to see where that is recommended. Most people on this site avoid using Brasso because there seems to be some sort of belief (mistaken, in my view) that it causes stress cracking. I've been using it for probably 60 years and I can't remember anything I've polished with it subsequently developed stress-cracking. It's called 'Brasso', it's intended for polishing brass and yet it actually damages the very material it's intended to conserve? - unbelievable! - surely it would have gone out of use within a few years of it going on the market. I'm reminded of the MMR/autism and aluminium/dementia controversies from decades ago... Correct, and don't use 'Domestos' Zero Limescale Toilet Cleaner either for the very same reason - it contains 8% hydrochloric acid (not a trivial amount in my estimation). It did serious damage to the chrome plating on my bathroom sink plug and I don't feel the need to try it on a lantern tank to gauge the effect on those... Yes, I know the sink needed cleaning - that's why I put the effing stuff on there in the first place...
GSR = George’s Secret Recipe. You will find the recipe at 9. in the section Practice. It’s use on lamps is the same as on stoves except that proportionally there are more brass/brass+lacquer stoves than lamps. Note the modest use of citric acid in the recipe. Stove restoration. Parts 1 to 4 Cheers Tony
Thanks Everyone, got some good info on this thread. Wouldn't it be good if these lamps ran on tap water, and never rusted ! Maybe one day they will bring out Hydrogen Lamps (if they haven't already).....
I thought it was 'George's Stove Restorer' - no matter though! It's not much of a secret, if it ever was, and consists of an unspecified amount of citric acid crystals dissolved in water with wallpaper paste powder/flakes to make a thick paste. There's no more to it than the wallpaper paste holds the citric acid against the brass so it doesn't run off angled surfaces. It can also be painted on areas to be treated whilst avoiding more delicate/reactive/sensitive parts which would be damaged by the acid. Obviously the stronger you make it, the quicker it'll act so it's probably better to start with it weak and check frequently what's happening. If there's insufficient effect either leave it longer or make it stronger - or both, but don't blame me if it all goes pear-shaped...
To be fair, I've used Brasso on brass founts with excellent tarnish removal results. No deviations from the instructions,- used as intended. I've never experienced stress cracks on the brass fount from that. Having said that, filling and letting Brasso sit inside the fount for an indefinite amount of time is, in my simple opinion, not a great idea.
@David Shouksmith Of course it’s George’s Stove Restorer! I confused myself looking for the recipe... Tony
You can buy a commercial version of that in the UK. Hammerite rust removal gel. Bright green and very expensive, and no better than the above I suspect.
@Fireexit1 I have some of the gel of which you speak. I have my homemade GSR as well. I keep the Hammerite because sometimes getting the wallpaper glue where I live is a PITA. They both work the same. Cheers Tony
'I used to get up before I'd gone to bed, work 29 hours down t't pit, and get a belting from me father when I got home!'
