Brasso for wood! - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

GJR 11L · 22nd Jul 2008, 9:52 pm

I'm not sure whether this has been put forward on the forum at some earlier time as a means of removing scuffs and making wooden cabinet parts nice and shiny once more, but I can't believe that I'm the only person to have done this:

The Hacker RP75 MB that I just posted up in "Success Stories" had wooden end pieces that were frankly in a shocking state, their one saving grace being thet no large chunks were missing from them. So, by pure chance and the proximity of my pot of Brasso wadding, I tried the product on the wood, which was so far gone that only covering their surface with some sort of dye or even thin paint would have been a viable alternative.
Long story short; it worked, rubbing the timber with the wadding and then, as when using it on anything else, polishing off with a soft duster, brought the wood up very well indeed. The little scratches and scrapes vanished, and are , two days after treatment, still not visible and the effect is very satisfactory.
Try it, I did so because there was nothing to lose, but it really works!

paulsherwin · 22nd Jul 2008, 9:57 pm

A cutting compound such as T-Cut will have a similar effect. It's always worth trying something like this before doing anything more drastic.

Paul

chipp1968 · 23rd Jul 2008, 5:51 pm

one word of caution . with these products that leave a white compound on drying , be aware of opend grain woods like oak. Its very difficult to remove it rom the grain.

Darren-UK · 24th Jul 2008, 1:20 am

I wondered about this too. Liquid Brasso certainly would do this but what about wadding? This is far less 'liquidy' than the former.

dseymo1 · 24th Jul 2008, 9:03 am

I use Rustins Finish Reviver for this sort of thing. It's similar to Brasso or T-cut, being mildly abrasive, but is formulated for wood finishes, and gives excellent results with little effort. Any residue is water soluble and very easy to remove.
It also works well on plastics, but caution is required - enthusiastic polishing can generate enough heat to melt the surface of some types, and the reviver can become trapped in the melted layer, causing staining.

GJR 11L · 24th Jul 2008, 12:12 pm

This was the wadding, and no white streaks are evident even now, another few days after I did the job. I don't think it would be any more likely to stain than Topps and is even more effective at hiding little scratches than that stuff.

Here closer shots of the ends of the Super Sovereign that was treated with the wadding:

mastermanx2001 · 24th Jul 2008, 5:50 pm

Sorry to butt in, how about Teak oil, I have found it do a wonderful job covering up scratches etc.

paulsherwin · 24th Jul 2008, 9:18 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mastermanx2001

Sorry to butt in, how about Teak oil, I have found it do a wonderful job covering up scratches etc.

There are lots of finishes which will cover up scratches, but this thread is about rubbing off light scratches using Brasso and other cutting compounds.

Danish oil is often used as a finish which will also hide scratches. I often use the Colron range of dyed wax finishes.

Please stay on topic folks.

Paul

mastermanx2001 · 24th Jul 2008, 9:29 pm

I thought this topic was about scratches, wow it's like being back at school.

Brian R Pateman · 24th Jul 2008, 9:35 pm

Actually the topic is "Brasso for wood."

No mention of scratches, a subject on which there are many other threads.

22nd Jul 2008, 9:52 pm	#1
GJR 11L Heptode Join Date: May 2004 Location: Ellington, Northumberland, UK. Posts: 815	Brasso for wood! I'm not sure whether this has been put forward on the forum at some earlier time as a means of removing scuffs and making wooden cabinet parts nice and shiny once more, but I can't believe that I'm the only person to have done this: The Hacker RP75 MB that I just posted up in "Success Stories" had wooden end pieces that were frankly in a shocking state, their one saving grace being thet no large chunks were missing from them. So, by pure chance and the proximity of my pot of Brasso wadding, I tried the product on the wood, which was so far gone that only covering their surface with some sort of dye or even thin paint would have been a viable alternative. Long story short; it worked, rubbing the timber with the wadding and then, as when using it on anything else, polishing off with a soft duster, brought the wood up very well indeed. The little scratches and scrapes vanished, and are , two days after treatment, still not visible and the effect is very satisfactory. Try it, I did so because there was nothing to lose, but it really works! __________________ John.

22nd Jul 2008, 9:57 pm	#2
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,943	Re: Brasso for wood! A cutting compound such as T-Cut will have a similar effect. It's always worth trying something like this before doing anything more drastic. Paul

23rd Jul 2008, 5:51 pm	#3
chipp1968 Rest in Peace Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Somerset, UK. Posts: 2,356	Re: Brasso for wood! one word of caution . with these products that leave a white compound on drying , be aware of opend grain woods like oak. Its very difficult to remove it rom the grain.

24th Jul 2008, 1:20 am	#4
Darren-UK Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. Posts: 4,061	Re: Brasso for wood! I wondered about this too. Liquid Brasso certainly would do this but what about wadding? This is far less 'liquidy' than the former.

24th Jul 2008, 9:03 am	#5
dseymo1 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Shropshire, UK. Posts: 3,051	Re: Brasso for wood! I use Rustins Finish Reviver for this sort of thing. It's similar to Brasso or T-cut, being mildly abrasive, but is formulated for wood finishes, and gives excellent results with little effort. Any residue is water soluble and very easy to remove. It also works well on plastics, but caution is required - enthusiastic polishing can generate enough heat to melt the surface of some types, and the reviver can become trapped in the melted layer, causing staining.

24th Jul 2008, 12:12 pm	#6
GJR 11L Heptode Join Date: May 2004 Location: Ellington, Northumberland, UK. Posts: 815	Re: Brasso for wood! This was the wadding, and no white streaks are evident even now, another few days after I did the job. I don't think it would be any more likely to stain than Topps and is even more effective at hiding little scratches than that stuff. Here closer shots of the ends of the Super Sovereign that was treated with the wadding: Attached Thumbnails __________________ John.

24th Jul 2008, 5:50 pm	#7
mastermanx2001 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: London, UK. Posts: 366	Re: Brasso for wood! Sorry to butt in, how about Teak oil, I have found it do a wonderful job covering up scratches etc.

24th Jul 2008, 9:29 pm	#9
mastermanx2001 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: London, UK. Posts: 366	Re: Brasso for wood! I thought this topic was about scratches, wow it's like being back at school.

24th Jul 2008, 9:35 pm	#10
Brian R Pateman Nonode Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Lake District, Cumbria (CA20) - UK Posts: 2,136	Re: Brasso for wood! Actually the topic is "Brasso for wood." No mention of scratches, a subject on which there are many other threads. __________________ Brian