Cleaning large copper pot

Gers

I'm hoping someone can help me with this problem.

We've got a very large copper vessel (see post 20 on this thread for the photo) and I'm trying to clean it.

I've done the lemon juice and salt thing, the vinegar and bicarb thing and the ketchup thing too - nothing really shifts the muck and it takes so long to do one small patch.

Do I just leave it to look weathered?
Is there anything which makes the cleaning easier?
Are there professional companies which do this kind of thing?

Thanks

Grenage

When I need to clean up copper pipes before soldering, wire wool has always worked a treat.

maninthestreet

Metal polish and elbow grease??

suki1964

Me mum has one as large an was just as filthy

She just sat with the pot on her lap whilst watching tv ( protected with an old towel ) and work away with the lemon and salt. Took her a week but got there in the end ( she's 78 and has arthritis in her hands)

Ebe_Scrooge

Gers wrote: »

Do I just leave it to look weathered?
Thanks

That's certainly an option, but it's really down to personal preference. Some folk like the "distressed" look, some don't.


If you do want to clean it, I'd be tempted to start with a fine-ish grade of wire wool - coarse enough to shift the worst of the muck, but not so coarse that it leaves deep scratches. Once you've got the worst of it off, Duraglit and plenty of elbow grease. It'll be pretty time-consuming, but it should give pretty good results by the end.

DigForVictory

Once you do get up to glossy finish, add a layer of Renaissance Wax - that stuff is not cheap but ye gods you will have to abuse the pot vilely over decades to let it get that bad again.

Plus once you get used to not having to polish things, it's Wonderful.

Says she, who bought the tiny tubs (65g) for years before discovering you could buy it in large (200g) & vast (3 litre) amounts.

imho

I use hair spray after cleaning brass.

Norman_Castle

http://www.wilko.com/car-cleaning/wilko-auto-metal-polish-tube-75g/invt/0343727

dirty_magic

I've been reading reviews of barkeepers friend lately and apparently it's good for cleaning copper pots. It better be worth the hype, everyone says how good it is!

MX5huggy

That's a big pot! I think you need some mechanical assistance. A polishing machine or a polishing mop for an electric drill. A dremmel on the tricky bits.

Gers

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

If you do want to clean it, I'd be tempted to start with a fine-ish grade of wire wool - coarse enough to shift the worst of the muck, but not so coarse that it leaves deep scratches. Once you've got the worst of it off, Duraglit and plenty of elbow grease. It'll be pretty time-consuming, but it should give pretty good results by the end.

I bought some wire wool - fine grade and did five minutes work this morning and this happened ...



...so I think it's going to work, many thanks. It'll still be a slog to do it all but at least I know it'll be worth it.

DigForVictory - thanks for your suggestion too, I'll get some of that to protect the surface.

It may be work for long dark cold winter nights but I may get too impatient to wait so long.

Thanks for all your advice folks.