Best cleaning method for brass preserving pan?

[lottie dolly]

why not just do a little test run,boil a choped up lemon with a little sugar,in water,enough to cover the bottom,and see what,if any reaction you get,leave alone for aday or two,then make your choice according to what you see,

[shirlthegirl43]

That's a good idea - it is a bit bashed and battered so that would be a good way to test drive it I guess.

[lottie dolly]

That's a good idea - it is a bit bashed and battered so that would be a good way to test drive it I guess.

also it should clean out in the pitted bits as well,wonder what tales it would tell,if it could talk

[BrideXIII]

just a tip, if you do use anything acidic, make sure you give it a really really good wash after, as the acid actually makes it go green, i had brass elephants, and washed them after , but not well enough and the next day, the green was back worse

is it safe to ask what the devil you were doing to the brass elephants that involved , acid, washing after etc?

I am of course hoping you meant cleaning, but as it's you , the mind boggles!!!

[lynda66]

lol, i used vinegar ...... it's acidic ..... they needed a good clean

[BrideXIII]

lol, i used vinegar ...... it's acidic ..... they needed a good clean

phew!

yep, get all the acid off, i do wonder if using it makes matters worse in the long run, has anyone tried an abrasive, like autosolv? after all pans used to be scrubbed clean with silver sand back in the day, maybe it works better, and wouldn't taint anything you cooked in it afterwards.

for those using brass cookware, you might want to read this if you are using old pans.
http://text.goosebay-workshops.com/A...E-PLEASE-READ-

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks for that link Bride. I guess laquer and pot plants are the way to go for safety. I have few enough working brain cells as it is - don't want to risk them!!

Cheers folks.

Ho hum, wonder if I can persuade MIL to buy me a nice stainless steel maslin pan for my birthday?

[SarzWix]

Shirley, if you get it cleaned up, I can't see why you couldn't use it for sweet making? Isn't it traditional to use copper pans for fudge etc? And that wouldn't be acidic either.
Sela Sweets

Doesn't help for your jam/marmalade/chutneys though...
If your girls lay enough eggs, could you sell some and save up for a maslin pan?

[BrideXIII]

Shirley, if you get it cleaned up, I can't see why you couldn't use it for sweet making? Isn't it traditional to use copper pans for fudge etc? And that wouldn't be acidic either.
Sela Sweets

Doesn't help for your jam/marmalade/chutneys though...
If your girls lay enough eggs, could you sell some and save up for a maslin pan?

copper is ok, its brass thats the problem, verdigris is poisonous, and it seems, from what i have read that brass developes verdigris if its not lined with 'tinning'
copper is a different kettle of........verdigris i guess although these days, copper pans tend to be stainless steel, with copper annealed to the bottoms, this protects the food from taint, but utilises the heating properties of the copper.

no offence to anyone that has lovely old fashioned pans, but..........truly, science advances, why take a risk when those beautiful pans can still have a useful life as ornamental pieces? and its a good excuse to splash out on new pots?
i would like to pint out that i am NOT a pot snob, mine are inexpensive stainless steel with no copper bottoms (sadly) or non-stick in sight, can stand non-stick, i love to get down and dirty with a scourer

[Hilary B]

copper is ok, its brass thats the problem, verdigris is poisonous, and it seems, from what i have read that brass developes verdigris if its not lined with 'tinning'
copper is a different kettle of........verdigris i guess although these days, copper pans tend to be stainless steel, with copper annealed to the bottoms, this protects the food from taint, but utilises the heating properties of the copper.

no offence to anyone that has lovely old fashioned pans, but..........truly, science advances, why take a risk when those beautiful pans can still have a useful life as ornamental pieces? and its a good excuse to splash out on new pots?
i would like to pint out that i am NOT a pot snob, mine are inexpensive stainless steel with no copper bottoms (sadly) or non-stick in sight, can stand non-stick, i love to get down and dirty with a scourer

Brass IS mostly copper, and indeed 'pure' copper may be more susceptible than brass to verdigris. Jam thermometers do tend to be mounted on a brass 'backing', but it may well have a surface treatment we don't know about to protect it from any acid (and of course you don't use it until the sugar is added...).
I wouldn't cook fruit in an old brass pan (age may also make it 'go green' easier than when it was new). Making acid-free sweets might well be viable....

[Alison]

My family heirloom pan is the best thing ever and with it I've found that I can make jam far better than in the stainless steel one that I was using previously, no so called science advances will stop me using what is very reliable and basically fab! It's been used several times a year for longer than I've been born and not even a hint of a problem and I get a rather strange satisfaction from using something which used to belong to my great grandmother, then my grandmother, then my mum and now me.