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Verdigris

By Roger Gable posted 02-22-2016 13:52

  

About 6 months ago I used, as an experiment, a common chemical sold as "Break Cleaner"* on a set of Steinway flanges for cleaning verdigris. I removed the pinning and vigorously sprayed the flanges using the tube supplied with the can -- about 3 cans for 88 flanges. These flanges are still in good condition. Has anybody used this product with long term success?

* Sold at auto supply companies as break cleaner. The ingredients listed are: Methyl Chloroform 71-55--6, Tetrachloroethylene127-18-4

I believe this is commonly known as carbon tetrachloride.

Roger Gable

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David Nereson
07-08-2018 14:02

Did you mean 'brake cleaner'?  I couldn't figure out what you meant by 'break' until you said it was sold at auto supply stores.  Anyhow, I don' t think it's the same as carbon tetrachloride, which is highly toxic, but it may be similar.  I wouldn't recommend using carbon tet for everyday cleaning unless you always use nitrile gloves, respirator, etc.   I have heard of, and tried using a couple times, starting fluid, which does free up and sort of dissolve verdigris, but only temporarily.  Parts replacement is still the best solution. 
--David Nereson, RPT