Brass Hinge Corrosion

[sacmore21]

On my humidor, I noticed that one of the brass hinges had some type of green corrosion on it. Has anybody ever had this problem? What would cause it? What is the best way to clean it? A majority of it came off when I wiped at it, but not all of it. Thanks for the help.

[Wharf Rat]

Brass is mostly copper, which can corrode to a greenish powder. Check some old pennies. To avoid this, keep the brass dry and away from corrosive agents such as salt. Do you perhaps live near salt water?

Commercial metal cleaner such Brasso or Barkeeper's friend should remove it. Be careful not to mar the wood finish nearby.

Bob

[PipesandGOP]

Brasso and an old rag can work wonders

[sacmore21]

Actually, I don't live near the ocean, although that is an interesting observation. I thought about using Brasso. However, will it make the humidor smell?

[sacmore21]

I was hoping that others had some additional thoughts?

[e-man]

Most brass fixtures (faucets, door knobs, lamps, ceiling fans, towle racks, etc) have some type of clear coat to prevent tarnishing.

You can coat them with polyurethane, varnish or clear fingernail polish. Just make sure not to glue them together. Wait until they don't smell before closing them up in your humidor.

You could also have them electroplated with nickel.

[d_day]

Ahh, you've got verdigris. Nasty stuff. Clean it up as soon as you can. You don't want to let that stuff get out of hand. As stated above, you can use brasso, just don't get it on the wood. You may actually consider removing the hinges, placing the lid to your humidor back on top of it, and then cleaning them up. This will help you avoid getting brasso on your wood, and gives you the option of waiting long enough for any smells to go away.