Blasting with walnut shell

[Six2Life]

Has anyone tried blasting the green verdigis off of chromed brass with walnut shell in a sandblaster? I don't have access to a blaster anymore but I do have a tumbler and some walnut shell. Maybe I'll give that a try and see how it works.

 

[SDAnderson]

I've used a rock tumbler in the past with poor results. If you have a lot of nooks and crannies (inlet tubes with built-in heat exchangers, etc.), the media (whatever media) can have a hard time reaching the tight spaces. My understanding is that walnut is hard enough to be tough on exposed brass, so be careful. I get better results from a mildly acidic bath; a 5% solution of food-grade phosphoric acid (think nursery/garden supply house with a hydroponics section...) will clean almost anything up, vinegar also works well, even Coke will do in a pinch.