Cleaning copper pipe

[PaulStat]

Hi All,

I have some old copper pipe that used to connect up to a radiator, obviously it's in quite a state with clumpy blobs of white paint dried to the outside and the inside of it looks pretty manky.

In order to save some money from buying brand new pipe (gardener haskins don't do a pipe cutting service due to 'health and safety' I'd have to buy 3m of pipe!!!), how can I clean it up so it looks brand spanking new. Preferably with house hold items so I don't have to buy anything (yes I am THAT skint).

Thanks,
Paul

[Gazzababbo]

knock the paint off and either;

1) uses steel wool if you have some to polish it

or

2) cover it in brown sauce and leave for a bit then polish it up.

[PaulStat]

knock the paint off and either;

1) uses steel wool if you have some to polish it

or

2) cover it in brown sauce and leave for a bit then polish it up.

How about the inside of the pipe?

Brown sauce? lol

[borischarlton]

Scrape the paint off with a blade of some sort, perhaps a chisel?? It should come off really easy. Then polish with wire wool or what I call a greenie, one of those washing up things.
Rob

[borischarlton]

I know we like things shiney, but the inside of a pipe is surely taking it to far. I would just pour sanitiser down it.
Rob

[Gazzababbo]

How long is the section you want to use and how much brown sauce can you lay your hands on?

If it's inside the pipe you want to clean, put a bung in one end (of the pipe ) and try and put a lemon juice or vinegar solution down it an leave it. After a few hours remove the bung and it's just a matter of pushing a bottle brush or twisted rag through the thing repeatedly.

I would guess the brown sauce works because it also has acids in it (vinegar being one) and the viscosity of the HP (or whatever) just helps the sauce stick to the surface of the copper and keep the acid in contact with it.

[PaulStat]

I know we like things shiney, but the inside of a pipe is surely taking it to far. I would just pour sanitiser down it.
Rob

Yeah but have you seen the crap that comes out of radiators, I want it to be nice and clean

[PaulStat]

How long is the section you want to use

Errr probably 10cm ish, well more but I won't be using it all

how much brown sauce can you lay your hands on?

lol it's not every day I get asked that question!! Umm I doubt I actually have any due to not liking the stuff, Heinz ketchup do?

[borischarlton]

For just a small section I would make a week vinegar solution and boil it for a while, it will come out like new.
Rob

[Blackaddler]

Hi All,

I have some old copper pipe that used to connect up to a radiator, obviously it's in quite a state with clumpy blobs of white paint dried to the outside and the inside of it looks pretty manky.

In order to save some money from buying brand new pipe (gardener haskins don't do a pipe cutting service due to 'health and safety' I'd have to buy 3m of pipe!!!), how can I clean it up so it looks brand spanking new. Preferably with house hold items so I don't have to buy anything (yes I am THAT skint).

Thanks,
Paul

Don't bother with brown sauce, it doesn't work too well.

Nip down to Tesco and get a "Value" pint bottle of vinegar. Cheap as chips. [You can use it on them too, if you have some left.]

Lay the pipe in a bowl, and immerse it in the vinegar.

If you have any Spirit of Salts lying around, this will clean copper very quickly. It is a strong acid and rather dangerous, so cover up, and wear goggles and gloves.

Paint can be removed with sandpaper or wire brush.

[Dr. Dextrin]

Having just refurbished a bathroom, I've had the opportunity to clean up a lot of copper to make bits for brewing recently. Vinegar is your friend, but with big bits of copper you can use up a lot of vinegar trying to immerse them. However it also works if diluted - you just have to leave it for longer. If you're only interested in cleaning the outside, a bit of fine sandpaper (or emery) is pretty effective and much quicker than vinegar.

I've also cleaned up shortish lengths of pipe on the inside by passing a round file through them. I guess you could also wrap a bit of sandpaper around a stick.

[WishboneBrewery]

For general cleaning, Paul sells these http://www.barleybottom.com/menu/product/&ID=209 which fit inside 15-22mm copper pipe. Very handy brush

[Subsonic]

I would just chuck it in the fire. I do this for all my stainless steel scrubbers then use the dishwasher. For the copper pipe do the same (watch the fumes from the paint) then brush the paint off when cold. The calcium may go to calcium oxide I guess which acid will remove either way. Subsonic

[WishboneBrewery]

I guess you could also wrap a bit of sandpaper around a stick.

You could always tie a piece of green Pan scrub (Scotch brite) to a piece of string and pull it back and forth inside your copper pipe.

[CJBrew]

Well you could do all or any of these things or you could just go to Homebase and buy a 2m length of copper pipe for a fiver, then you'll have some spare kicking around for next time you want to make some kind of siphon or tubing or whatnot