Brasso
Encyclopedia
History
Brasso has been in use for over 100 years, and originated in Britain in 1905. In 1904 Reckitt and Sons' senior traveller, W.H. Slack, visited the company's AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n branch, where he discovered such a product in use. Samples from Australian and US producers were then analysed by Reckitt's chemists, and by 1905 liquid polish under the trademark "Brasso" was being sold, initially to railways, hospitals, hotels, and large shops.
The polish grew in popularity in Britain, eventually replacing the previous paste-style polishes. It has undergone very few changes in both composition and package design over the past century. Cans are often collected as a typical example of classic British advertising design.
In the U.S., the current Brasso product is not the same as the legacy product. The manufacturer, Reckitt Benckiser, has not produced the impregnated wadding version of the product for many years. The formula changed in 2008 to comply with U.S. volatile organic compound
Volatile organic compound
Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and...
s law, and the metal bottle became plastic.
In 2010, Brasso brought out a new product, Brasso Gadgetcare. Gadgetcare is a versatile, non-abrasive gel that can be used on everything from LCD TV screens, laptop screens, computers, smart phones, PSPs, PDAs, iPads, iPods and iPhones. The plastic bottle is 50ml and is sold with a microfibre cloth.
Ingredients
The label of Australian Brasso lists "Liquid Hydrocarbons 630g/L; Ammonia 5g/L", whereas the Material Safety Data SheetMaterial safety data sheet
A Material Safety Data Sheet is a form with data regarding the properties of a particular substance....
for Brasso in North America lists: isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is a common name for a chemical compound with the molecular formula C3H8O. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor...
3-5%, ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
5-10%, silica powder 15-20% and oxalic acid
Oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is an organic compound with the formula H2C2O4. This colourless solid is a dicarboxylic acid. In terms of acid strength, it is about 3,000 times stronger than acetic acid. Oxalic acid is a reducing agent and its conjugate base, known as oxalate , is a chelating agent for metal cations...
0-3% as the ingredients.
Other applications
Brasso can also be used to polish out scratches in plastics:- It is used to polish CDs, DVDs, screens, and pools in order to repair scratches. It is a mild solvent and an extremely fine abrasive, so when applied to the reflective surface of the disc and rubbed radially (in straight lines between the edge and center), it can smooth scratches and reduce their effect.
- Brasso can also be used on Lego minifigures to remove markings.
- Brasso has also been used by watch enthusiasts to polish scratches out of acrylic crystals on watches.
Brasso is used by Australian Defence Force personnel as well as Australian Army Cadets to polish brass parts of the ceremonial belt, and also polish parts of the drill cane. Brasso is widely used by US Armed Forces personnel to take scratches out of brass fittings, particularly brass belt buckles.
Brasso can be successfully used to take minor (white) heat marks out of French polished
French polish
French polishing is a wood finishing technique that results in a very high gloss surface, with a deep colour and chatoyancy. French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in alcohol using a rubbing pad lubricated with oil...
wooden surfaces. The fine abrasive cuts through the surface and allows the solvent into the wax and lacquer layer. The surface should be properly cleaned, waxed and shiny after this treatment.