Hotline: Serious Education ... plus the most fun you can have in metal finishing. Treating a copper birdbath Q. I loved my shiny copper birdbath. Mold had collected in the birdbath. I treated it with bleach. I must have left the bleach in too long. There are areas where my copper birdbath has turned green. Is there a way to get rid of it? And then, how would I treat it to prevent happening again? A. To remove tarnish try citric acid or better ammonium citrate solution (5%, pH 9). As clearcoat try Everbrite coating. A. Try this non-toxic method to clean copper cooking pots: Wet with white vinegar. Sprinkle with table salt. Rub with hand or soft cloth. Watch the copper renew. Rinse with clear water. Repeat if necessary until copper is refreshed.Although I appreciate JH's household ingredients method, and recognize that vinegar plus salt is easy on people, it's extremely aggressive to copper, and seems to always leave the copper very raw looking and salmon colored, not copper colored.

If you're unhappy with the look, you can use a brass & copper polish to turn it that warmer color again. My own experience is that Revere copper and stainless polish is strong enough to work very quickly on its own, while not so aggressive as to give that ugly raw look. There are endless clearcoats from the simple one that Goran suggested, to brass lacquers, to 2k automotive clearcoats. Revere copper cleaner(6 pack) Disclaimer: It is not possible to diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations may be deliberately harmful. If you need a product/service, please check these Directories: JobshopsCapital Equip. & Install'nChemicals & Consumables Consult'g, Train'g, SoftwareEnvironmental ComplianceTesting Svcs. & DevicesUsed & Surplus

©     -    Privacy    -    Search How Google uses data when you visit this site. How to Clean and Maintain a Birdbath in Your YardUsed Book Store Lancaster Ca A birdbath makes a great addition to your landscape, but the debris and algae they collect are far less than attractive. Air Cleaner For Mud TruckHere’s a tip for getting the bath clean and keeping it clean.Budget Blinds Photo Gallery Remove the leaves, debris and stagnant water. Spray out as much gunk as possible with a garden hose. Mix up a mild bleach solution and use a stiff scrub brush to clean the bath (this will kill the algae and remove the stains it leaves behind). Thoroughly rinse the bath out with clean, fresh water.

Finally drop several copper pennies into the refilled bath to prevent future algae growth (the chemical reaction between copper and water stops algae growth). How to Attach Holiday Lights and Decorations to Your Home Using Natural Cleaners in Your Home Pouring Concrete for the Kuppersmith Project Driveway(A Bird Bath or some source of water is key to attracting many birds.) When we owned and operated our wild bird specialty store, we heard this comment There isn't a concrete answer, but there are some things you must look for when shopping for baths or water sources. We have several water sources in our suburban yard. They are stationed at various locations and fit various needs. Your water source could be a plant saucer or an old pie pan. We have a shallow basin sitting on the ground in a wide open space. We also have several baths 2 to 3 feet off the ground positioned on their various They all have one thing in common.

All of them are in the open and within 10 to 12 Your bird bath and other water sources need to be placed in the open, yet near protection. There shouldn't be any foliage under or near your bath where cats and snakes can hide. Your water source should be within 10 feet of protection as well. Wet birds are slow birds and feel a tad bit safer when they can bathe and preen in the safety of a tree branch or nearby shrub. All but one of the bird baths are 2 inches deep or less. A true bird bath will be no deeper then 2 inches (songbirds can't swim). So smaller birds that jump in or may slip, wont drown. It happens all to often my friend, especially to juveniles that are not aware of their surroundings just yet. Still, there is a small brick in the middle just in case. All of our baths are made of concrete. They are heavy and less apt to get knocked over or break. All of them have a coarse surface for the birds to hang onto with out

A shinny glaze is the cause of several bird accidents. of stepping on wet ice when you aren't aware of it.) Whatever your choice, be sure it is something you can keep clean and Here are some basics to look for in your new bird bath. Your new bath should be no deeper then 2 inches. Look for a birdbath that has a coarse surface Stay away from shinny glazes, Your new bath should be of a neutral or earthy tone. can keep birds from enjoying your offerings and attract predators. Stay away from fancy designs, A bird bath is no place for cute. Cute is difficult to keep clean and requires deeper cleaning more often as debris and algae settles in the cracks and crevasses. Manufacturers and marketers are good. They want you to think and believe you need their products. Doctor up a picture with all sorts of birds hanging around their product. You might see a picture of a pretty bath and pedestal. That nice sunflower shaped birdbath.

What about that pretty one with the designs etched on the inside of the bowl. Designs on the pedestal and outside of the bowl is great. Keeping your bath clean shouldn't be a difficult task. Maintaining your birdbath and how often you clean it will of course, depend on the time of year and how much use it gets. I know in the spring and summer, there are days that keeping water in them can be a full time task. Then others days there is little use. It is so important to keep your water source clean. Birds do their thing on land or at sea and that includes your birdbath. This needs to be washed out daily and a bit of chlorine bleach doesn't Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water. By keeping your water fresh, this will never be an issue for you to be concerned with. Water wigglers help with water movement. Not only does this keep skeeters from being a problem in your birdbath, it is a known fact that moving water attracts more birds.

On those hot summer days, algae can spring up over night. to do here is put a couple caps full of chlorine bleach in the water at dusk. By the next morning, the chlorine has oxidized and no harm is done. Before the Roman Empire, civilizations knew that copper helped keep water clean so it isn't a knew idea. Copper will aid in slowing algae growth in your water sources. By no means is this a substitute for cleaning, but it does aid in those sudden algae spurts. I have found that 10 or more copper pennies dated pre 1982 (when pennies were all copper), does work in keeping algae down. Pennies can also be lost or sprayed out of the bath. Simply pick it up when cleaning and replace it. No picking up pennies and no worries about pennies and lawn mowers. I haven't tried Lavender sprigs, but I understand that is supposed to work. Who has Lavender ready all the time and I would think that birds splashing and water damage to the plant material would make a mess.

I will have to try it some time. Remember, there is no substitute for a good cleaning. Birds and wildlife need water in the cold of winter as well. is a day to day proposition. Offering water can help them to survive. Eating snow drops the body temperature and more energy is used to bring it back up. Energy needed to survive a cold night. During the cold winter months, a heater is often needed to keep your water open for Look for a heater that is thermostatically controlled so it only runs A well designed heater will come with a 3 or 4 year guarantee, keep your bath open in subzero temps. and turn off when temperatures are above 40 degrees. The Nelson heater (pictured)and other well manufactured heaters come with thermostat and guarantee. Solar Sippers are great if your temperatures remain above 20 degrees and you get enough sunshine for solar energy. If not, stick with a good reliable heater. If you don't use a heater, then make sure you empty your bath and store

it or place it upside down outside. Ceramics, clays and even your concrete bird bath will crack and often split from the ice expanding. Now I know you don't want to buy a new one every spring. By maintaining and taking care of your bird bath, you can have many years of good use from it. You may have purchased a bird bath a few years ago and now it looks a bit worse for wear. Paint has faded and peeled away. Weather extremes have that effect, but there is help. Manufacturers use oil based paint (I've talked to a few companies) when they paint their products and you can too. Oils and other things evaporate as the paint dries so there shouldn't be any worries for your feathered bathers. If you are worried, use pool paint or a quality "Acrylic Latex based paint." If you just purchased a plain concrete bath, you can paint it with any of these products. To help keep your bath healthy, you may want to place it on a cement slab or patio bricks.