How to polish bronze sea strainers

As long as you can open for the strainer and open and close the seacock handle you look good to me.

Been around forever. If it ain't broke.....

Taco Bell hot sauce works too.

Make a paste with vinegar, salt, and flour. Apply it to the bronze strainer with a brush and let sit overnight. Clean with a wire brush and freshwater, coat with Corrosion X. Spray Corrosion X on it occasionally and you will not have to clean it again. Never have liked that patina green bronze appearance, even though it usually is not a problem.

Anything vinegar based will do it too, from a spray bottle or even ketchup, jk on the ketchup, but it would work too.

And good old fashioned TarnX. https://clrbrands.com/Products/CLR-Household/Tarn-X-Tarnish-Remover

Bronze is an excellent metal that may be polished to be super shiny, resembling brass.

These parts were abrasively polished, using woven pad wheels and discs using either a straight air grinder or a right angle air grinder.

On my boat I kept some parts bare and highly polished. Other parts were painted with Pettit 6455/044 Metal Primer, then Interlux 2000E Barrier Coat Primer, then Rustoleum Professional High Performance Aerosol Spray Paint.

The painted parts have retained a glossy plastic appearance for well over a decade.

When my father-in-law was in the Navy he was assigned the duty to care for the brass. He painted it gray. Wasn't appreciated. lol. On a serious note, when cleaning up these strainers be careful not to damage seals.

Here is a part painted w/ the metal primer.

Here are some bare polished parts.

Here are some more parts that were changed from rough casting exterior to highly polished.

Just a heads up. This is a very dangerous and unhealthy practice. You need to get out of that engine room as quickly as possible.

And get into mine.

Amazing the Capt wasn't killed.

Holy smokes! How effective was the cleaner? (too soon?)