Brick Cleaner

[Neill]

Hi I live in a house built in 1899 and have decided to open up the breakfast room fire place and put a gas stove in the fire place. I want to keep the bricks bare but there is a fair amount of coal tar stuck to these bricks. I've tried brick acid and a wire brush but this barely moves it. A wire wheel on a drill is very hard work and strips the top layer (glaze) off the bricks. Anyone know of anything which can be used to remove this hard tar from the bricks? Ashley

[John]

I think the best thing is to experiment with solvens, starting with turpentine/white spirit, and working up topaint stripper.

Once you have got the pitch off you can scrub them with Vulpex spirit soap, this comes from the museum type conservators suppliers, you will find several by doing a goole search fur Vulpex.

When the bricks are clean you can give them a thin coat of raw linseed oil, boiled oil goes on too thick and sticky! Or you can use a wax polish, or microcrystaline wax (Renissance wax from the conservators again) if you are rich.

1899 is a new house for some people.

John

[®ÖÐ]

Try Brick Acid