Vintage Double Hose

Hi,
I need some help in cleaning cans of a US Diver's regulator.
It has rivets to hold the label on and I don't want to use a ultrasonic cleaner on it in fear of loseing the paint on the label.
enclosed is a picture of thr regulator.

perhaps some form of a metal polish, something like Flitz?

Yeah, don't screw up that label - Ultrasonic might start to loosen the old paint. I would keep the label original, and not repaint it on a collectible like a Broxton. Maybe a little Carnuba wax gently applied to clean up and protect it.

I wonder if anyone has ever tried covering a label with something like a thick coat Vaseline to protect it during short dips in the Ultrasonic? You would have to watch closely to pull from the solution if the covering was going away. I wouldn't do this without a test run on something of lesser value!

Also, you might try Barkeepers' Friend ( a powdered product in a shaker can) on the other metal parts. Damp powder gently rubbed on the metal works pretty nice on some stuff.

I use a brass bristled brush for most cleaning, followed by a warm bath in dishsoap.

I'd probably opt for Dawn and HOT water for the general cleaning. If you dip/soak the horns in rubbing alcohol that should loosen the crusty rubber. By all means save that label. Nice reg!

On rivet label regulators I spot treat saltwater corrosion with white vinegar on makeup pads or Q-tips then scrub the spot with a nylon brush till the corrosion is gone. This usually requires several rinse, check, repeat steps. Once the saltwater corrosion is gone I remove all the large chunks of duckbill or hose with a flat brass tool or hardwood stick. When all the large pieces are gone I take a shot glass full of denatured alcohol and immerse the horn in it letting it soak for a few hours. Every so often take it out and with a coarse rag twist it up inside the horn and turn it around a few times. Do the same for the outside (similar to sanding a copper pipe before soldering) put it back in the denatured alcohol and let it soak again. Repeat till it's all removed and rinse thoroughly with water.
Next take the nylon brush and some dawn or other dishwashing soap and start scrubbing. Rinse.....Scrub again.....Rinse thoroughly and towel dry. Next get some wadding polish (see picture) and with a lot of elbow grease polish out all the remaining stains and dirt. DO NOT POLISH THE LABEL. Wadding compound is kinda oily so you will need to wash with dawn and scrub it a few times and dry again to see your progress. May take a couple of times with the wadding compound to get it where you want it. Finally give it a good scrub again with the brush, soap and water and let dry.
Don't get in a hurry and don't put harsh chemicals on the label. Not saying this is the best way or the only way but it works for me.

Bryan - Any reason that wadding polish (Nevr-Dull) wouldn't also work on a dull/satin chrome (nickel?) finish like that on a Mistral? I think it's the same finish as on the Broxton shown above but I thought I would check. While the label on the Mistral can be removed prior to cleaning obviously, I was just wondering if the polish wouldn't also give a little extra clean-up/shine to the old finish. I imagine this would be fine but metal polishing is not an area of expertise for me. Thanks.

Bryan wrote:On rivet label regulators I spot treat saltwater corrosion with white vinegar on makeup pads or Q-tips then scrub the spot with a nylon brush till the corrosion is gone. This usually requires several rinse, check, repeat steps. Once the saltwater corrosion is gone I remove all the large chunks of duckbill or hose with a flat brass tool or hardwood stick. When all the large pieces are gone I take a shot glass full of denatured alcohol and immerse the horn in it letting it soak for a few hours. Every so often take it out and with a coarse rag twist it up inside the horn and turn it around a few times. Do the same for the outside (similar to sanding a copper pipe before soldering) put it back in the denatured alcohol and let it soak again. Repeat till it's all removed and rinse thoroughly with water.
Next take the nylon brush and some dawn or other dishwashing soap and start scrubbing. Rinse.....Scrub again.....Rinse thoroughly and towel dry. Next get some wadding polish (see picture) and with a lot of elbow grease polish out all the remaining stains and dirt. DO NOT POLISH THE LABEL. Wadding compound is kinda oily so you will need to wash with dawn and scrub it a few times and dry again to see your progress. May take a couple of times with the wadding compound to get it where you want it. Finally give it a good scrub again with the brush, soap and water and let dry.
Don't get in a hurry and don't put harsh chemicals on the label. Not saying this is the best way or the only way but it works for me.

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I'm not an expert on metal polishing. I have used the never dull product on just about everything metal. US Divers cans are SATIN finish or SHINY finish, model is irrelevant to cleaning.

Simple green and a wadded up piece of aluminum foil as a scrubber can do wonders too.

I was told to use fine steel wool with a good chrome and rust remover like " QUICK - GLO ", recordmened by Jay Leno on his car show on You Tube. Does anyone make these rivets ? Maybe remove the name plate and reinstall with new rivets.

Learn something new every day....I had no idea Jay Leno serviced and restored double hose regulators.

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Bryan wrote:Learn something new every day....I had no idea Jay Leno serviced and restored double hose regulators.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

Nevery said he did.

I would like to thank all those who helped with thier suggestions.

Bill
dead dog