[quote]On 2012-05-16 14:04, lint wrote:
Don't be afraid to at least strip and polish them. it is simple and then at least they will tarnish evenly as they are used. I would be sure not to strip the grey paint on the inside (if it is present) as that is near as good as a p&l hallmark.

todd

What would you suggest using to strip them with?

As I said above, if they are lacquered, then use a lacquer thinner-- it will come right off. If that doesn't work then they have a chemically hardened or baked finish (like magipoxy). If that's the case use a stripper that contains methylene chloride--sold in hardware stores and auto part stores as "Aircraft Stripper". That will remove it all. Then re-polish. It's quite easy.

P&L put grey paint on the inside of sets of cups?

Yes sir. I am sure Bill can fill you in on the time frame they did that. I have a set. silvery/grey painted interiors.

Thanks Todd, I found two photos of P&L cups that are copper with silver interiors in the museum. Very cool. I didn't know they did that.

The artisan that can give you a high quality lacquer finish is a silversmith. It is the kind of thing they have to do for brass pieces and such. I believe they heat the lacquer to help it flow. (A trick you can do with any rattle can spray to help the material flow.)

You have to be very careful heating lacquer or anything else that is volatile. Things in spray cans can be extremely dangerous to heat as well. Just get the can up to about body temperature. Read the instructions on the label. They will tell you the best operating temperature range.

Modern lacquers are not the same as the old nitrocellulose lacquers that were used in the 20th century. You can get nitrocellulose lacquer in spray cans from wood specialty shops and from guitar making supply shops.

There are instructions here and there in this forum that tell you how to clean and polish cups. Copper is not difficult to polish. Remove the lacquer with lacquer thinner or paint remover. Read the label to determine whether a particular paint remover will remove lacquer.

IMPORTANT!!!!! Work in a well-ventilated area and wear rubber or nitrile gloves to keep from getting the stuff on your skin. It can cause cancer. Once you have removed the lacquer, then polish the surface. If the surface is extremely rough in one or more places, You might want to use fine steel wool to remove the bulk of the rough area. Then use finer polishes to make it shiny. Avoid using power tools if you possibly can, because they can pull the cup out of your hand and throw it against various and sundry objects in your vicinity.

If you must use power equipment, you can start the polishing process with a polishing compound called "Tripoli." Be very careful with this, because it can take off a LOT of metal. Get the surface smooth, then use jeweler's rouge to finish it off.

Wash and clean the surfaces several times to get rid of all the oils and grease that the cups have accumulated.

If you spray the cups, use a large corrugated cardboard box as a makeshift spray booth to keep dust and debris off the wet lacquer.

If you know a band director at your local school, see who he sends brass instruments to for purposes of repair. They can do all of this much more quickly and much better than you probably can. They have the right stuff. And they have experience.

Hey Bill Palmer, the reason you did not see this post is because it originated in another forum, and when I finally seen the cup I knew your advice would be best. So I had the Café staff move this question to this forum for your expert advice. I don't think I was wrong on that advice.

Hey Wm. Hegbli -- thanks! I kinda figured that it had come from elsewhere once I got further down into the thread.

Hey Bill.

Your cautions are correct. I my work I heat the cans by running them under the hot water tap. Quite necessary if the cans have been out in the van overnight in the winter.

That is not a bad idea. BTW, the lacquer and the surface you are lacquering should be the same temperature. The biggest problem we have here in Houston is high humidity. It tends to cause the lacquer to blush.

Gentlemen.
Thanks so much for your expertise. I've attached a picture of the inside of the cup. Maybe this will give you a better idea of what they are actually made of? I can send another of the outside as well...
Thank you in advance!
Newman

Click here to view attached image.

It appears that the interiors are plated with tin in the manner of copper and brass cookware. I suppose you could drink out of them if you wished!

So they are solid copper?

If you had read the previous posts, you would realize that these are enameled on the inside. My very first set of "serious" cups was a set of copper P&L cups just like these. The interiors were painted with silver or grey enamel, kind of a matte finish. It was probably lead-based, because lead-based paint was used during the years P&L was in business.

I have several sets of these. All of the copper ones have this same finish. I have a gold-plated set that belonged to Johnny Platt that has gold paint on the inside.

Only a fool would drink out of these, due to the risk of lead poisoning and other problems.

You could see these in my museum, http://www.cupsandballsmuseum.com, if the museum were still accepting applications for entry. Unfortunately, the options for free entry are now closed.

And, yes, NN. They are solid copper. Or at least a solid copper alloy.

Bill,
Thanks so much! This was honestly my first set of cups I have ever purchased. So I don't know much about them so sorry for all the inquiries. I had waited a while because I wanted a set that was both function-able / useable and were at the same time a treasure. Would you mind PMing me a password for your page? I'd really love to check out the museum.
Thanks so much again
NN