How to restore copper surfaces to mirror shine without toxic acid and grinding

Despite copper’s strength and versatility, its unique aesthetic qualities can easily be reduced and its iconic shine dulled by harsh industrial cleaning chemicals and improper cleaning techniques.

At Reba Scientific we are dedicated to copper surface restoration without toxic acid so your copper tanks, machinery and systems maintain their original beauty. We have a team of expert chemical engineers and copper specialists who can restore your tarnished copper to its original mirror-like lustre with our copper tank cleaning and polish services.

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Our chemical engineers create and source innovative cleaning solutions, including copper surface polish, made from safe chemicals. Our products are so safe that they don’t require any special storage. Most importantly, we maximise the safety of your employees and your clients with our non-toxic solutions.

We also offer managed maintenance solutions across Australia and New Zealand, including copper coating to keep your equipment free from imperfections long after we restore your copper to its original lustre. With our cleaning and coating services, you can ensure that your copper tanks and containers stay polished and impressive for your customers, especially when kept in public spaces like pubs, restaurants, and craft distillation houses.

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Passivation service with ASTM A967 protocol

Save money, keep your employees safe and take care of the environment with Reba Scientific’s passivation procedures.

We are the passivation experts; our team of experienced chemical engineers and metallurgists offer a wide range of solutions for metal surface treatment, and we are committed to tank passivation without toxic chemicals. All our solutions are safe and effective, using plant-based products and tried and tested techniques that ensure your metals aren’t harmed during the process.

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Stainless Steel Passivation Process
What is passivation?

Stainless steel is an industry favourite, prized for its resistance to corrosion, even in high-moisture environments. The reason that stainless steel resists corrosion is that it has an ultra-thin chromium-rich layer on its surface, also known as the passive layer. This film leaves the surface of stainless steel electrochemically passive even in environments known for causing corrosion.

For stainless steel to develop the passive layer that protects it from oxidation and corrosion, it must undergo passivation. Passivation is a process that begins immediately after the removal of surface contaminants and can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to complete.

Sometimes the passive layer fails to form or damaged. When this happens, the steel loses its corrosion resistance, which is when stainless steel can rust.

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Why passivation with citric acid?

Passivation is often done with nitric acid, which is extremely hazardous, both to your employees and the environment while costing companies more in insurance and strict regulatory compliance.

At Reba Scientific, we offer citric acid passivation as a solution. This has many benefits, the most significant being that it is much safer than nitric acid and more environmentally friendly as well. Citric acid is on the FDA’s list of Generally Recognized as Safe materials, meaning it is not harmful to people when it is handled following proper procedures.

Once we finish the stainless cleaning and passivation process, we conduct a copper sulfate test to analyse how effective the passivation is against corrosive conditions.

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What we offer

At Reba, we offer a turnkey passivation bath program; we set up citric acid passivation bath tanks and offer passivated stainless steel beer brewing equipment as well.

We are proud to offer our services to a wide range of industries including:

  • Breweries – distillery and beer tank passivation
  • Wineries – wine tank passivation
  • Dairy – pasteuriser and homogeniser passivation
  • Pharmaceutical – batch tanks, pharmaceutical mixers and vessels passivation
  • And many more!
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How to remove tea staining on stainless steel

Tea staining happens when the surface of stainless steel becomes discoloured due to corrosion. One of the most common places for it to occur is near the sea. Tea staining can happen up to five kilometres from a beach with high levels of surf, or up to one kilometre from a beach with calm waters. Both wind and weather conditions play a decisive role in the extent of tea staining, and in some cases, it can occur up to 20 kilometres from the coast. The most important factor is proximity to a salt source; the shorter the distance, the more likely the chances of corrosion.

In addition to areas that are close to the sea, subtropical and high humidity climates also have a higher risk of contributing to tea staining.

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Tea staining and stainless steel

Stainless steel is a low maintenance material but it is not generally maintenance free. The best way to prevent and eliminate tea stains on stainless steel is with regular washing and tea stain removal without toxic acid. Applying waxes after cleaning can also temporarily protect surfaces from corrosion, but regular application is necessary to be effective.

At Reba Scientific, we use non-toxic solutions for stain removal from stainless steel as well as to protect it from future staining.

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Five things to know before coating copper tanks with lacquer

At Reba Scientific, we work with countless breweries and distilleries to help them keep their copper tanks spotless. Copper tanks are at risk for corrosion and staining, especially when exposed to humidity, sunlight, abrasion, air pollution and even touching.

One of the best solutions to protect your copper tanks so they can keep their iconic lustre is the right tank coating services. The copper surface lacquer coating process is no easy task and requires years of experience and expert knowledge to do it correctly. There are five things in particular that you need to know before any copper coating process:

  • Types of copper– The type of copper used in your brewery tanks will help determine what kind of lacquer we use.
  • Types of lacquer – It’s essential to know which lacquers are explicitly designed for use with copper. You must also consider tarnish inhibitors and the humidity and pollution levels of the environment your tanks are in.
  • Room preparation – Make sure the area where you will apply the lacquer is maintained with extremely low levels of particulates, such as dust, airborne organisms, etc.
  • Surface preparation – Copper must be thoroughly cleaned (with the right solutions) before application of lacquer.
  • Application – Applying lacquer is a complicated process that requires extensive training to do correctly.
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