If you have new steel lines (what they sell in the
racks in your auto parts supply store), you should be
able to use some fine steel wool (#000+, but you will
get a lot of steel wool 'fluff' all over the area if
you try to do it while they're on the car. And I would
worry about getting little metal fibers into
electrical and moving parts). A very fine 600+ grit
sand paper will probably work too.
I would stay away from the wire wheel as the high rpms
can remove a great deal of material very fast, and the
rapid ossilating motion of the wheel would just make
it uneven. Also, the lines themselves are long and the
surface area is stretched pencil thin along a large
distance, and wire wheels are better for small,
semi-flat patches. A wheel would be annoying to use.
The old brake lines used to be copper, I believe. So
you could try some copper cleaner (tarn-x, brass-o,
maguiars etc) or your mother's trick of vinegar and
salt with an abrasive kitchen pad (stinks but it works
-Heloise).
The problem with copper is that unless you are in a
super humid free area, they will corrode again within
a couple of weeks, and many repetitious applications
of abbrasives can quickly reduce the wall thickness of
the lines, which could promote a burst. Not to mention
you will quickly go mad trying to keep them clean. The
good thing about copper is that the oxidation doesn't
schluff-off like on most steels, and this layer of
corrosion actually inhibits the continuing oxidation
of the copper to an extent.
-Terry
'76 Spitfire 1500-MkI
http://www.firespitter.com
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