Apply a layer to your brass and leave it on for an hour. Ketchup, tomato paste, and tomato sauce all work equally well. When you wondered how to clean brass, you probably didn’t think ketchup would be involved, but-surprise-it is! Tomatoes contain an acid that helps to remove tarnish on brass and other metals that’s why applying a tomato-based product can work wonders on brass. Your ingredients will be all-natural, but fair warning: Hartman says, “The procedure is the same, but it takes a lot more elbow grease.” Here, four tried-and-true DIY cleaning solutions.Ĥ. You probably have everything you need to make your own brass polish in your kitchen. Of course, you don’t have to buy your brass polish. Though Hartman rubs in polish with very fine steel wool, she warns that you should never use anything thicker than grade 00 steel wool to avoid scratching the surface. Blue Magic is great for getting rid of tarnish and oxidation and works well on brass jewelry, the rim of a watch face, or a vintage tea set. Twinkle Brass & Copper Cleaning Kit actually has an anti-tarnish ingredient that extends the treatment, making it ideal for outdoor pieces. Bar Keepers Friend tackles both rust and tarnish on brass pieces. Brasso is great for to bring back shine to door knobs and locks. Our experts recommend some great store-bought cleaners to bring your brass back to its original luster in a jiffy. To remove discoloration, use a cleaning product specifically designed for brass, like Wright’s Brass Polish. Grab a soft cleaning cloth-Sorenson prefers a knit-cotton material, like an old undershirt-and buff away. For a more neglected piece, store-bought brass cleaners will get your brass polished in a jiffy. If your brass isn’t too grimy, this might be all you need for a refresh. “Too often I see what would be a wonderfully patinated item significantly degraded by a bad decision to restore it to a like-new state.” “Oftentimes it’s best to forgo the polishing process altogether,” he says, noting that polishing antiques could significantly reduce their value. How do you clean badly tarnished brass?īefore you roll up your sleeves to clean brass, consider this: Sometimes the beauty of an antique brass object is its tarnish, in which case Sorenson recommends leaving it alone. Whether you’ve inherited brass jewelry, picked up a vintage lamp, or just replaced your cabinet pulls, this cleaning guide is sure to make your brass badass. Here, they reveal their favorite brass cleaners, how to make a DIY brass polish, and other key insights on cleaning brass. This has worked for me over the years.AD turned to experts for the best tips on caring for brass: Teri Hartman, manager of Liz’s Antique Hardware in Los Angeles, and Carl Sorenson, founder of Nanz, a New York company that produces custom-made solid-brass hardware. Wear rubber gloves as you do not want oil from your fingers to touch the clean box before fuming. I then usually wax them with car wheel wax or a hard paste wax.īy the way wash the box and lid with either liquid soap and water, or acetone before you begin. When you are satisfied, remove the items, rinse them and dry them. I then close the container (usually an old Tupperware container, or plastic Cool Whip container and let the ammonia do it’s work. You do not want the box and lid to touch the ammonia. I then place the foam in the container, place the box and lid upside down on the pins, soak a folded paper towel, or cotton balls with ammonia and place it at the other end of the container away from the box and lid. I post straight pins through the foam to form a square, where the points of the pins will fit the inside of the box and lid. Since you cannot suspend the Okito box above the ammonia, I take a piece of dense foam. This method is slower than the commercial solution but provides a higher level of control. To hasten the process, place the ammonia and metal in a covered jar or place it in a glass bowl covered with aluminum foil, which intensifies the fumes. Suspend the metal above a bowl or pot of ammonia, watch it darken and remove it when the desired level of darkening is achieved. FumingĪnother way to darken brass is through exposure to ammonia fumes.
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