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Cleaning brass

Sometimes hardware should be replaced

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. It will naturally oxidize (tarnish) quickly when exposed to air, which is why most brass is given a clear coating of lacquer to prevent this condition. Most conventional polishes such as "Brasso®," "Twinkle®," etc. coat the raw metal with a thin film of oil to help inhibit future tarnishing. Additionally, most metal polishes contain solvents and detergents to remove the tarnish, mild abrasives to polish the metal, and oils to act as a barrier between the raw metal and air.

Brass turns "black" when cleaning due to over-use and misuse of polish. The biggest challenge to the upkeep of most metals, including brass, is the removal and inhibition of tarnish. All substances, especially metals, oxidize when exposed to air. Once tarnish is removed, a chemical barrier should be created between the bare metal and the air to inhibit the process from re-occurring.

Many people over-use polishes believing they are protecting the surface. The more polish, the more protection. Wrong assumption. More polish creates a smudging problem since fingerprints (human body oils) "dissolve" the solvency of the metal polish. Additionally, too much polish may discolor the surface. Only a trace amount creating a thin film should be applied. Therefore, an adequate amount of metal polish should be applied and spread out an amount on an absorbent rag. Then, let the rag dry out for a minimum of 24 hours before placement onto most metals. Apply this trace amount of polish with the grain of the brass with one hand while buffing it out in a rapid motion (creating friction) with the other hand. This burnishing action will harden the polish (like "spit shining" a shoe) and create a surface far more difficult to smudge or discolor.

Professional metal polishers

Professional metal polishers can polish, buff and colorize brass fixtures very quickly, efficiently and affordably. The first step is to remove the old protective clear finish as well as the tarnish.

Removing tarnish requires that you actually remove an ultra thin layer of the brass metal. When done by hand, this first step is very hard. The clear protective finish can be very difficult to remove. Once through it, then you need to rub and rub to break the molecular metal bonds. A high speed polishing wheel that has special polishing rouge can cut through these films in seconds. This first step almost always produces fine scratches in the brass.

The buffing stage removes these scratches. Another high speed buffing wheel coated with a different polishing compound removes the scratches and creates a mirror like finish. To accomplish this by hand could take one hours while a professional can do it in less than a minute. The final step employs another high speed spinning pad that burnishes the brass and gives it the deep luster and color that is so characteristic of true polished brass. Achieving these results by hand is nearly impossible.

Perspiration and body oils on your skin can leach into the freshly polished brass so wear gloves. Once the brass is colorized, it is time to clean it with industrial strength lacquer thinner. This removes all contaminants and traces of the polishing rouge. Working with lacquer thinner is extremely hazardous and dangerous because it is highly flammable.

Metal polishershave found that acrylic urethanes are superior for putting on a final protective coating. Once a brass item has been coated with an acrylic urethane, it can remain tarnish free for many years, even when placed outdoors. This is the only clear coating I would use to protect my brass pieces.

If all of this seems like a lot of work, it is. Sometimes, it is just better to replace the items with new.