Friday, April 30, 2010

How I Clean Brass


Polishing brass is never easy. There are always nooks and crannies that are hard to get to, and as much as I like Brasso, it always seems to get stuck in these places and it’s hard to clean out.

Bottom line, when it comes to cleaning metal, it’s all chemistry. For brass, I use a pot of water, 1 cup of white vinegar, and a teaspoon of salt. Throw your brass into the pot and set it on boil. Once it starts boiling, turn down the heat just a little and that’s it. It takes a few hours, so the water, as well as the vinegar and salt, are going to need replacing. You’ll need to keep an eye on things. But in the end, you’ll see a remarkable difference.

Let everything dry over night. Some of the tarnish will come back, but that’s where the Brasso comes in. Use it for the final polishing.

Once you’ve finished with the Brasso, that last step (if you are not going to eat off the item) is to use spray lacquer to coat it. This will help keep it shine and prevent it from tarnishing again.

The only drawback is that your house will smell like vinegar for a short time, and you’ll need to find a dedicated pot for this process. Just don’t throw it away. You’ll use it again, and again, and again.

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