How to keep brass shiney?
by
Deb5240012
+11
I have a brass lampshade, which I bought at Auction for £5. I wish to use it as a ceiling light shade in my bedroom. Once I have it shiney using lemon and salt, how do I keep it that way so I don’t have to keep taking it down to polish it again. My ceilings are very high. Thank you
https://www.hunker.com/13419830/how-to-keep-polished-brass-from-tarnishing
Try waxing it with car wax after it has been shined up.
What a gorgeous find!
You can remove the tarnish with Works toilet bowl cleaner (USE GLOVES, way quicker than lemon) then give it a polish with Brasso. An old military trick is to then apply a thin layer of lighter fluid (which today is the same as Goof Off). It will keep the finish longer. Use in well ventilated area for these applications.
You could also spray with a clear gloss poly (don't use lighter fluid in this case), but eventually over time the air will permeate the finish and tarnish it in spots, then you would need to remove the poly and start again.
I go with the lighter fluid, I don't have to polish as often.
People work hard or pay good money to attain this kind of tarnished finish. Once clean spray with clear lacquer, available in spray cans wherever you buy paint.
If I used lighter fluid...I'd be sure to use an LED light bulb so there was low heat up there...
It's Hydrogen chloride - nothing to use lightly. The brand is a toilet bowl cleaner, so maybe you have something like it. It eats lime scale, of which I have a lot, so use wisely, don't breathe fumes and never use in conjunction with bleach. It also removes tarnish from copper, which I also have a lot, some of which I got in Britain years ago. But with both metals, it does not give the lovely polish, but it makes polishing sooo much easier. Does not work on silver, though.
Lucky you, living in the Channels!
Hi there, I would spray it with a clear laquer. Rust-Oleum makes a nice one.