How to Clean Vintage Brass | 2 Easy DIY Recipes
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
- Want to clean up tarnished brass thrift store finds? Today I try out two easy, all natural, DIY solutions to clean up brass treasures in minutes!
I could have left these cleaners on longer for a brighter finish, but I actually prefer a little aging and patina on my brass decor. What do y’all think? Do you like bright and shiny or aged metals?
NOTE: I know a lot of people do prefer the aged patina on brass - to each their own. I do like this look as well but wanted to explore options for items that are too dirty or that you think might fit your decor better if they were shiner.
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_FLOUR, SALT AND VINEGAR METHOD_ Recipe 1 - 6:06
_LEMON JUICE AND BAKING SODA METHOD_
Recipe 2 - 3:51
I have a lot of brass pieces from Lebanon and using the home recipes work well. The darkening of brass is just oxidation...it's basically brass rust. It dissolves when exposed to higher PH. The vinegar (or lemon juice or citric acid) is what loosens the oxidation, but at the end of the day, heavy oxidation will NEVER rinse off without elbow grease. You just have to buff buff buff and repeat.
MY METHOD:
I use the vinegar/salt with flour or (if I can) submerge it in a solution of citric acid, salt and water (I add a little lemon juice or vinegar). The flour just acts as a binding agent to form a paste. That helps to remove the thickest oxidation. After that I honestly use brasso and buff away with a cloth. It takes time, especially for intricate pieces, but it results in a high luster. You can also use an abrasive sheet, but I find it can leave scratch marks.
I love how the 1st formula left the age and removed some tarnishing. Old things look better with some patina. Thanks for posting.
I like lemon juice and baking soda. I’m gonna try it. Thanks for your advice. I enjoyed watching.😊
I like that both these methods have a lot of character to the patina after the treatment. Also great to not have to buy specific products. Going to try this on an old lamp.
I used baking soda and vinegar on my intricate Tunisian tray using a toothbrush, it worked a treat.
Barkeepers friend... works like a charm, also going over it with an extra fine sanding block they sell at craft stores gets the initial oils off it before you use anything else. However be mindful to sand in gently one direction you’re not trying to shine by sanding just get the initial layers of dirt and oil off
You saved me the trouble. Barkeepers friend liquid does a 100% better job and not as messy.
I mix the Bar Keepers Friend with water into a paste. Works good on skillets that start to stick too- I picked up that tip when I worked at a kitchen store.
I have used packets of Ketchup to clean the tarnish off of brass. It works it just takes a little time and you have to wash off the ketchup in warm soapy water.
thank you for the informative video, we will try it out on our old brass items at home.
I used the lemon juice & baking soda paste and after a few minutes of scrubbing with a plastic mesh kitchen scrubbie, I managed to remove about 80 years of patina from a little bell handed down from my husband's grandmother. I still can't believe how well it worked! It revealed a sweet flower and leaf pattern I couldn't make out when it was so darkly tarnished. Thanks for the demo! 🔔
I just inherited a few really beautiful brass pieces from my great aunt, one being a vintage Swiss made mechanical alarm clock, the other being a small stand up mirror. I’m trying to decide if I want to refurbish them or leave them as is, how I remembered them in her home growing up 🥺 I love how bright the brass looks though!
Getting ready to do a brass bed, I will use your second recipe!
I have tarnished brass burners on some thrifted kerosene lamps. Going to try this! I know salt and vinegar work well on copper. Thanks!
I like the 1st formulation because it leaves the patina of the pieces.
Thank you for the upload because my brass looked like your before pictures. Keep the uploads coming because I just subscribed
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! ❤️
Tried the lemon and baking soda mix works amazing!!
I just used bar keepers friend and it took a second to clean an all the brass looked amazing! only 2 bucks also found at the grocery store
I just used that product to clean mold from the seal on my refrigerator doors. Worked amazingly! Used a tooth brush then wipes with paper towel.
For copper products does it work?
Does your bar keeps friend do this for a living . Can I get his contact info 😉
I have been using this for years and it works.
Unreal product, life hack
Lovely items
Awesome and Thank you for the Tutorial
I love the idea of using natural products for cleaning brass, I am sure it’s also more cost effective than buying specific cleaners. Great video!
Thanks Daniel! I hope it also inspires people to clean items they already have vs adding more to landfills :)
I use vinegar on rusty steel. Eats away the rust lacing a black gunk. When you wipe and use a dremel to polish the tool steel? It brass plates the steel surface! A coat of enamel paint and baked with a heat gun gently rotating tool. Amazing look! Now I'm doing electroplating! Copper , nickel etc? Easy. Just white vinegar and teaspoon of iodide salt. Two copper little pipes ( scrap) 2 to 6 volts max. And little current! I use 18 volt Dewalt cordless battery with a buck converter from eBay with a LCD volt and amps readout gauge! My feeler gauge looks awesome! Clean surface with Acetone. Voila!!! I love that brass vase. I have one waiting for me to clean and polish! Nice tutorial!🙂👍👍👍👍
You can also try with a brass brush, which will be very effective to clean the rest of the dirt, then if you want to shine it, you can also buy polishing agents and apply with very fine scotch brite type sand paper.
Thank you for sharing !
The lemon juice and baking soda will work better if you soak the brass in lemon with a little baking soda overnight. To get out spots use 0000 steel wool on hard to get out marks. You can also soak brass in vinegar and baking soda. Be careful adding the baking soda it will foam up so a little at a time.
Great tips, thank you!
Instead of vinegar you can use citric acid (dried lemon) too
I watch a restoration guy on here, and he uses ketchup. Just coats the brass item in ketchup and then put ms it in a ziploc bag. His results are always pretty nice, but I haven’t tried them personally. I love the finished look on your brass items.
I just experimented with an item which i dont wanna loose its patina. I did first wash with a soaped sponge. Then i rubbed hard with a piece of dry wool cloth. And rubbed moore with it:) But i was satisfied with the "gloss" and remaining patina.
Thank you for this! Peace
Pottery Barn is bringing back brass 😉 The style of brass in 2021 is beautiful!
I saw that too!
I'm a fan of the aged brass look so the vase was my favorite. It is clean but still leaves the patina.
Easy procedure thnx
Aged brass has a patina. Lots of people value that and explore ways to make shiny brass have the patina of age. Maybe try removing excess wax and simply buff the surface with something soft like an old cotton diaper.
I too enjoy the patina on aged brass, but these items were a bit too rough for my liking. Thanks for the support!
Thank you
Lemon juice and baking soda hands down
Agreed!
Thanks for the video…
If thats a beautiful bell i think u need to see our home temple bells every house has amazing design bell🔔.. temples have beauty in its every object used to pray even the dishes used are mesmerizing.. hope one day the world gets to see the wonders of our city temples what we see everyday..😊🙏
Lemon juice and baking soda ❤️
I too have a tarnished not sure if it is made of brass or bronze Child Jesus Image about 4 inches in size. What I did? Rubbed it with something rough a new Scotch Brite using a toilet bowl cleaner, toothpaste and dishwashing liquid in water to remove the brown-black rust. Thanks to your video for the idea. More Power!
I think the lemon and baking soda worked very well. However the first recipe was good and the brass could have had more copper and less of the other metals such as silver and been more stained.
Add lemon to your paste. Much better. Cleans grim stuff left for 45m-hour
Lemon juice ans salt.
I really enjoyed this very well presented informational video. Thank you. I didn't like the music at all.
Navy has this process locked down
Baking soda lemon juice ❤
best
If someone have antique brass or copper items, never clean it, it will reduce the price.
If it’s candlewax warm it up a little bit and it will wipe right off
Hey you live in Big ol TEXAS! howdy 👋
The natural patina on brass is now much more favorable. If it is indeed antique, suggested not to polish it all.
I have some patina brass pieces that were my brothers. He passed in 2013. I need to get on eBay & sell if it's worth anything. I believe he had some of the same pieces she has in this video plus some animals figurines. They are super heavy. Make great paperweights.
Natural Lemon juice + White vintage + Soda Powder + Cif powder.
Definitely lemon and baking soda. Thanks for sharing
Why not white vinegar lemon juice and baking soda
I had made a past from salt lemon vinegar and flour and applied on an object for few hours i had lost the original shine.. 😭 What to do now please help
I'm not sure why you just don't soak the brass in a solution of vinegar and salt, Much less mess and not diluted by the flour. Thanks for the tips : )
Lemon juice and baking soda
Top
💯👌
You see that pink spot in the middle of the tray? That is the zinc being destroyed ( brass is a zinc and copper alloy ). A lot of these home made methods will leave your brass pink... do your research on what the pros use, or simply use brasso which is made for it.
Definitely lemon juice and baking soda
Salt, flour and vinegar didnt work on my piece will try the lemon and baking soda
I tried the vinegar, salt and flour method. My piece came out looking like copper instead of brass. Anything I can do to fix this?
Was it in brass color before it got the oxides and dirt or you got the piece dirty and tried to clean? Sounds like it is bronze to me.
The top layer has lost its zinc or tin - You just need to keep polishing until it returns.
Use 0000 steel wool to polish.
Lemon juice and baking soda seem to work better to me
Leon juice and baking soda wins hands down
I’m going with l
No: 2 gives better results
para dar una idea de cómo limpiar ,tanta solemnidad x favor 😡😡
Q material e este
Bronce
WD-40 and 400-800 grit sandpaper. Polish it up and your brass will look brand new with no stains
Be very careful using vinegar!!!! It can actually dissolve the brass over time!
Watchmakers use heated amoniac.
Save the struggles use brass polish. Most of those pieces are pitted
And get rid of them with the polish