cleaning brass?

[YankeeDownSouthAdv.]

All,

how do you clean up brass objects you dig up??i will posts a pic of the two i found tommorrow, one looks to be a knob off a dresser, and the other looks to be part of a door handle..the house was built late 1800's...pics to follow tommorrow...any help on cleaning them or should i leave em the way they are will be appreciated...Gregg

 

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[stoney56]

If it has a nice patina I leave it alone otherwise Brasso does a pretty good job in my opinion.

 

[YankeeDownSouthAdv.]

whats a patina??..lol...has green tint to it if thats what ya mean?..lol...will have pics up tommorrow..gregg

 

[wmas1960]

Patina is the dark weathered appearance that some items take on over time.? It can be, either, natural or, in some cases, chemically created intentionally.?

Brass, Copper and Bronze, commonly age to a dark color.? ?Personally, I prefer that look to a high polish look.? Especially on antique or old items.? It can take many years of good care to create that look.? To remove it, I think, is shameful.? ?Take this picture for example.

It is a bust of Abraham Lincoln, taken at Lincolns Tomb in Springfield, IL in January 2004.?

Probably made of Bronze, look at the dark brown "Patina" that is on most of the bust.? Then, look at the polished appearance of his nose.? I guess it is believed that rubbing Lincoln's nose brings good luck.? Therefore, this is a meaningful contrast of polish and age.? The high polish is only in areas where worn from peoples touch, while they seek good luck.?

In high school, I went to a military academy.? ?After the school I went to was closed and demolished.? A lot of our old mementos were placed on the campus of another academy which our school had merged with.? The cadets and staff at the other school, took all the statues and sculptures, busts of the founders and former headmasters, all the trophies and plaques. cannons etc.? and other metal artifacts and polished them all, or most of them, to high polish.? There were some statues,? Made of Bronze,? and, I think, gifts from some graduating classes, that naturally had a dark chemically created "Patina" on them.? Last time I was there, all this antique bronze sculpture was polished to a high shine.? Now gold in color rather than the antique brown color,? I almost wanted to cry. If they cease to polish the items, and simply clean them with a soft rag and a light buffing, that color will come back.? But, I would venture a guess that it will take many many years for them to regain the appearance of their true age.? ? ?

Now, with all that off my chest,? I would suggest this, when dealing with antique items.? Clean them with a soft tooth brush, if you need to brush them to clean stubborn dirt.? Use a light touch and use only soap and water to start out.? ?Clean thouroughly to remove dirt and grime but DO NOT POLISH.? Buff softly with a soft cloth to bring out highlights.? Keeping your cloth tight and flat, you might take a little patina off the high spots but will leave most of it in the grooves and details where it belongs.?

Not a good photo but here you can see what I mean.? Here is an old Gaming Token that I got out of a slot machine last year.? It was dark brown with "Patina".? ?I simply washed with soap and water, and, because I wanted to bring out highlights, I used a tiny amount of metal polish, worked into a paper towel.? I took my finger and rubbed it well into the paper.? Then, I laid the towel flat on the table and rubbed the token in a few circles over the stain of polish.? then, on a clean part of the paper, I rubbed it clean.? I never used enough polish to get into the low areas of the coin.? ONLY THE HIGH SPOTS.? Then, I simply washed the whole token in mild soap and water.? When done cleaning, wipe the item totally dry. keep it clean by simply wipeing it with mild soap and water and never let it air dry.? If you aren't carful, Bronze, Copper and Brass, especially, can turn green.

 

[wmas1960]

Re-reading your last post, I noticed you mention a green tint. You might want to clean it with a little more viggor to get that off. Use, as I mention, a soft toothbrush to get into grooves and detail. Brush lightly. If you have to leave a little green in some detail, that is probably OK as it is an old item, I assume. However, don't work so hard that you remove too much of the brown or black darkened color.

 

[stoney56]

wmas1960, that's what I was talking about. If it's just a common everday item, you can either polish it up nice and pretty or you can practice your technique without damaging the value.

 

[YankeeDownSouthAdv.]

thanks to both of you, not sure if they are full brass ro plated, fairly light , but will take pics today sometime and get them on here for you too see...nothing super, just glad it wasn't junk junk..lol...thanks again and HH...Gregg