Any Suggestions?
 

I just purchased an antique brass bed, it's absolutely beautiful, that is badly tarnished. I'm looking for the EASIEST way to polish it to it's original beauty.....Any Suggestions? :thanks:

If it can be easily taken apart I'd suggest soaking it in a solution of liquid polishing solution. If it can't then place the frame work on a tarp and take your time with some cream polish, a few soft terry cloth rags, and a car bufffing kit. If you put enough time into it you'll have it gleaming and ready to be squeaking in no time. The new shine will really bring out the color of the silk scarves.

The easiest way is to think of it as patina rather than tarnish...all the DIY shows say not to polish stuff up anymore, that the tarnish is proof of antiquity...we have an old metal bed frame that was gold painted, we just cleaned it up & left it as is...

I'm a weirdo and actually enjoy polising things with Brasso.

Unfortunatley no easy way to go about it....polish with Brasso....take your time and make it gleam...then spray lightly with hairspray...the hairspray will keep it looking shiny for longer

Be careful of some dunk-and-come-out-gleaming cleaners...they can do the metal more damage than good in the long run

Ok...so I'm gonna have to actually work at it...I thought so..lol So, you think a electric buffer would help?

Ok, so that would be the EASIEST way...but unfortunately there are no hotties waiting to help me out :( lol

I know I'm going to have to end up using Brasso, but my right shoulder might not hold out....and I do believe pictures are definitely possible! lol

I'll volunteer to take the pictures TT.......... after you're appropriately bound to it ofcourse! ;)

After you polish with Brasso ,don't use hairspray to much achocol in it ,use clear lacquer or a spray on clear coat from an auto parts store its more durable

A friend told me today to....yes this is going to sound strange....try ketchup that the acid in it would eat the tarnish...well I tried a little spot and weird enough it worked!!...Now I'm wondering if this would damage the brass.

Salt and lemon juice is magic for copper. I don't know of anything like that for brass though.

This page seems to have some good ideas. I hope that you can get by with a wipe on cleanup with little or no elbow or shoulder grease.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/brass

When I got out of college I had a cool brass bed frame. The side rails were loose so when ever I was rockin' the bed with a sweetie it would announce to the world what we were doing. The frame was a real 'screamer' but it did keep rhythm with us :) I wish that I still had that bed frame now.

Another weird household item that works is Blue Cheese Salad Dressing. I got some on my copper sautee pan and when I washed it off...there was a brilliantly shiny spot! I was so pissed! Because I'm so damn anal, I had to polish the whole pan! :mad:

Cola works wonders on brass, according to my mother. Personally I don't possess anything brass so have never tried it myself.

Since no one seems to wanna go along with my idea of leaving the tarnish in place, here's my advice if you must clean it up...anything that takes the tarnish off is gonna do some small damage to the surface of the metal, but nothing major unless you leave it on for a prolonged period...to reduce the elbow grease involved, a buffer would be good, if you can get your hands on an electric drill (preferrably cordless) there are buffing padsthat fit right into the chuck...ask any guys you know, most have at least one drill, & wouldn't mind loaning it out to a "damsel in distress" (esp if they think it imploves their chance of getting some :rolleyes2 ). for tight corners & any fine detail parts, a Dreml or other rotary tool also have small buffers that come in real handy. I've cleaned up some silver & brass objects for sale on Ebay using the above mentioned tools & rubbing compound (also known as jeweler's rouge) with good results...just go easy & don't rub excessively in one spot, after all your goal is to take off just a very thin layer of oxidized metal & nothing more...

Thanks so much you guys! :kisser:

You could try to polish the top parts of the brass by wearing a terrycloth shirt and getting bent over different section of the bedframe. ;) "buttsex:

You could try to polish the top parts of the brass by wearing a terrycloth shirt and getting bent over different section of the bedframe. ;) :buttsex:

Just a thought. :D

Sorry jay-t...but I don't agree with a laquer finish on antique brass! The cream polishes used to take off the tarnish will NOT work as well if you laquer brass (or any metal) and eventually humidity and the stuff that floats through the air will degenerate the laquer in spots and make for cleaning all that much harder.

Brass takes on a character through the years and it's all due to the cleaning process. Unless you keep it (forever) in an air tight casket, deterioration happens, even if it's laquered. As scotz said...old isn't necessarily a bad thing...but the patina finish is usually talked about in wood furniture. "Patina" on brass is very unsightly and can cause pits and holes in time. This is rare if cared for properly. Of course, scratches are inevitable. I am of the school that says old/antique carries it's own character (character=scratches and dings).

Clean it up as best you can with ®Brasso or any other of the leading cleaners on the market. Seal it with hairspray...spraying from at least 8-10" away. Don't let the spray drip or bubble (orange peel) or you should wipe with a damp, lint free cloth and start again.

Better yet? Ask a professional! Those smartie-ass-pants antique's dealer's love to hand out advice if you "pretend" you might want to buy something from them.

SCENARIO: *inside an antique store* "Hmmmmmm...this bed is a beauty but I don't know if I can deal with the tarnish all the time. Any tips on keeping it tarnish free for a long[er] period of time? Come on...gimme the inside scoop so I can impress my friends. I'll steer them to you in their future purchases! Oh...I guess I can do that (whatever they suggest) but I'll have to run this by hubby". Call on several dealer's and then weigh the advice. Any common comments? Any advice that seems scientifically feasible? Also, if you get an appraisal (for insurance purposes), the appraiser can tell you how to care for the brass. If he/she says to leave the tarnish...leave the tarnish!

Good luck hun!

*waiting for pics*

P.S. I purchased a product called Maas and it wasn't what it claimed to be. I have some antique copper kitchen utensils (ladel, fork, spoon, spatula) that I wanted to display but I couldn't see the copper color anymore. I tried Maas and I felt like my arm was gonna fall off and I had to re-apply many times before I got the desired cleanliness. Go by the old school theory/method that tarnish took a while to get there...it'll take a while and some elbow grease to remove...but don't waste your money on Maas! Brasso will work better and I'll use that from now on.

Hmmm...so I guess you're trying to say "No Maas". :D

I didn't say no to Baas WI...CALM DOWN!

Aqua....the ideas you come up with...you are such a genius!...How about some :cuffs:....that would definitely be something different for me! lol

Lixy...thanks hun....I'm almost ready to get started with this cleaning process...wish me luck!

WI....you just ain't right...I love that about you! :roflmao:

Cleaning copper is super easy...mix up a paste of plain old table salt and lemon juice. Let it sit for a while and rinse off. You'll need to wear sunglasses!