Bud,
Dilute muriatic (hydrochloric) acid would temporarily give a shine to the brass deposit, albeit a somewhat "matte" one. Once you applied it, however, there would be no way of getting ALL of the muriatic out of the brass pores. You said it was plated onto a steel base-alloy, therefore, the acid chlorides would eventually start to leach iron from the steel base toward the surface. You would end up with a nice greenish hue on your brass deposit. I would stick with the vinegar (acetate) solution, followed by hand-buffing.

Randall Fowler
Cleveland, TN, USA

Hi,

I see you are talking about the effect acid has on metal. I also have a question about this. I'm active in a living history group and have therefore made a chainmail hauberk for myself. I used galvanized wire for this purpose. But after completing the hauberk I realized that galvanized wire wasn't very authentic. So now I want to use acid to strip the hauberk of its zinc layer. What kind of acid should I use to do so and at the same time not damage the wire itself?

Thanks!

Bertus Brokamp
- Utrecht, the Netherlands

Hydrochloric acid will attack zinc very rapidly and steel more slowly. If you can obtain "inhibited" hydrochloric acid, which is designed to lessen the attack on steel, the results will be better.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, NJ