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Re-plating brass pulls for antique dining room furniture

I just had an antique dining room suite refinished. The pulls I think are stamped tin. A magnet will stick to them. The brass finish had worn off. What is the best way to replate the brass?

Thanks,

Bill Yates
- Houston, Texas

A consumer can't easily do brass plating, Bill. Besides being quite complex, it can only be plated out of cyanide solutions -- and cyanide is the last thing you'd want around a house. You should send the parts to a plating shop.

However, compare your picture to some antique brass drawer pulls on e-bay. I would bet even money that your picture is showing brass (or "gold") paint, not brass plating. A consumer can certainly do brass colored painting. Try to scrape some color off the back side; although brass plating can wear thru, it won't chip off or scratch through like paint.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

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