Bright brass refinishing
I originally purchased solid brass door hardware which is now very dull. The mfg. told me to remove the lacquer, polish with a very fine 0000 steel wool [linked by editor to product info at Rockler] and spray with a brass lacquer [linked by editor to product info at Amazon]. I did all this BUT I would like to know how to get a very bright polished look and a very durable lacquer coating.
Gordon H [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Mukilteo, Washington
I hate to argue with the manufacturer, who should know better than any of us, but I don't think fine steel wool is enough to restore a bright brass look. I think you need to buff with Brasso [linked by editor to product info at Amazon], Twinkle, Copper Glo [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] or some other compound after the steel wool step. Then lacquer. The more patience you have in terms of multiple thin coats, the better. There are copper/brass specialists like G.J. Nikolas [a finishing.com supporting advertiser] who may be able to offer a lacquer well tailored to the specific use.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Pine Beach, New Jersey
Hello Gordon,
If you look around the internet, you can find suppliers of polishing compound and buffing wheels, some that attach to a drill. Maybe polishing the brass with an abrasive polish like Brasso would do. Whatever you decide to do, wipe the part down with Acetone [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] or lacquer thinner [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] prior to lacquering. If you want a durable lacquer finish, maybe go with a higher quality lacquer rather than a cheap one (you get what you pay for).
Best of luck,
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