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world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


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Permanent non-tarnish finish

I am restoring a 1912 Stearns-Knight automobile with a great deal of brass trim. I would like to avoid using a clear coat on the brass but achieve a non-tarnish permanent finish similar to that applied by Baldwin for their home fixtures. Is this finish vacuum deposited? And is it available to individuals?

George Townsend
- Madison, Alabama
2002


Vintage Brass Beds & Parts on eBay

I contacted Baldwin Brass to inquire, as I have similar concerns about finishing brass used in brass beds. Their response was that they use an air-dry nitrocellulose lacquer. If you discover something that has the durability of clear coat but none of the drawbacks, please let me know.

Doug Drew
- Aliso Viejo, California, USA
2003

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Baldwin Brass may well use an air-dry nitrocellulose lacquer for some things, but that is NOT the 'lifetime' finish you see on brass today. The lifetime finishes are vacuum deposited titanium nitrides, zirconium nitrides, etc., and perhaps in some cases electrophoretic lacquers.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

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pH. neutral polishes don't cause re-oxidisation and so the finishes last much longer. In normal antique and automotive applications the pH neutral polishes require more maintenance than a clear coat, in that finish has to be kept up by light repolishings. However, the deterioration or clears and lacquers and the amount of reduction in clarity of finish, added to the inconvenience and difficulty they create in a repolishing job severely outweigh the occasional light repolish that the polishes require.

Brasses in museum environments are going 5 years and more between repolishings, and where ultimate finish is required annually is normally sufficient. The only time we feel that lacquers and clears are really necessary is in very salt and marine type environments, where waxes of any nature just cannot compete.

Steve Clark
metal polish manufacturer - Belfast, Maine, U.S.A.
2003