Summary for brass bed antique finish Discussion
Changing finish on brass bed is the core issue here: the original poster loves the worn, tarnished look showing through where the clear coat has failed, and wants the rest of the bed to match by removing the clear finish or applying a coating that will darken it naturally. The thread suggests that the first step is to remove the lacquer/clear finish so the brass can age, but no detailed stripping method is given in the excerpt. In a later question about a custom solid brass bed, Ted Mooney advises that if the owner wants a different look, they could try removing the lacquer as described above and then painting the bed any color they like. He cautions that regular paint will not adhere well to brass, so a self-etching primer is needed first. The discussion points toward either letting bare brass tarnish after stripping or repainting it with proper primer prep.
PROBLEM: The clear finish on my twenty-year old brass bed is worn off in some places, primarily the narrow pipes. Where it’s worn off on the narrow pipes, the brass is tarnished and I LOVE it! I want the rest of the bed to look like that. The thicker pieces are bright shiny brass, except in a few places where the clear finish is partly worn off and it’s greenish mottled color, and not so nice. It seems as if the finish is thicker on the thicker pipes.
QUESTION: I would like to change the finish on the bed and make it look dark, antiqued, and tarnished, more like an old iron bed. Can I remove the clear finish so it will tarnish naturally without ruining it? Is there a coating I can put on it to change the finish?
Colleen S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
hobbyist – Los Angeles, California, United States
2004
Vintage Brass Beds & Parts on eBay [affil link]
A. Hi, Colleen. Ideally, the finish on your brass bed is brass lacquer. If it is, it is easily removed with lacquer thinner
⇦ on
or
[affil link] Flammable!. If that doesn’t want you would need a strong paint stripper like Zipstrip.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
Q. I have a custom made solid brass bed with headboard and footboard, dated 1983. It has large custom painted porcelain balls on the vertical rails at both head and footboards.
20+ years ago it was expensive and beautiful. Now I’d love to give this beauty an updated look. Do you have any suggestions on changing the look of our bed besides selling at a “home sale”? Thank you for your response.
Lorrie Rung
Designer – Solon, Ohio
June 30, 2009
A. Hi, Lorrie. I would suggest trying to remove the lacquer as described above, and then painting with any color spray paint you like, BUT, regular paints will not stick to brass so you must start with a Self-etching primer
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
. Good luck with it.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
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