Antique priceless fixture cleaning

A. You should probably consider retaining a local museum curator as a consultant. Any advice you receive from people who haven't seen the fixtures, don't know what the finishes are, and haven't attempted to trace the earlier maintenance and restoration efforts, will be intrinsically dubious. Commercial materials designed for the purpose of cleaning brass and copper, like Brasso [on eBay or Amazon], Copper Glo [affil links], or Twinkle brass & copper [affil links] would seem to be the best bet from this distance though.

A. You should research the background of the lighting. If they want them restored to "as original" it is not possible to achieve this with brasso. Brasso also damages the brass. It removes surface oxidation but does not go "deeper." If you want to know more exact details on that let me know. To get these to "as original" the brass needs to be restored. To accomplish this is best left to someone who has dealt with antique brass lighting and the process. If you don't know "exactly" what you are doing the brass can be damaged. The process usually requires a 5 step process. IF you want to know more details, feel free to let me know. If you are looking to just remove the grime, the brass will most likely stay dark. You would be surprised to realize how shiny the finishes once were. Any photos would sure help to answer your question more detailed!