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Converting old Brass items to Brushed Silver

I have several old brass pieces (an aftaba, very large candleholders, a couple of plates) that I would like to display above my kitchen cabinets in a new home. But everything is either stainless steel or brushed silver, so brass would not fit in.

Is there a way to change the look of brass to a brushed silver finish?

Susan Glodava
collector, home decorator - North Brunswick, NJ USA
July 18, 2008

July 19, 2008

Hi, Susan. You have four choices that I can think of.

- You can paint the items with one of the fancy metallic paints from Krylon or Rustoleum (but they will look painted).

- You can try a colored metallic wax like Rub'N'Buff [affil links] (but my understanding is that these are better at darkening metals than in lightening them).

- You can try to silver plate them yourself with a commercially available wipe-on or dipping solution (see our FAQ: Silver Plating at Home for an explanation of how this works and its limitations).

- You can do it right, which involves sending the pieces to a plating shop for silver plating.

Good luck & Regards,

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

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