Summary for copper plate japanning Discussion
Copper plate & japanning on a circa-1900 Angle kerosene lamp is discussed as a finish-cleaning problem rather than a simple dirt-removal job. Dolph Druckman says mild soap and water show little surface dirt, while stronger degreasers remove some material that may be grime or original japanning; alcohol, naphtha, and acetone do little, and xylene slightly softens the coating and leaves gray residue. He asks whether the burner housings were japanned or lacquered and what metal might be underneath. The excerpt provided does not include a substantive reply or a confirmed identification of the finish, so the thread mainly documents the cleaning tests already tried and the concern that stronger solvents may be damaging the original coating. The safest takeaway from the available text is to proceed cautiously and assume the finish may be original japanning or lacquer, not just dirt.
Q. Assistance please with sharing any experience w/ a similar finish, as found, on an “Angle” kero lamp, circa 1900.
Mild soap and water shows no significant “dirt” on the surface. Stronger degreaser type does remove some ? dirt or possible japanning. Alcohol, Naptha Acetone do little, Xylene leaves a little grayness on the cotton and appears to “soften” the japanning/paint.
Any suggestions on this approach? My next trial would be to test with an aqueous stripper/soap (citrus or safe stripper) but this may be too far. The burner units (wick housings) appear to be either japanned or covered w. deteriorated lacquer etc.. and I’m curious as to the color of the metal underneath … if brass then it was originally japanned, etc.!
Doe anyone have an opinion here? Thanks!
Dolph Druckman
– Baltimore, Maryland
April 16, 2024
Angle antique kerosene lamps on
A. Hi Dolph.
Sorry, I’m not familiar with what metal this lamp would be made from, nor what finishes would normally be applied. But to me it looks like it was copper plated, not japanned, and the copper has severely tarnished over time. A similar lamp but with original glass globes is on eBay for $7499, so yours may be reasonably valuable, although some are more like $150-200.
Please try to find an inconspicuous but blackened area and try a mix of vinegar & salt — this is an aggressive copper tarnish remover. Still, sooty carbon deposits may be impossible to completely remove without a lot of abrasion/buffing/polishing. A soft buffing pad in a low power cordless drill
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
and some jewelers rouge
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link] should get you down to the copper plating — but you would need to watch for buffing away the copper plating or losing some detail.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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