How Do I Seal a Brass Bed After It's Been Restored?

A. Hi Brad. Brass lacquer is made for the specific application of protecting brass, so I doubt that there's anything more practical, but I think epoxy would be excellent as well. I actually repaired a burst outdoor brass faucet with J B Weld and shocked myself that it held for years.

Luck & Regards,

A. For protecting a finished brass surface, Polished, satin, scrubbed, bead blasted ... whatever! Lacquer is the way to go, or oven baked epoxy (type of lacquer) If your cleaned or restored surface looks just like you want it, lacquer will keep it about like that, maybe with a slight shine or wet look the higher the polish. This has been used on band instruments forever -- almost:)

A. Hi Anthony, hi Lon.

As Jon suggests, Brass lacquer is probably what you're looking for. For large quantities, you could look to G.J. Nikolas [a finishing.com supporting advertiser]. If you just want a spray can or two, you can try brass lacquer [on eBay or Amazon] .

A. I agree with all said here, regarding lacquer. However a couple of important steps were missed.
1. After it has been polished there will be some residue left it is important to remove this, in warm to hot soapy water.
2. Gloves (I find the surgical type is best) must be put on, this is important as any finger prints will be seen after the Lacquer is applied.
I find at least 3 coats should be applied. The slightly warm fitting will allow the lacquer to dry more quickly.

A. Hi, Manolo.

You can strip the old lacquer with lacquer thinner [on eBay or Amazon], then apply new lacquer. An automotive clear coat would be longer lasting than lacquer, but requires a spray gun that most consumers wouldn't have. Good luck, and thank you for your service to our country.

Regards,

A. Hi, Rhoda.
Brass Lacquer is designed for this particular purpose and, unlike some clear coats, it's easily removed if you change your mind. If you think that's unlikely, then you can apply an automotive-style 2-K clear coat =>
But if you don't like it, it's hard to get off.

The third option, which would require more frequent maintenance, would be wax .

Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Mary Ann. Brian suggests 3 coats, and the manufacturers of high end chandeliers apply 6 coats or more. Are you sure your coats are light enough, that the application conditions aren't too dusty, and that the lacquer is not old and expired? What kind of lacquer are you spraying on it?

Regards,

Benzotriazole

Incralac
(brass lacquer with benzotriazole)

on eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. Hi Norma. The professionals who frequent this forum seem to believe in using only high quality products, and applying them properly, but they (or at least I) don't believe in miracle products. You don't have some magic clearcoat, you just have a properly applied finish used in a benign environment. The brass was probably given a tarnish fighting treatment with benzotriazole [on eBay or Amazon] , followed by brass lacquer. I am not sure if benzotriazole is easily available to consumers as a separate product, but some brass lacquers, includingIncralac [on eBay or Amazon] or Permalac [adv: Permalac on eBay], incorporate it into the lacquer.

If there are just isolated sports of tarnish, you can remove it with #0000 steel wool [on eBay or Amazon] (the finest grade) and re-apply brass lacquer. Read the previous advice that 3 thin coats are required (to blend in well with the existing finish with no lumpiness -- this would seem to be especially important towards getting a nice feathering).

Regards,

A. Hi Dana. It's hard to comment on "read some advice that recommended some sort". It seems that it would largely depend on what you are removing the tarnish with. If vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] or another acid is involved, I'd say, yes, you probably should neutralize it with baking soda [on eBay or Amazon] .

If you're removing the tarnish with Brasso, you probably want to remove the oily or waxy remnants of the Brasso with lacquer thinner [on eBay or Amazon] if you are going to lacquer the bed. If you're removing tarnish with 00 steel wool [on eBay or Amazon] but no chemicals, you probably don't need to do anything beyond dusting before applying the lacquer. Good luck.

Regards,

A. I have had extensive experience clear coating mirror like metal surfaces (copper, silver, steel, aluminum) -- and applying 2K clear directly to these surfaces is not advised because these type of glossy clears are designed to go over a base coat -- so what I do is I first apply 2 coats of transparent mate ^ ^matte clear as base coats, the first coat is a light mist coat and the second a regular coat, I allow 24-48 hours to fully dry and then apply the 2k clear.

While I always try to use compatible coatings(by the manufacturer) I can't always find info on the coatings so what I do is test on a test panel/piece first to test compatibility.

A. Yes, Matte clear behaves more like a base coat than a clear coat, glossy clear coats will not stick to glossy/mirror finish metals because they need something to hold on to. Matte Clear provide a surface that is rough so the clear can hold to it. As to what product I can not recommend products but check with manufacturer for coating compatibility.

A. Hi Andrea. I don't think there is a way to fix runs. If you really can't stand them, you'll have to remove them with lacquer thinner [on eBay or Amazon] and try to 'feather' in a repair coat of lacquer. The real trick is to avoid runs by using multiple very thin coats instead of thick coats.

I've heard that manufacturers of top quality brass chandeliers apply 7 thin coats and sometimes more! While, as a consumer, you probably won't have the freedom to dilute the lacquer with lacquer thinner [on eBay or Amazon] for 7 very thin coats like OEM manufacturers can, you can still spray as lightly as practical and use a couple or 3 coats to avoid runs.

Regards,

A. Hi Ali. One-part lacquers are not as durable as two-part, but should last several to many months if the abrasion is not too bad. Most people would recommend dipping in benzotriazole before the lacquer if you have connections to get easy access to it, but it's not strictly necessary for a consumer.

Regards,