Best advice/techniques to clean these brass(?)/metal duck wings?

Hello,

I am posting on behalf of my 17 year old daughter. She bought these three MCM wood and brass flying ducks wall decor at an estate sale and is super excited to clean them up and put them on her wall. The wings appear to be brass/-like, and the front facing side of them seems to be treated to make the tips of the wings darker and give them a more uniform look. There are two wings that have spots on them that she would like to clean up. BUT, before she does anything to them, she wants to be extra careful not to damage them.

Like a good Gen Z-er, she perused the web to see if she could find any answers. Everything she was finding said to just use Brasso. She is worried that it could change the whole look of the wings. She's afraid to use soap and water because she is worried it might damage the wood.

I'm so proud of her for her first big vintage purchase ($60 of her own $$!), and that she is being a good steward of vintage items and wanting to "do it right." I would love to help her figure out how to treat/clean these spots. Thank you so much in advance for your kindness and helpful advice. Please be kind, thank you.

 

some girls be so cool !!!!
& some moms, be real proud .........

 

i totally agree with komo, and the girls got a good eye, they are really cool, stylized and elegant pieces

got a real sense of flight

i would ditch the brasso, that would turn them into something different

leave um be, and accept that age comes with a few blemishes

 

Whether the toning was appliedwith heat treat, chemical patination or cold paint, polishing will remove it. I'd try a wipe with mineral spirits and then another with soapy water (drying thoroughly after), and maybe repeat. The soap will get one kind of grime, and the spirits another. Don't scrub. If the spots persist, then they are probably damage to the finish.

 

Those are super cool as is your daughter!!!

 

If what @moreotherstuff said doesn't work, you could rub the rust spot with oil, leave it for a while, and then clean it with rubbing alcohol. Neither will affect the toning, imo.