Cleaning Antique Brass

Just bought an antique brass samovar. I haven't received it yet, but I can tell from the pictures that it's heavily tarnished. It has a rather dull finish. I don't want to destroy the value or risk damaging it. I'm also worried about damaging the exhibition medals that are stamped on it. Do you think if I polish it, it will lose its value? I bought it to keep, but also as a future investment.

 

Ive had great success with ketchup,it just takes a while.

 

I just Googled your question.....got a whole page full, but only read the first one.....which actually sounded very helpful......wait for answers from here first, I would suggest, then my thoughts would be go ahead and read at least some of the articles!! Good luck with it!!

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&source=hp&ei=KAUWW9j2PIT7jwTZ45qoAw&q=Will+cleaning+antique+brass+with+Ketchup+hurt+it's+value??&oq=Will+cleaning+antique+brass+with+Ketchup+hurt+it's+value??&gs_l=psy-ab.3...9659.36458.0.36883.58.55.0.3.3.0.210.5986.14j40j1.55.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.51.5257...0j0i131k1j0i22i30k1j33i21k1j33i22i29i30k1j33i160k1j33i13i21k1.0.XwbUErf4JRE

 

polish it to within an inch of it's life !!!

 

I've used the lemon and salt method, works fairly well. If I remember correctly, I had to do it a couple of times, but ended up with a very clean and bright polish.

Think I read somewhere that lemon and salt were what the navy used to polish the brass on ships, so I tried it.

 

Ketchup works very well. (Even on silver, but don't tell anyone) As long as the metal is solid and not plated, because it will clean the plate off. It is great if you have muscular problems, no heavy rubbing.
I have two Sumatran brass water vessels waiting for the ketchup treatment. If I get around to it, I'll show before and after pics.

That was the old way of cleaning silver overhere. It works.

 

I've used the lemon juice & salt treatment on deplorable looking brass and copper. Maybe my ratios were off, but I wound up with clean but a flat pinkish finish. A quick rub with Brasso or Never-Dull brought up a lovely warm glow.

 

recognized legions of ketchup & coke polishers exist...

 

Brass and copper you are not suppose to clean. Especially if you want to keep its value.

 

My Sumatran brass water vessels came as very dull dark brown non-descript vases with crusty verdigris. The maker didn't put weeks of labour into them only to have them end up like that. As they were, they had very little value, which is why I got them dirt cheap.
I hope to get them back to the state antique Padang Highland vessels are supposed to be, the way they are sold to museums and collectors all over the world. Only then will they have value. I started on one and am hopeful, the verdigris has gone and the beautifully intricate decoration is finally showing.
They are related to this one, only a more elegant shape and more finely decorated:


So yes, I believe in tlc and restoring a brass or bronze object to the nice antique state it is supposed to be, not leave it as a pitiful piece of neglected junk that looks like it has been kept in a damp shed for 100+ yrs.

 

Always wanted a samovar.

Short answer: Polish it as well as you can, as thoroughly as you can, as gently as you can.

Long answer:

The suggestions recommended above (ketchup, salt and lemon, etc) all work well. I've used Brasso and other just, general metal-polishes, with great success. Have many, many, MANY years experience polishing brass here.

For EXTREMELY stubborn polish, I suggest using 0000-grade ultrafine steel-wool, to give the polish a bit of umph, but NOTHING more abrasive than that should be used (unless it's REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD). In 9/10 cases, that should be more than enough to clean stubborn spots. For the rest, just ordinary liquid polish rubbed on and then buffed to a shine.

One tip:

Once polished all over - Rub and polish again with OLIVE OIL. That gives the brass a sort of temporary, lacquer-type coating that will preserve the shine for several months if not years. I've done it on a variety of items and it seems to work very well.

 

Wealth of information there - thanks! I tried a small amount of ketchup since it was handy and it did seem to have a positive effect on the small area I used it on. Next week's project. I paid very little for this due to the condition, so any improvements that will allow me to actually use it will make me happy!

 

Occasionally you might find brass pieces coated with lacquer or wax to prevent tarnish. They can be hard to cut through with brass polish and elbow grease. If you are finding the polishing difficult, you could try lacquer thinner or ammonia on an inconspicuous test area. If it is really tarnished, muriatic acid is a severe but effective stripper. It will turn the brass pinkish also, but an over-polishing with Brasso will correct that. But, back away from the silver!

 

All of the above will do you well for polishing the piece. Afterwards, I'd use some Renaissance Wax on to protect it from household sprays, accidental spills, sneezes and coughs, and touches, all of which can leave spots that can start corrosion again on your polished piece.

 

I will echo the idea from an American perspective that, most often, patina should be left alone. Some cookware should be polished. Nautical brass should be polished. Would have to see the samovar before offering an opinion. Pieces with damaged patina/corrosion should be polished and allowed to re-patinate. The fastest way to remove such gunk down to bare metal is with hydrochloric acid. It can be purchased as toilet bowl cleaner here in the states (The Works is one brand name).

Note: I understand that across the pond, most prefer all brass be polished.

 

This was an ongoing debate back in the Ebay board days. To polish or not to polish. The same goes with furniture. Refinish or not. Totally different points of view on opposite sides of the pond. The famous example, of course, is the antique pier table the Keno brothers found in France and had sent over to the States. They expressly forbade the sellers to touch the finish. When it arrived, it had been cleaned and polished and refinished within an inch of its life thus reducing the value. The French could not understand the problem.

 

Just as an aside, some Arts and Crafts pieces, notably wood and some metals were deliberately fumed to attain a certain patina. Taking those off is a BIG mistake! When in doubt, do nothing, ask first!

 

Hi,
Years ago I remember the debate about highly polished brass and butler polished which was a clean but unshiny brass.
greg

 

Some examples of brass with patinas that should not be polished. In this auction there are some good examples of intentionally patinated copper as well. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/170908_acstickley-arts-and-crafts-auction/?terms=brass

 

Why no Cape Code cloth or Kramer’s Antique Improver? Too harsh?