need to restore brass finish on old lamp

Have a old desk lamp and want to restore the brass shine that is worn of and needs a coat. Is there a brass spray color that will look good or do I need to apply coat of brass by dipping

Reply to
glenn
Loading thread data ...

you need to replace the plating? or the shine to the brass [plating]?

If you want a truly good look, check out the shops that rebrass musical instruments.

As DIY project, if you have NOT lost brass plating, polish brass, then spray with lacquer coating - multiple coats better than one thick single coat.

Do NOT simply spray a 'brass' colored spray on it. Looks hideous. With your face that close to the desk lamp base, will bother you forever. Could send you the t-shirt on that one.

Reply to
RobertMacy

How do you apply a coat of brass by dipping, unless you have a foundry? Not that even that would work, but you get the idea.

+1 to all that
Reply to
trader4

If it's solid brass, all you need to do is polish it with Brasso or similar.

If it's brass plated, you can still polish it but look for a polish that polishes by chemical action rather than mechanical. Plain old vinegar or lemon juice is one such. Ketchup too. When I was in the navy and was assigned to flunky work in the galley, we would polish the copper steam tables by dumping in a gallon of ketchup...swish it around, let it sit for

15-30 minutes then rinse. It was handier than vinegar or lemon juice as - being thicker - it clung to vertical surfaces and didn't run off.

In either case - if you want to keep it shiny - you will have to polish periodically or coat with a clear finish such as clear lacquer.

Reply to
dadiOH

Glenn,

It's not clear what your problem is. If it's just dirty, unplug the lamp, remove the shade, and wash the brass bits with soapy water. Rinse and let dry. Don't get water in the socket or switch. If that doesn't work buy a bottle of Brasso. It's a common metal cleaner that most supermarkets sell. Read the directions and decide whether it will work with your brass. Unplug the lamp and remove the shade. use a paper towel to apply the Brasso. Let the lamp sit for 15 mins. Use a clean paper towel to polish off the Brasso. If the laquer is gone but the brass is ok, I think you'll need to remove the old laquer with laquer thinner and apply new laquer, probably with a spray can. If the brass plate is gone, you can have it replated. Look for someone in your area who can do this and get an estimate.

Dave M.

Reply to
David L. Martel

Electroplating, I would assume.

Reply to
N8N

I have a candelabra that my parents bought in 1945. I got it around

1980. The top part which held the candles and the base and post looked fine, but the middle part which was more ornate was looking worse and worse. My mother said that because of WWII, they couldn't buy a completely brass one, so they bought this, which had a pot metal middle.

Anyhow, either it was getting worse or I was getting more unsatisfied. I disassembled the thing, and took it to a plating company. Looked very nice when I got it back but within a month was looking black. I took it back, and, at no charge of course, they redid some or all of what they had done. He mumbled something about not using lacquer, and this time they sprayed it with lacquer and it looked good for years.

But eventually it looked bad again. and this time I just painted the middle part with gold paint (not brass paint). It comes in a small bottle, goes on easily It doesn't have the shiny appearance of the other parts of the candleabra, but maybe because the surface of the middle part is so different, textured, even rough in places, it looks okay to me, even though I'm normally picky. In fact I don't think it was ever very shiny in the middle, not when I was little or after it was first replated. Certainly if one doesn't concentrate on what it would look like if it were brand new and 100% brass, and worry about if it looks like it's 100% brass, it's attractive. Nothing clashes with any other part of it. .

OTOH, if your lamp has large flat surfaces it may be hard to paint the thing gold color without there being the usual brush problems Maybe a can of aerosol gold (or brass?) paint.

OT3H I see your first request is for shine, and I don't think any of the paint ideas will do that.

So youre back to (disassembling or letting them do it) and plating and spraying, and what the other posters said.

Reply to
micky

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.