Brass lacquering

Any thoughts on how to get rid of a 30 year old lacquer on thin and heavily ornamented brass plaques?

Mary

Try this:

I'ver had good luck with boiling brass, then scrubbing with an old toothbrush (I suppose a new toothbrush could be used).

Sheila

OK, Sheila, thanks for that.

Can you lend me a vessel which will accommodate a 30" diameter plaque?

:-)))))

Mary

Mary,

When I re lacquered my brass door furniture I just put them all in a plastic bucket , poured water soluble paint stripper over them, brushed it all over (makes a nice clean paint brush!) and covered the bucket in cling film to stop too much evaporation. After about 3 hours I rinsed them off under the tap, and dried them in a tepid oven. Gave them a good polish, washed them again in very hot water, then repeated the oven treatment.

Sprayed them with car lacquer but it's too early yet (2 months) to see if it lasts well.

Andrew Mawson

A solution of Harpic (approx 10-1 with water) works well but don't leave in too long or it'll ruin the actual brass.

Ammonia and boiling water (in a closed container of course) was the traditional way but that pre-supposes that no synthetic lacquers or modern finishes had been applied. Nitromors should shift just about anything without affecting the brass.

Thank you for that - but where can I get a bucket big enough?

Thinks - perhaps a large plastic bag - if I can find one wioth no child safety holes ... Hmm, thanks.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote | "S Viemeister" wrote | > I'ver had good luck with boiling brass, then scrubbing with | > an old toothbrush (I suppose a new toothbrush could be used). | OK, Sheila, thanks for that. | Can you lend me a vessel which will accommodate a 30" diameter plaque?

Local restaurant, school or canteen potwasher?

Owain

"Mary Fisher" wrote | Thinks - perhaps a large plastic bag - if I can find one wioth | no child safety holes ... Hmm, thanks.

Make your own from plastic sheeting and a Smart Sealer plastic-bag-sealer from QVC.

Owain

Form a circle of desired diameter with close spaced loose laid bricks and press polythene sheeting in to make a pond of requisite size !

(I've caustic soda stripped doors this way in years gone by.)

Andrew Mawson

An old tin bath tub?

Sheila

That would do it.

IF I had the bricks.

IF I had the space.

IF I had the polythene ...

:-)

It's a sound idea.

Mary

We keep coal in the bath, didn't you know that :-)

Mary

Going to rather a lot of trouble and expense for something I've lived with for years ...

Just had a thought. I could spray the desired solvent on the plaques ...

... or I wonder if the steam cleaner might do the job?

I'll try that first.

But I'm grateful for all the suggestions. They've all made the grey cells work.

Mary

Mary

Wheelie bin?

-- Phil Addison The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

Not ours.

I'll report on the steam cleaner method tomorrow.

Mary

I have stripped a long narrow object* by placing it on cling film and liberally lacing with Nitromors, then loosly wrapping it up in the clingfilm overnight. In the morning washed away the gunge and the job was done.

• OK, it was a 4'6"x3" marble hearth upstand that had been broken in several bits and badly repaired with various adhesives. I scrupulously cleaned the bits and reglued them together with super glue.

-- Phil Addison The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

Gold plating.

Might try dipping in casting resin as well.