How to keep brass from tarnishing. Brass will tarnish quickly if exposed to oxygen.
The best way to keep brass from tarnishing is to apply a clear polyurethane sealer, which acts as a protective layer between the polished surface and air.
This prevents oxidation or other air-borne compounds from seeping into the material and causing discoloration.
By reapplying the coating every few years, you can provide ongoing protection so that your new material appears shiny and like-new without frequent polishing.
Despite the protective layer, you may experience some tarnishing over time; this is easy to remove by gently polishing with a soft cloth damped with water or brass cleaner.
How to keep brass from tarnishing
Seal brass items to prevent tarnishing. When objects made from brass are polished, they need to be protected from oxidation. It is impossible to stop brass from tarnishing if it’s exposed to oxygen.
However, sealers can be used to coat brass objects, preventing them from becoming oxidized.”
Here are the things you’ll need
While lacquer may be one of the most effective methods for creating a polished and shining finish on brass, it can also create a slippery feel if applied.
By having your brass fixtures lacquered, you have to keep in mind that such a surface will no longer have the same silkiness or as it feels with regular paste wax or gives off when polishing with just soap and water.
1. Coat exterior brass with a non-toxic brass coating. Interior brass, which tends to be away from places that get dusted or cleaned on the regular, may not need a coating to keep it tarnish-free because it isn’t exposed to the same kind of wear and tear on the surface as exterior brass is.
However, if you do decide to coat your interior brass fixtures and fittings, you must use a safe alternative because many of the chemicals in normal coatings can be harmful to you for multiple reasons.
2. To keep your brass fixtures from getting rusty, apply a new coating of wax once a week. Simply use a soft cloth and wipe the surface down to remove any gunk or build-up before applying a new coat.
If you don’t want to go out and buy new wax, it’s fine to use a little extra elbow grease and mix in some melted beeswax with old wax scraps secured in an old tin can.
Alternatively, you could slip up the shutter on your window and set the brass out in direct sunlight for about two hours. Bringing it inside just as the sun is setting will help replate your fixtures even faster.
3. Coating a metal such as brass with lacquer is key to ensuring that it will not tarnish over time.
Take some scrap metal and spray it once or twice with the lacquer before coating your actual brass fixtures because you want to be sure that the lacquer sprays clear and does not come out cloudy.
We recommend 3-5 coats of lacquer on each fixture, which should protect it from discoloration for an extended period of time thereafter.
4. Just like other metals, brass can corrode – it becomes bad when exposed to elements such as the sun and water. The same goes if you would scratch brass or polish it with different materials.
You can prevent this corrosion process by using lacquer on the selected brass component of your product so that you can have lasting shiny gear.
How to keep brass from tarnishing
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