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Polishing Furniture Brasses and Hardware
Tips
Polish brasses by hand. Use modern paste-type polish with microabrasives.
If brass hardware is removed prior to polishing, remove one piece at a
time, polish, and replace it before moving on to next piece.
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Cautions
Mechanical buffing wheels can damage brass surfaces.
When polishing while brass remains on furniture, do not polish brass edges
without taking care to protect surrounding wood finish.
The composition of brass, on average, is 65 percent copper, 30 percent zinc,
and 5 percent other minerals. Like any other material, when brass is exposed
to air it develops a surface patina or tarnish. When first made, furniture
brasses are polished bright and then shellacked. This is how bronze-fitted
furniture is intended to look. Originally this shellac-based finish, used
for all brasses, kept the brass appearing polished.
Shellac is a natural finish that may be refined in numerous ways in order
to obtain different grades of finish. For brass finishing, shellac was tinted
with natural dyes and colorants, ranging from dark brown to clear amber,
to obtain a transparent, gold-color finish. Another process, called fire
gilding, was also used: After being covered with a mercury and gold-powder
mixture, the brass was fired to obtain a golden-colored coating.
Time and use wears off the shellac finish, permitting the now-exposed brass
in some areas to tarnish to a darker color. To keep a bright, uniform-looking
brass, polish began to be used.
Once the decision to polish brasses has been reached, several issues should
be considered. First of all, I recommend polishing brasses by hand exclusively.
I caution against using a buffing wheel, which can cause severe damage to
the brass, burning off its surface details with polishing compounds.
Though you won't be the first to polish the brass on your furniture, you
should still exercise care during the process. Brasses with original surfaces
are rarely found. Usually, small areas of gold- or amber-colored shellac
will be present. If this is the case, and the piece is a valuable antique,
consult a conservator or restorer before undertaking any polishing yourself.
Polishing brass is a conservation issue and, therefore, I feel it is best
to consult a conservator, who can help establish guidelines for polishing
each piece of furniture.
Protecting the Finish
If you intend to wax the piece of furniture as part of the finishing process,
applying a light coat of wax around the perimeters of the brasses will help
protect the wood's finish during brass polishing.
Most often, brasses are polished in place on the furniture rather than first
being removed. If you choose to work with the brasses attached to the piece,
care should be taken to protect the wood surface, especially the original
one. The easiest method is to insert an index card between brasses and wood.
Then is it best to remove brasses prior to polishing?
Only if you are willing to take some precautions first. For example, through
use, brasses become worn and develop a "fit." This should be maintained,
and the best way to make certain that each piece is returned to its original
position is to remove a single brass fitting, polish it, then put it back
in place before moving on to another piece. Alternatively, you can place
each piece on a layout board, guaranteeing return to its original location.
A built-up residue from previous polishing is often seen around and under
brasses. Use a soft brush to remove this build-up, then carefully vacuum
the bits off the piece. Follow this with a cloth lightly dampened with water.
If I leave brasses on the furniture, should I polish their edges as well?
Trying to polish the edges of brasses while still installed on furniture
is impossible to do without rubbing and damaging the wood finish. You may
have seen furniture that had lighter areas around the brasses. This came
about from polishing the edges of brasses while they were still situated
on the furniture, with no protection or regard for the finish.
How To Polish Brasses
I recommend using modern paste-type brass or metal polishes that use microabrasives.
Simichrome, Four Star Metal Polish, and Flitz are all brands I trust. Older
liquid polishes use abrasives such as pumice, rottenstone, or tripoli, which
are suspended in an ammonia-based solution. These solutions are much more
aggressive than paste polishes that contain microabrasives and thus can
potentially do more damage to the furniture finishes than paste polishes.
I like to apply the polish with cheesecloth, which lifts up tarnish and
dirt rather than holding it on the brass surface the way a smooth cotton
cloth can. Use small pieces of cloth and change them frequently. Polish
the brass until the degree of brightness you prefer has been reached. Buff
off the brass with a soft paper towel, which will tear off rather than grab
at the points of the brass.
Once completed, any polish residue should be removed. Microcrystalline waxes,
such as Renaissance Wax, remove this residue well and also provide a layer
of protection for the brasses. The frequency with which you polish brasses
is a personal choice.
Should I have the brasses shellacked?
Shellacking brasses is the only way to prevent constant tarnishing and polishing.
If you like bright brasses and would rather not be bothered with polishing,
shellacking should be considered.
But polishing provides an excellent opportunity to become more familiar
with your antique furniture. Take some time to study brass hardware. Just
like the piece of furniture that bears them, brasses are artifacts to enjoy
and study.
By Robert Fileti - Robert Fileti has worked in the fields of furniture-
making and antique restoration for 32 years. He managed the restoration
workshop of Israel Sack, Inc. for 14 years. For the past six years he has
run his own workshop, restoring American furniture. |
