Detailed Brass
what can i use to clean detailed brass door finger plates?
Brass is often coated with a thin layer of lacquer to prevent tranishing. The safest way to clean brass treated this way is to simply wipe them with a damp cloth. More extensive cleaning can cause the lacquer to peel.
Clean brass objects that haven’t been lacquered the same way. Allow to air-dry, then use a soft cloth to polish the brass to the desired shine. You will occasionally need to remove the tarnish from unlacquered brass objects with a commerical brass cleaner. To prevent future tarnishing, shine the object to the degree of luster you prefer and spray or brush on two coats of a transparent metal lacquer.
Scrub engraved brass, whether it’s lacquered or not, with a soft toothbrush dipped in household detergent. If old polish has built up on patterned brass, rub the affected area gently with a solution of mild detergent and water. Use a soft toothbrush to get polish out of crevices in the detailing.
If you are cleaning brass that is attached to another surface, make a template by cutting the shape of the brass object out of a piece of cardboard. Hold the template over the brass area so you can clean or lacquer it without damaging the surrounding surfaces.
