Frugal Brass Polishing

**peanut** · 05-25-2011, 01:42 PM

I have the two big solid brass candlesticks from the church altar home with me for their annual cleaning. I've never done it before. I've tried Brasso and it isn't hardly touching the tarnish on these! Any ideas on how to go about cleaning these? I don't think toothpaste is going to work. It's listed as a "mild cleaner". I'm needing something heavy duty I'm thinking.

Any ideas?

**Contrary Housewife** · 05-25-2011, 02:11 PM

Soak them in warm water mixed with lots of brasso or other cleaner. You can probably even use the cheaper powdered metal cleaners like the Cameo aluminum and stainless cleaner. Don't scrub with it, just make a bath and leave it for a few hours or overnight. They must be completely immersed or there will be a line where the top of the water was.

**peanut** · 05-27-2011, 02:15 PM

Contrary Housewife: that didn't work. It's on there bad. I borrowed a concentrated cream cleaner called MAAS from a friend. Even with it it took 2 hours to clean the base of one candlestick.

This is an 8 hour job at that rate!

I went to stitch-in this morning and someone mentioned the powdered cleaners as being real slick and easy to use. I think I'll go see if I can find one to try this afternoon.

I'd really like these back in the church by Sunday. My elder, bless her soul, called me and told me not to worry about that. Her question was aptly put "Do the candlesticks help you with your worship?" So I won't worry so much about having them back by then. I just wish I could, that's all.

**ladykemma2** · 05-27-2011, 03:01 PM

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**frugalwarrior2** · 05-27-2011, 10:04 PM

You clean pennies in baking soda and warm water solution.
Brass? could try it.
Vinegar,baking soda and a cleaning cloth is the frugal site consensus

**peanut** · 05-27-2011, 10:12 PM

Bought the stores out of anything that cleaned. Why is it we can't sell good brass cleaners in Canada???! Needless to say, none of them worked. And I think I found out why. After a friend was here helping me for about an hour and left, I was picking away at the 'edge' caused by soaking them last night (they were too big to be totally submerged), and little flecks of clear coating came off. I think they've been lacquered! If they've been lacquered I've wrecked them now! Course, the tarnish isn't coming off without taking the lacquer off too.

I've probably wrecked them.

**Contrary Housewife** · 05-27-2011, 11:40 PM

Wow, I have never had the soaking thing not work. But if somebody sprayed them with clear coat... yeah that might prevent you from being able to clean them.

I would guess that paint thinner will remove it, and should not hurt the metal.

**peanut** · 05-28-2011, 11:47 AM

What gets me is how they tarnished with the lacquer on them anyway. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen? If I'd known that it would I would have checked for lacquer first. I'm digging out the paint thinner today.

**frugalwarrior2** · 05-28-2011, 08:49 PM

The lacquer either discolored or picked up the brass tint??
And i'm a bad person. I laughed a bit as it sounds SO much like something that would happen to me. Are they expensive? Maybe you could replace them? So sorry. As my DH says No good deed goes unpunished.

**peanut** · 05-29-2011, 12:47 AM

They are irreplaceable...a gift from an older lady. Probably antique knowing my luck! I soaked them in baking soda and hot water today to get off the lacquer. Now I have a line on them and they look just as bad as when I started...

I ignored them for the afternoon and evening. No candlesticks at church tomorrow. Instead I will be staring at an empty altar. Well, the Bible will be there.

I'll have another go at them tomorrow afternoon.

**frugalwarrior2** · 05-29-2011, 12:53 AM

The baking soda needs the vinegar to get the cleaning action going and warmer water too.

**peanut** · 05-29-2011, 11:19 AM

I polished them a bit last night and got the unsightly line off them anyways. They are actually looking a bit better. They're to the point that Brasso actually seems to be working!

**shoiji** · 05-30-2011, 09:52 AM

See if you can check with a local restoration (or museum) place to see what the proper care for the candlesticks should be. That way the church will be able to care for them appropriately. Perhaps meaning that no one should put any lacquer on them. Maybe they should be cleaned twice a year. Perhaps two nice velvet coverings could be placed over them to keep them from tarnishing when not in use.

That way whoever cleans them next will know what to use and what not to use.

**peanut** · 05-30-2011, 09:59 AM

I spoke with the lady in charge of the annual cleaning and suggested they be cleaned once a month, not once a year. I also emailed her later suggesting a few of us work together on it, rather than one person shouldering the responsibility all the time. I explained what the situation was and she wants to see how bad they are. Of course, after working on them yesterday they don't look too bad at all. There's still varnish on the top part though. It didn't seem to come off. I will work more on that today or tomorrow. I might need to buy some varnish remover.

**peanut** · 06-02-2011, 10:17 AM

The brass candlesticks are finished and back on the altar! What a chore! So glad it's over now. I've offered to share with people on cleaning them once a month.