Central Kentucky Antiques and Collectibles

Copyright 2010 – Kimberly Clay

Restoring and cleaning antique brass without damaging it is a skill that can be learned, but get it wrong and your brass pieces can lose their value very rapidly. First, however, you have to be sure it is brass, so how to you do that?

Is It Genuine Brass?

Genuine brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, generally 67% copper and 33% zinc. The other alloy some confuse it with is the harder and less malleable bronze, which is an alloy of copper and tin. Some alleged brass items are actually zinc or a ferrous metal coated with an antique brass finish – a form of brass paint. This is a popular finish for articles such as door handles and faux brass candlesticks intended for decoration.

The color is the same as that of brass, and the coating can be designed to replicate the appearance of old brass. It can also be varnished to give it a shine. Imagine a bowl, for example, pressed from plate iron or steel, perhaps hammered with the ball end of a hammer, and then polished and coated with a transparent yellow lacquer. That would look just like brass. The obvious way to test that would be to scrape it and determine if the lacquer or paint scrapes off – but use an inconspicuous part of the item because if the brass is genuine you would likely damage it!

A better test to tell genuine antique brass from coated ferrous metals or zinc is to try a magnet on it. A magnet will not stick to genuine brass. You should also be suspicious if it is too bright and shiny because genuine antique brass tends to be dark and dull. It wears over time, and the copper oxidizes to turn it a darkish color.

Is it Lacquered?

It is unlikely for badly maintained antique brass to be of a very shiny yellow color, and it certainly won’t have a clear lacquer protecting it as much of the modern brass you find today has. However, if the brass has been recently cleaned then it could look a bright shiny yellow color, and might also have been lacquered for protection. Nevertheless, lacquer is not a good sign on alleged antique brass pieces.

You can normally tell a virgin clean brass surface from a lacquered surface if you look closely enough. There is visible difference between a polished metal surface and one coated with clear gloss lacquer. You could also try scraping the lacquer off from an inconspicuous part of the item.

Cleaning Antique Brass

Restoring and cleaning antique brass generally involves removing dirt and oxidation and then protecting it from further oxidation. If your brass has been neglected for years, then first steep it in undiluted household ammonia or acetic acid (vinegar) for an hour. Caustic ammonia will attack the oxidation, dirt and grime – and also the metal, so that any light engraving might be reduced or even lost!

However, although acids will attack mainly the tarnish, it does so effectively and an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice might be better for heavy oxidation or tarnishing. Light tarnishing would respond well to ammonia that also removes dirt, and is contained in many commercial metal polishes. For a natural cleaning method, simply cut a lemon in half and sprinkle some salt on it to offer some abrasive power and then rub that on the brass. You could also sprinkle some vinegar over the lemon to get the power of both. Don’t hold back because you won’t damage brass by rubbing hard.

Worcester sauce or tomato ketchup are also effective brass cleaners, but if your brass has been lacquered then you will have to remove it first.

Removing Lacquer from Antique Brass

Antique brass should not be lacquered, but if it is then the lacquer can be removed in a number of ways. First, heat up some water until you can just bear it on your hands and then pour it over the piece. If the lacquer is thin you should be able to peel it off while it is hot. Failing that, try nail polish remover (acetone) which should be effective, or methylated spirit (denatured alcohol). Most lacquers are based on acetone or alcohol-soluble resins.

Using Brasso and Other Metal Polishes in Cleaning Antique Brass

Commercial brass cleaners such as Brasso can also be used rather than the natural cleaners mentioned above. There is nothing wrong with such metal polishes, but they tend to leave whitish residue of silica in indentations, round copper rivets and in fine engraving. If you only have a flat surface to clean, with no area that can collect the dried silica, then Brasso is fine.

It contains ammonia and also hydrocarbons to dissolve grease and dirt. Some forms contain alcohol and oxalic acid, so Brasso basically contains many of the cleaning agents recommended above. The silica is there as an abrasive agent rather than the salt that can also be used. Those that profess such cleaners to be damaging to the metal are partially wrong because it is no more damaging than any other cleaner – it is just the residue that it leaves if not cleaned off properly that is the problem.

Maintenance of Antique Brass

After you have cleaned your brass, simply leave it. Do not keep cleaning it whenever it loses its shine because you are liable to leach the copper out to the top, and that will then be oxidized to the greenish color (verdigris) of copper oxide that most pure copper items revert to when left open to the air.

You could lacquer it, although it can look a bit false, but many love the patination that genuine antique brass takes on as it ages. Nevertheless, a light spraying of lacquer can go part way towards to complete protection and the natural look. You could also spray or coat it with a light coating of wax to keep out the air (oxygen) that causes the tarnish, but that is also easily removed.

By taking care when restoring and cleaning antique brass you will maintain its lovely rich warm color and protect it from the oxidation that is responsible for the tarnish.

A last and important warning: If you have antique brass that you have collected for the purpose of investment, it is strongly recommended that you do not clean the brass finish. Any removal of the patination is considered undesirable to collectors. It is the same as removing the finish of 200 year-old furniture – you just wouldn’t do it. Removing the aged finish can greatly devalue your antique.

We invite you to shop for antique brass in central Kentucky!

Copyright 2010 – Kimberly Clay

Restoring and repairing an antique chair is not a job to be taken on lightly, and it is not the intention here to offer instructions on how to carry out the restoration of an old chair. However, certain repair jobs are not always as difficult as most people believe them to be, and here is some advice to keep in mind when considering whether or not to tackle what at first sight might appear to be difficult restoration jobs.

What is an Antique Chair?

First, we have to define the meaning of the term ‘antique’. This definition changes according to the country you live in or the type of article we are discussing. In the USA, for example, the U.S. customs used the Tariff Act of 1930 to define an object manufactured prior to 1930 as being an antique. That is believed to be because mass production began after that date.

However, take that definition to Europe and they will scratch their heads at that and claim that an antique chair is one over 100 years old. That would appear to make more sense, since it then permits items to become antiques at a certain age – just like me! Some items become antiques at 50 years, and there are other definitions besides these.

Nevertheless, let’s use the term ‘antique’ to mean ‘old’ for our present purpose, and discuss some ways in which relatively untrained people can restore their own antique chairs and sofas. Restoration and repair can cover anything from complete reupholstery from the frame up to replacing missing casters. Here are some of the more common repairs needed on antique chairs.

Common Faults with an Antique Chair

Among the more common problems with an antique chair that would involve a repair or even restoration are the aforementioned missing casters, damaged varnishing, torn upholstery and damaged springs. Each of these can be resolved with a little knowledge, although it would likely take a skilled craftsman to return the chair to its original state.

Replacing Casters
Casters come in sets of 4+. What that means is that if one is missing, as frequently happens, then it is unlikely that you will be able to source a single caster of exactly the same design. In order for your antique chair to look right, it is better that you purchase a full set of casters rather than ‘make do’ with one that approximates the other three in appearance.

You can purchase genuine antique caster sets, often of the same period as your chair or modern casters that are designed to look like antiques. First you have to remove the old casters: this is often simply a matter of using a large screwdriver to pry the casters from their sockets, although if the new sockets are larger than the old ones, you may have to drill new wholes for the new sockets. Some of the newer old chairs have caster sockets, or even the entire caster, that are screwed onto the under-frame.

For those with sockets, simply drill the hole of the correct size, tap the sockets into the legs of the chair and then press or gently tap the new casters in. You will find it fairly easy, although you have to make sure that when you purchase them, the sockets of the new casters are not smaller than those of the ones they are replacing. It is easier to bore new larger holes than it is to fill in the old and then create smaller holes.

Revarnishing Antique Chair Legs
Antique chair legs tend to get damaged first, before any other part of the chair, and also the arms and back if the chair is not fully upholstered. Whether it is necessary to remove the upholstery first or not, the following is the way to re-varnish the woodwork.

First remove the old varnish: a good thick gel paint remover is best. Brush it on fairly thickly, and make sure you don’t miss any. Leave it until the varnish softens and starts to blister, then scrape it off. It should come off easily without excessively hard scraping, and a putty knife should be enough – never use a sharp table knife or you will be liable to cut into the wood and cause damage that will be expensive to restore.

Then use steel wool to remove the remaining varnish. Finish off using a fine sand paper, and according to the type of wood, apply a spirit-based wood stain or just a clear or stained varnish. Water-based wood stains can be used, but they tend to raise the grain of the wood and you might then find you have to sand it down again for a smooth finish.

Use either a satin or gloss varnish to finish off, depending upon the look you are trying to achieve. Ordinary resin-based varnishes can be used, but if you want to remain traditional then use a spirit-based shellac varnish.

Finally. . .
The key to restoring and repairing an antique chair is to take your time, make sure you know what you are doing and try to be as faithful to the original materials and colors as you can. Missing casters and damaged legs are just two common problems you will find with old chairs, whether they are officially classified as antique or not. There are other problems, and while replacing or repairing broken wooden parts and reupholstery are more specialized, you can do it yourself if you learn how.

Click here to Shop for antique chairs in Central Kentucky!