Restoring brass

Hey there all! Thanks for joining in on all the fun this week. :) It was a great one, thanks so much for all the birthday wishes! We’ll announce the winner to our birthday quiz tomorrow.

So last night the Bub, one of my BFFs and I took what has become an annual trip out to a local barn sale. The folks at Restyled host it every year (here in central Indiana) and it’s a fun fall event:

I only picked up a couple items and already did a little update to one. I found an old brass compote that just spoke to me – it was unique and a beautiful shape and I just loved it.

It had a patina to it but it was almost too much – I wanted it to look more like antique brass. And yes, I do like some brass. I can even handle some shiny brass in small doses. TINY doses.

It’s fairly quick and easy to get some of the original finish back! I’ve had this polish for years and it works great:

You apply it with a soft rag or if the finish is really stubborn you can use a scrubbing pad. I used both on this one.

Just be sure not to put the polish directly on the item, at least a big piece like this:

It works really well. :) (I spilled some in there.) But on something bigger like this there’s just not enough in the bottle to get the whole thing looking like that. (You’d have to put it directly on the entire thing.)

So put it on the rag or sponge and then buff like crazy, then rinse and dry. It’s really very easy, just takes some muscle. But eventually the original finish will start to come through:

I didn’t want it to be too crazy shiny so I tried not to scrub too hard.

Some parts are shinier because they had some more damage on the surface. To get rid of that I had to work harder with the scrubber:

I have found that the thinner brass shines up easier (the bowl part) and the thicker metal (the base/handles) keeps it’s patina a little more. So just watch for that if you don’t want too much shine.

The handles I barely touched:

Seriously, how cool is that? It’s a fish handle. The fish head is kind of angry looking but I still love it. ;) This is certainly a piece you’re not going to find just anywhere and that’s what makes decor interesting and unique. If you’re into unique that is. ;)

Of course I had to add some fall touches with the white pumpkins:

Who doesn’t love white pumpkins? Nobody, that’s who. (If you don’t don’t tell me.)

There you go – a quick fix to brighten up an old piece. Before (I forgot to take a pic) the finish was almost too dark, it looked dirty. A little polish brought back a little of it’s original glory. ;)

Fall is such a fun time for outdoor barn sales, festivals, all that good stuff. Do a search for your area and you may be surprised at how many you find this weekend! Have a great one!