The Sign Maker: Brass Tarnishing & Cleaning
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Brass Cleaning...
Keeping Brass Clean &
Reducing the Effects of Tarnishing
Your plaque has been made with top quality engravers brass, but as with all brass, once exposed to the weather it will tarnish over time. You may also notice small fine surface scratches, this is a perfectly normal and is naturally occurring in this type of brass.
To keep the polished brass looking new, it needs to be regularly polished from the start using a standard brass cleaner and following the manufacturer's instructions - we recommend Brasso.
To prolong periods between polishing, the exposed brass may be coated lightly in Vaseline or Olive Oil . This will not detract from the appearance of the plate yet reduces the rate of tarnishing.
An alternative is to apply a lacquer. Although this does delay tarnishing, it will never completely stop it, and the lacquer itself also deteriorates over time.
Future brass cleaning would then require removal of the lacquer with a paint stripper. This is not a problem with the unpainted engraved plaques, but would remove the paint infill on signs with coloured letters.
Cleaning Tarnished Brass
If you don't have brasso or the plaque is very badly tarnished you could try the method below.
Mix equal parts of table salt and lemon juice until the salt dissolves. Gently rub the mixture or the salted lemon directly onto the tarnished brass for about 10 minutes, ensuring even coverage. Once the brass is clean, rinse thoroughly with warm water.
This method is highly effective, but care must be taken while rubbing. Brass is a soft metal. Scrubbing too hard may leave marks on the brass surface.
Cleaning brass with a lemon-and-salt polish not only restores its shine but also provides a lasting luster. The lemon’s natural acidity breaks down oxidation, while the process leaves behind a protective coating, helping to resist future tarnishing.
Send us your tarnished sign for re-polishing - £15 or a plaque under 200 sq cm. For larger plaques ask for a quote.
Price includes VAT and P&P. We can usually bring them back to virtually as good as new.
For plaques which don't require polishing there are a number of alternatives, some of which are shown below.
Stainless Steel
Stone-like Corian
Acrylic Laminate