As we know, brass can be a pain to maintain due to how this copper metal reacts to the environment. However, I wanted to share this fantastic and simple way to keep brass shiny. This reliable tip helps make sure your brass pieces keep their shine for much longer than you might ever expect. Therefore, I hope that you give it a shot because it can save you lots of work.
If your brass piece is non-lacquered, you want to clean the item first. Use a soft cloth and some ketchup or an acidic ingredient like lemon juice or vinegar and a little salt to gently rub over the surface. This will take off any grime that could distract from the beautiful way that you’re going to preserve it.
Once you have your favorite brass piece ready, say that lamp freshly polished, then finish the job with a coating of tung oil. Believe it or not, that one extra step of rubbing it with some tung oil will make the fresh shine on your brass last about three times more than without.
When it’s time to redo the brass, I suggest taking off the old tung oil first. All you do is get a clean soft cotton cloth with a little paint thinner and rub it over the piece. This will remove the old tung oil and leave your surface ready for polish. Then apply another application of a fresh coat of tung oil. Seriously, this little trick is worth remembering to keep brass shiny with its lovely color.
Once you finish, then you can forget about that brass piece for a few more months and it will still look great!