Brass Refurbishment

nigpay1 · Post by **nigpay1** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:09 am

Hi,

We have some brass window fittings that before we moved in have been damaged due to condensation.
Is there a relatively cheap way to repair them or is the brass now beyond repairing?

thanks
Nigel

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:23 am

heeelllooo and welcome nigpay 1

you have cast probably alloy or steel with a brassed finish
the rust is probably from the screws probably engrained beyond hope in my opinion but let others comment

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:32 am

What does it look like if you scratch the back somewhere?
The way to polish them is to remove the damage, and then use progressively finer abrasives before polishing. These are going to need a lot of work.
TBH though, even if they're brass, and there's enough material there to re-polish them, I'd replace if at all possible.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:05 pm

Chuck 'em. Look on Ebay for brass window fittings, you can get them for £6'ish

DWD

yartin · Post by **yartin** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:36 pm

You can salvage but no guarantee, if it's worth it?!
Sand with 40 grit and metal brush, get rid of rust and brass colour as much as you can. Followed by metal primer spray then brass colour spray and good luck. You need primer even if paint says you don't.

PS. Why not update all with polished chrome fittings.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 11:10 am

I've been cleaning up an old brass blowlamp . A brass wire brush worked well and after that i have been using fine wire wool dipped in brasso. Quite time consuming. If you have a bench grinder with a polishing mop it could speed up the process. It may be an idea to spray the finished items with clear laquuer or varnish .

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:03 pm

I thought brass does not rust? they look rusty, which implies what big-all said is the case. You can get them on line (try "window doctor") or a local DG company

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 1:31 pm

I did wonder whether it's just the rust off the fixing screws , the rest of the "rust" looks to be more like the verdigre that i've seen on other brass objects. Either way certainly quicker to replace.

Cannyfixit · Post by **Cannyfixit** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 3:16 pm

They ain’t brass just brass lacquer coated they might as well be scraped