Lacquer on brass

[Rich P]

I'm starting a bathroom "facelift" and some of the bright lacquered brass fixtures have the typical spots of tarnish when the finish has failed. I grabbed a can of Staybrite from Woodcraft but before I launch into this thought I would check if anyone here has experience doing this process.

[frumper64]

Experience - yes
Success - no

Good luck,

[dlminehart]

Don't know if Staybrite is the name but I did use some spray lacquer designed for brass to seal a brass mailbox I'd cleaned up. Had done the cleanup once before without following up with spray, only to find the tarnish returned within a couple months. The box with lacquer spray still looks like new two years later.

Of course, the mail box gets little handling compared to a faucet. Don't know how the spray lacquer would hold up in such a situation. Also, note that I sanded the mailbox down to nice clean brass before lacquering. Don't know if that makes a difference.

[Lonnie in Orlando]

Check the mfg's warranty. The finish may be guarenteed ?? Worth a try.

- Lonnie

[Rich P]

Unfortunately no warranty and as it turns out this was not a failure of the original lacquer but of the brass plating. The fixture in question was brass but I guess the mfgr decided to plate it and then polish the plate.

OTOH, I "practiced" on a copper and brass tea kettle where the lacquer had failed. A thorough go over with acetone, polish with Wrights Copper Polish and a spray with Stabybrite and it looks good as new (at least the wife is happy). It's decorative so should hold up for another 10 years (I hope).