What is Polished Brass?
What is Polished Brass?
Polished brass has a very attractive shiny and bright finish owing to the use of a polishing wheel at the final stages of production. Our Polished Brass products are then coated in a high-quality clear lacquer to help protect and maintain their shiny finish.
Brass itself is a non-ferrous, red metal that is an alloy of copper and zinc. The brass being non-ferrous means it will not rust, making it ideal for both internal and external applications.
What colour is Polished Brass?
Polished brass comes in a shimmering gold colour that has a high mirror-like shine made from solid brass. It is important to note that the colour of the brass will vary between items even from the same manufacturer, depending on how much copper is used during production. Different types of lacquer will also have an effect on the colour of the brass and how it will look. Sometimes the Brass can be satinised, giving it a duller brushed finish.
Furthermore, whether you buy the highest quality, most expensive brass products on the market or the cheapest budget quality brass products, brass will always want to dull and turn brown. This is because the metal (the brass) is reacting all the time with the oxygen in the air (oxidation) to tarnish the brass. This tarnish is trying to preserve the brass by forming a patina on the surface. The patina layer turns the surface colour of the brass a brown colour.
To help keep the brass products looking as shiny and new for as long as possible, manufacturers now lacquer over the brass to seal the shiny finish.
How to clean Polished Brass?
In order to preserve the lacquer (and therefore the shine) of your Polished Brass products, it is important to regularly clean your polished brass in the correct way. Polished Brass products should be cleaned regularly with a soft cloth and wiped over with a wax-based furniture polish, ideally beeswax, but products like “Pledge” and “Mr Sheen” work well too. Regular cleaning with furniture polish will help preserve and maintain the lacquer and guard against dirt, fingerprints and watermarks.
It is vital that you do not use any form of metal cleaner on new Polished Brass products as this will damage the lacquer.
Our top Polished Brass products
Our top Polished Brass products consist of:
- Centre Front Door Knobs - Polished Brass
- Letter plates - Polished Brass
- Hinged Casement Window Fittings
- Sliding sash window fittings
Are Polished Brass products made from real brass?
Yes, any item we list on our website as Polished Brass will be made from real brass.
For brass coloured items that are not made from real brass, they will be labeled as either: PVD Polished Brass, Brass Plated, or Brass Effect.
How are Polished Brass products made?
Brass is a non-ferrous metal alloy made of copper and zinc. The colour of polished brass products will vary depending on the amount of copper used during production. The brass being non-ferrous will not rust, making it ideal for both internal and external applications. Brass is also commonly used as the base product for plated finishes such as chrome and nickel.
Once the copper and zinc have been mixed together to form the brass it has to go through a production process, such as casting, pressing or hot stamping, to make it into shapes or parts for products.
The raw brass, once made into its required shape, is highly polished using a polishing wheel during the final part of production to give it its highly shiny polished finish.
Polished brass items are usually coated in a high-quality clear lacquer to help protect and maintain the shiny finish.
Are all Polished Brass items the same colour?
No, the colour of the brass will vary between items, even from the same manufacturer, depending on how much copper is used during production. Different types of lacquer will also have an effect on the colour of the brass and how it will look. Sometimes the Brass can be satinised, giving it a duller brushed finish.
Are Polished Brass products suitable for outside use?
Yes, as brass is a non-ferrous alloy (it contains no iron), Polished Brass products will not rust when fitted outside. However, the brass will eventually tarnish and turn brown.
Why has my Polished Brass item turned brown?
Whether you buy the highest quality, most expensive brass products on the market or the cheapest budget quality brass products, brass will always want to dull and turn brown. This is because the metal (the brass) is reacting all the time with the oxygen in the air, (oxidation) to tarnish the brass. This tarnish is trying to preserve the brass by forming a patina on the surface. The patina layer turns the surface colour of the brass a brown colour.
Traditionally in years gone by, people would prevent Polished Brass products from tarnishing by polishing the surface of the brass with a metal cleaner such as “Brasso.” The polishing of the brass temporarily reduces the effect of the oxidation and keeps the brass looking shiny.
However, in modern times with people living faster-paced lifestyles, very few people have the time to actually go round their homes and polish all their brassware. So to help keep the brass products looking as shiny and new for as long as possible, manufacturers now lacquer over the brass to seal the shiny finish.
Are all your Polished Brass products lacquered?
Yes, all of our products (unless otherwise stated) are lacquered. For un-lacquered products, see below.
How long will the lacquer last and the brass stay shiny for?
While the lacquer is an excellent solution to keep the brass looking shiny for a long time, it won’t last forever. For Polished Brass items that are fitted internally in residential homes, you will find the lacquer will last for many years. The scenarios below are examples of where the lacquer will break down much quicker and the Polished Brass items will then start to tarnish quite quickly:
- Items fitted in moist or damp areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.
- Items fitted in public buildings and public areas with constant use; this is due to the moisture and acidity in people’s hands.
- Items fitted externally, such as on front doors which are exposed to the elements such as the wind, rain, pollution and general dirt.
- Items fitted in coastal areas: the salty sea air will break down the lacquer very quickly
It’s difficult to say quite how long the lacquer will last as there are many factors to take into consideration, such as how exposed it is to the wind and rain, or how much use it will receive in public areas. For normal internal use, you can expect the lacquer and the brass to stay looking new for many years.
Can you preserve the lacquer?
Yes, regular cleaning to remove dirt, fingerprints and watermarks, with a wax-based furniture polish such as beeswax, “Mr Sheen” or “Pledge” will help preserve the lacquer finish for as long as possible.
What happens when the lacquer starts to break down?
The brass will now start to be exposed to the air and will start to tarnish, turning it brown.
Can lacquered Polished Brass products be polished and refurbished?
Yes, Polished Brass products can be polished, but first, before you can start polishing your brassware, all the lacquer needs to be removed first. This is the main disadvantage of lacquering products. The lacquer very rarely breaks down evenly, which can leave items looking very shiny on one part but on another part of the same item, making the brass look "dirty". Unfortunately, in most cases the remaining lacquer will still be too tough for the metal polish to have any effect.
Please see our guide "How To Polish Brass Items" for more information about re-polishing your brassware.
We also offer a professional re-polishing service for brass items. Please contact us for more information.
What if I want an aged, tarnished brass look?
With lacquered polished brass items, unfortunately you can't just leave them and not clean them to achieve a nice even aged look. Because the lacquer won't break down evenly and thus the brass won't tarnish evenly, they tend to look “dirty” rather than a natural aged look. We would suggest stripping off the lacquer from the products using an acetone-based thinner or paint stripper such as “Nitramors.” With all the lacquer removed, the brass will tarnish naturally and evenly.
Alternatives to polished brass
Can you buy unlacquered Polished Brass products?
Yes, if you want to be able to polish your brass items or would like your brass products to tarnish naturally for an authentic aged look, please see our un-lacquered polished brass collection for details.
Is there a range of Polished Brass products that are guaranteed not to tarnish?
Yes, there is a small range of PVD Brass products which come with a guarantee that they will not tarnish for 25 years. Please see the PVD Brass page for more information.
