Raw or finished brass?

[Former_Member]

For brass jewelry, is it best to leave it raw and suggest polishing when it tarnishes over time? Or do you prefer to coat it with a finish, such as Everbrite, to prevent tarnish? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much.

[khmetalwork]

I have some brass key fobs I sell at shows - raw brass. After the show, I carefully wrapped them and store in a plastic bag to prevent scratches and I thought tarnish. I have a show coming up, I am cleaning all my stock, pull out those key fobs and they look awful. And, the Sunshine polishing cloth is not really cleaning them back to 'new'. If I get these back to looking good, I'm coating them with Renaissance wax.

Brass jewelry - definitively finish with wax. You don't want your work looking worse for wear after a month or so.

[Former_Member]

Thanks, @khmetalwork! A few days ago, I saw a jeweler at an art show packing up and polishing every piece of his gorgeous, shiny brass jewelry. He said that he did not coat his jewelry. That's what made me think that it might be best to leave my brass components raw. But then again, he was spending lots of time shining up every piece. I have Everbrite, but I've only used it a couple of times. I've heard of Renaissance wax….I'll look into that too.

[Brightsmith]

I've tried Renaissance Wax on brass and copper rings and it was a disaster. For some reason, it just seems to speed any chemical reaction the wearer's skin might have to the metal. I've never had to do so many re-makes in my life. I stopped using it after two weeks.

There's another thread on brass right now where a couple of other jewelers report the same result. It seems to work okay unless it's an item that's worn against the skin.

[dmsupply]

i've made jewelry with raw brass and just state that it will tarnish but can polished back up.

I've also found that the renaissance wax doesn't really help much. Not sure why.

[weekendjewelry1]

I work with brass all the time - both charms and settings. I don't much care for Renaissance wax so don't use it - and am not expert on it. I keep my brass pieces in little drawers (not airtight) - and yes, they do tarnish. But not heavily. I polish them with Sunshine cloths. If I want a brass piece to be as pristine and light-golden color as possible, I dip it in Tarn X (which doesn't hurt stones). But using Tarn X does seem to speed up oxidation, later.

So for lovely pieces *right now* - Tarn X. For clean golden brass, polish with a jewelry polishing cloth - or let people know the brass will tarnish as parr of the natural process.

And if you want to try to inhibit tarnish- this is an experiment - paint or spray it with matte polyurethane! Eventually that'll wear off - but not for a while.

[janeeroberti]

I have been back & forth with this one. Don't know Everbright but will check it out. Varnishes I have used over darken the brass and then wear off and cause further tarnishing in a random, often ugly fashion. Renaissance wax will make a better true-color finish last longer, but still fails quickly in humidity. The higher the sanding & polishing you have done to the piece before waxing, the longer & better lasting the finish will be.

[Former_Member]

I use Everbrite for copper and renaissance wax for my silver pieces, although I have stopped using the UK version of Everbrite as it seems to peel after a while if you dip or "paint" the pieces! You can dip/paint with the US version but not with the UK version, which is annoying. I've emailed them about the difference between the US and the UK version but got no response. I do like Everbrite though.

I make a lot of copper rings and have a section in my Policies about greening. As of now I don't use any finishes on my copper rings and will leave it up to the customer to keep it bright, if I leave anything unpatinated I will store it in an air tight baggy.

[Former_Member]

I haven't used brass, but I just saw what happened when a woman unknowingly bought a raw brass faucet--it showed every drop of water that splashed on it and nothing would clean it off! Made for an interesting "patina", but was really surprising. I got some brass, but after I patina it, I'll definitely protect it. I use Protecta Clear spray (works great on copper and, hopefully, on brass).

[weekendjewelry1]

Yay, where do you find Protecta? And does it hold up well - a faucet, for instance, would be constantly abraded. If it works (for a good while anyway) on that it'd be wonderful.

[Former_Member]

You can order it on the Everbrite website. It would work perfectly for a faucet. I use it for rings.

[Former_Member]

They sell it direct: https://www.everbritecoatings.com/cart/protectaclear-coating-only-c-7.html

I got a quart and a spray. I like 2-3 applications of the spray better. It applies a thinner coat. You have to babysit the liquid because gravity will cause it to pool. Just dab with a paper towel every 10 minutes or so. Doable, but kind of a pain. When applying over patinas (like vinegar/salt), the spray works great, but the thicker liquid may blister and peel.

I think there's a manual device you can use to spray the liquid by blowing. I'd love to find out more because the spray can is more expensive.

By the way, if you ever have any questions before or after purchase, the lady who answers the phone is VERY helpful. It's worth buying just because of the customer service she provides!