Brass maintenance practice 1 -Flat shape-

We will refinish the KEY ORGANIZER 13320 GOLD and METAL PLATE CARD HOLDER 13323 GOLD, which are personal belongings of the staff and have a white discoloration like water stains after the intense heat.

I chose a 100-yen uniform metal polishing cloth and an eraser (including an abrasive) for removing stains, as it is a familiar material as much as possible. Both were procured at Daiso nearby.

I will also try brass care, a chemical suitable for refinishing while preserving the texture.

◇KEY ORGANIZER 13320 GOLD

Originally it was a product with a slightly rough finish called barrel processing, but after using it for more than 5 years, it has a moderate luster and taste. The process of changing from elegant platinum gold to antique gold through use is also an attraction of brass products.

I don't know if it's because I was sweating in the heat or because I was touching it while it was wet with alcohol disinfection due to the corona sickness, but there are white spots that look like water stains.

First remove the screw and restore the state of the parts.

The plate with the logo and the plate without the logo (with screws) are the targets of this refinishing.

By the way, here's what the back looks like. The parts that are not touched continue to discolor, so the color is darker than the surface. If it's discolored like this, the method of refinishing will change, so I won't touch it this time.

First, polish it with a metal polishing cloth. The right half of the logo is polished. Compared to the left side, you can see that the oxide film has fallen and the gloss has come out.

Since the oxide film is removed, the water stains are naturally removed, but the glossiness is a little different, so I will finish the left side with a dirt remover. Similarly, the oxide film is removed, but the gloss is suppressed compared to the cloth.

The entire plate with the logo and the top half of the plate without the logo have been refinished with a dirt remover.

Refinish the bottom half. The discoloration of the screw part is tough, so it hardly comes off with this material. When approaching discoloration like this, use a nylon scrubber such as Scotch Brite to lightly scrape the surface.

When reassembled, the brass looks whitish immediately after refinishing (especially after polishing), but discoloration progresses quickly with use.

◇METAL PLATE CARD HOLDER 13323 GOLD

This is a product finished with vibration processing, but after using it for over 3 years, it has a moderate luster and taste. Compared to the KEY ORGANIZER, this item has a larger surface, so it has a strong presence.

This is also a water stain that was made this summer, and you can see something like a scratch on the same part. Apparently, I put it in the same pocket as the key organizer, and it seems that the products came into contact with each other.

This is a dark stain that contrasts with the water stain. This may be more common when it comes to stain-like discoloration of brass. I will also try to approach this by refinishing this time.

Remove the rubber and make it into a brass plate part. It looks like a sunburn mark on a swimsuit.

On the other side, you can see the vertical friction marks when inserting and removing the card.

Let's treat this plate part with brass care.

Immediately after applying Brass Care, the oxide film fell off instantly and the overall color became brighter. You can apply it with a waste cloth, but when using it on a large surface, it is safe to use it by soaking it. DIARGE usually uses chemicals for mass production. You can also use vinegar, lemon juice, Tabasco, San Paul (toilet cleaner), or any other acidic solution that you have at home.

After 3 minutes, the color of the removed oxide film began to drift.

After 5 minutes, you can see that the color of the chemical has become darker.

Removed from brass care and washed with water. As a result, it was soaked for about 5 minutes, so a phenomenon called dezincification can be seen partially. Since copper and zinc are the main components, zinc is removed = copper is exposed. This type of chemical takes effect relatively quickly, so I think less than a minute is enough.

I will assemble it once. Water stains are gone and discoloration is less noticeable. Some people may like the shabby feeling of copper, but as someone who pursues the texture of brass, I would like to add a little more effort.

I lightly finished the surface with the dirt remover eraser that I also used to refinish the KEY ORGANIZER. The dezincified surface exposes the copper component, so it can be removed relatively easily.

I tried to assemble it again.

Water stains are gone and fine scratches are less noticeable.

This is the state after refinishing the KEY ORGANIZER and METAL PLATE CARD HOLDER. Brass has a platinum gold color with a strong whiteness immediately after refinishing, but products that you touch with your hands will start discoloring immediately, so it's not a problem at all if you feel the color is a little pale.

Since brass is a copper alloy, you may feel that the base material has some delicate parts, but all DIARGE products are practical products. From the manufacturer's and user's point of view, we recommend that you use it without worrying too much about it, and if necessary, refinish it to bring it closer to your preferred texture.

I will attach a table that summarizes the recommended materials (including chemicals) for refinishing brass, the texture of the finish, and the compatibility with the shape of the object.

There are various approaches depending on the object and the texture of the finish. I would like to introduce another method of refinishing.

Everyone, please enjoy a wonderful brass life.