What I did at my house today...

[Manalto]

Not at my house, but for my house (again) - This summer, sleeping on the floor for a month got old. Not looking forward to a repeat of that experience on my next visit in a few weeks, I picked up a foldaway cot. Then I happened upon this bed on Craigslist. A bit of a drive, but the price was right and I like it for the house. It's not a reproduction, and quite heavy. It's leaning against the small trailer I got to transport stuff to Alabama, and because space is precious, it will go in the back of the pick-up. Question: Do I polish or not? The seller went out of his way to congratulate himself for not having polished it. I'm on the fence - I like the mellow patina of tarnished brass, but I also think it would look pretty good shined up. Your opinion?


Brass bed from Orange by James McInnis, on Flickr

[awomanwithahammer]

Thanks for the support guys. This has been brutal.

Basically the Cliff's Notes version is:
I am going to have until March 22nd to get the interior ready for testing, which is better than the 60 days they were initially offering. And then they gave me a later spring date for the exterior work (my mind is blank on what we finally agreed upon). My lawyer basically said that not to worry too much about the dates because we can always come back to court and ask for an extension, especially if the weather is rainy (for exterior work), etc. Dear god, what a lot of stress for nothing...

I have so much work to do but at least I think it is possible...

Whew! That's got to be a big relief. At least you'll have a little bit of breathing space without the constant threat of eviction hanging over your head. I wish I could come and help you, but I'll be cheering you on from here!

[awomanwithahammer]

Not at my house, but for my house (again) - This summer, sleeping on the floor for a month got old. Not looking forward to a repeat of that experience on my next visit in a few weeks, I picked up a foldaway cot. Then I happened upon this bed on Craigslist. A bit of a drive, but the price was right and I like it for the house. It's leaning against the small trailer I got to transport stuff to Alabama, and because space is precious, it will go in the back of the pick-up. Question: Do I polish or not? The seller went out of his way to congratulate himself for not having polished it. I'm on the fence - I like the mellow patina of tarnished brass, but I also think it would look pretty good shined up. Your opinion?


Brass bed from Orange by James McInnis, on Flickr

Why don't you wait and see how you like it when it is set up in the house? If it starts really bugging you, then you'll have your answer. It's lovely, by the way. I really like the clean lines and lack of affectation.

[Manalto]

I have no intentions of polishing it before I transport it. I just wondered if, as with pewter, the patina on brass was considered desirable by some (other than the seller) - or any other argument I haven't thought of.

[awomanwithahammer]

Oh my god! You didn't CLEAN it, did you? You just knocked the value from $1M down to $0!

[Manalto]

Wisenheimer.

[Mick_VT]

I have no intentions of polishing it before I transport it. I just wondered if, as with pewter, the patina on brass was considered desirable by some (other than the seller) - or any other argument I haven't thought of.

I think it is down to taste and effort - polishing is not going to reduce value, lacquering over the polished finish to protect it from tarnishing might. If you polish it it will take quite a time to do. It will need doing on a fairly regular basis (at least every couple of years or so if you wax it afterwards and nobody touches it assuming you want it to stay shiny. Be careful of brass polishes like brasso etc. they will tend to leave white residue and also tend to mark bed linens

[Manalto]

I also encountered warnings about cleaners like Brasso, citing the acid formulation as harmful. "This Old House" recommends a thin coating of tomato paste left on the surface for an hour, or a paste of equal parts of salt, flour and vinegar. The acid in the vinegar and tomato apparently reacts with the oxidized brass. Some sites recommend wiping down afterwards with a sodium bicarbonate-in-water solution to neutralize the acid, and a coat of mineral or linseed oil to prevent (or slow down) tarnishing, or polishing with wax, as you've suggested. I've never cared for the look of lacquer over brass - reminds me of clear plastic slipcovers over upholstered furniture - it cheapens the appearance of lustrous, polished brass. I'm curious how some of these methods work, but it's not at the top of my list for things to do in the limited time I'm allowed.

[Corsetière]

Thanks for the support guys. This has been brutal.

Basically the Cliff's Notes version is:
I am going to have until March 22nd to get the interior ready for testing, which is better than the 60 days they were initially offering. And then they gave me a later spring date for the exterior work (my mind is blank on what we finally agreed upon). My lawyer basically said that not to worry too much about the dates because we can always come back to court and ask for an extension, especially if the weather is rainy (for exterior work), etc. Dear god, what a lot of stress for nothing...

I have so much work to do but at least I think it is possible...

Whew! That's got to be a big relief. At least you'll have a little bit of breathing space without the constant threat of eviction hanging over your head. I wish I could come and help you, but I'll be cheering you on from here!

Thanks, most of it is just the special cleaning method, so it won't even be that much paint stripping work. I think I can do it.

[Lily left the valley]

Oh my god! You didn't CLEAN it, did you? You just knocked the value from $1M down to $0!

James, I'm one to favor patina with rare exceptions as long as it's not badly done fake patina, and thus my answer would be heavily biased. I don't know what else would be in the room that would be complimented or conflicted with either finish. I very much agree with your plastic slipcover analogy as to the lacquered brass. No matter what you choose, I'm sure you'll do that lovely frame right.

We've actually been debating about this (in a we're-both-on-the-fence way, not an opposite sides trying to persuade way) when it comes to the 20's deco in our home. Most of it is ceramic which is a non issue, and then there's the hardware on most of the doors. We've been content with the hardware having patina so far, and have discussed whether what we have would benefit from some of the blackening technique I've mentioned folks have done here to bring out the details better. We're currently leaning towards that method, especially with the inside backplates on both bathroom doors that are more silver than brass, but it's low on the priority list still.