Question for someone who knows about brass?

Question

i am trying to restore a brass letter box but it has silver flecks all over it and i tried a magnet on it.It sticks to the back but not the front.I am assuming this means it has been plated.How do i restore it to it's former glory?

Just to add.It is brss on top and silver coloured metal underneath.I have tried brasso but it only polishes it.it doesn't remove the silver flecks as they are part of the metal underneath.

Answer 1

The reason a magnet sticks to the back is that there will be two steel bolts (and probably a steel spring for the flap). If the letter plate really is brass (yellow metal, soft and bright when scratched) then it may have been chrome plated.

Rechroming would be expensive because the metal would have to be repolished before it could be plated (the finish of plating is only as good as the finish on the metal underneath.)

One can often find nice old letter plates in antique/junk shops or at Sunday Markets/Car Boot Sales. You might, at least, keep an eye open for something of the same era as your house (or maybe a little older).

Edit: if the silver coloured metal really is under the brass, I am puzzled. There were letter plates of that era made out of what I think is called gun-metal - a greyish metal, fairly hard but lighter than brass or steel. They were usually chrome plated and the chrome very often deteriorated whereupon the plate was usually painted.

Brass is an alloy of copper and tin so it's not usual (and I don't think possible) to 'brass plate' - at least, not by electrolysis.

Answer 2

DO'NOT use silver polish, how ever try using "citiri-surf 77" comes in a pump sprayer, you can get it from a company called STELLAR SOLUTIONS, it works a treat

Answer 3

Any hardware store has brass cleaner. Most of it works well.