Brass Polishing Products

Light to Mild Tarnish

• Most doorknobs and cabinet knobs will experience just a light tarnish after a year or two without polish. For super light tarnish, or just to bring the brass to a brilliant shine, purchase a tarnish cloth. Noxon tarnish soft cloths are simply rubbed over the brass to remove fingerprints and light tarnish. For mild tarnish you may want to use a liquid. Pour Brasso or Tarn-X liquid onto a lint-free cloth to buff out the tarnish and polish the brass.

Medium Tarnish

• Most chandeliers and lamps—and other brass objects that are not cleaned regularly—will have medium tarnish. For medium tarnished brass, you may want to use a polishing solution that contains a fine abrasive. Nev'r Dull is a polish with light abrasives to polish your brass thoroughly. However, the abrasives will leave a fine brushed look on your brass. If you do not want a brushed look, try Red Bear or Wenol polish. Red Bear is a powder that will bring your brass to a shine. Simply dip a wet, lint-free cloth into the powder, wipe the brass down, then wipe the polish off. Wenol also will completely remove any tarnish and make your brass shine without any abrasives.

Very Heavy Tarnish

• For objects that very rarely get polished—like old serving ware and high chandeliers—a heavy tarnish will cover the brass. For these objects, heavy-duty polishes are required to get them looking like new. Colonial Metal Polish is a liquid that contains fine abrasives to help remove heavy tarnish. The liquid needs to be buffed into the brass using a lint-free cloth, then wiped off. For very tarnished objects, there are tarnish kits that can be purchased to remove the tarnish and make the brass look like new. For tough jobs try Parks or Gillespie's polishing kits.