The Color of Brass

Brass offers the rare ability to appear in a variety of shades depending upon the makeup of the brass and how the brass is finished.

Please look at the Material & Finish portion of each product page. This is where you will find information on the material an item is made of and the finish.

Material designates the composition of the hardware

• Brass is a metal alloy that is predominately made up of copper and zinc.
• If we sat the material is Brass, that means the item is made of brass.
• If the material is brass-plated that means it is metal with a brass plated finish.

Finish designates the brass appearance, see below. . 

• It can be shiny or dull, light, dark or in between. Brass which does-not have a permanent finish will naturally age over time. This process produces a beautiful warm patina.
• Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The exact composition of these metals can vary during the manufacturing process. This variation may cause slight differences in the raw color.

The color of brass varies.  Polished brass often looks very similar in appearance, however the look of aged or darkened brass can vary widely. This variation in color makes it tricky when trying to match different pieces of brass.

The following is a description of various finishes:

Antique Brass

Antique brass is finished to look old. It is darkened by applying a chemical agent to the brass. Amount of darkening solution and length of time brass is exposed affect the finished color. As this process is typically done by hand the darkened color can fluctuate.
We do our best to match brass colors if ordering a variety of items in antique finish.

Polished Brass

Polished brass has a bright, shiny finish. Although glossy, the finish has not been stabilized with lacquer. As brass is a living finish it will darken/age over time.

To maintain the shiny finish either wax or lacquer brass: 

• Thoroughly clean brass and completely dry.
• Apply a thin layer of high quality paste wax, Renaissance wax or carnauba wax with a lint free cloth. Once wax has dried to a haze, buff with a soft, clean cloth to a shine. 
• Apply lacquer. Spray lacquer is available at most hardware stores. Follow manufacturer directions when applying.

Polished & Lacquered Brass

Polished and lacquered brass is shiny brass with a lacquered finish. Lacquer seals the brass to keep it shiny.

Raw Unfinished Brass

Raw - unfinished brass is unpolished, un-lacquered and un-sealed.

• It is brass that is left in its natural condition after the manufacturing process. As it is raw, the appearance can vary. It may be bright, dull, tarnished, have small scratches, or be covered with a thin film of oil or grease.
• Raw brass provides great flexibility. It can be polished, darkened, or colored to suit your needs. 
• We recommend buffing the brass with fine steel wool if you want it to age naturally and/or want a more unified look before finishing it.
• If you are not a do it yourselfer, many locations across the country have brass polishing services which can shine or color the brass to suit your needs.

Patina

Old brass often has a wonderful patina, achieved from years of natural aging. Trying to match a naturally occurring patina is extremely difficult. Achieving natural patina: remove any existing finish and thoroughly clean brass. Once clean, the organic oxidation process can start. Many factors such as light, air and wear will naturally age the brass finish over time.

Hot soapy water and a soft cloth is the first step in cleaning brass however this may not be sufficient. There are many useful recommendations for cleaning brass which can be viewed on the web. We recommend testing the method you choose on a small section before proceeding with the entire project. Small scratches can be removed using fine steel wool.

Once clean brass can then be shined with brass polished, stained with a darkening solution or left to naturally age. To maintain finish lacquer may be applied once appropriate finish is achieved.