Understanding The Art of Brass

Brass is a yellow alloy of copper and zinc. Copper can be contained in greater or lesser quantities. Generally, Brass is a gold colour with a slight darker tone.

Brass has been used in Britain since the later part of the first millennium BC. Its popularity has been due to its fantastic usability for the handler and also its excellent durability and ability to withstand exposure to weather. Over the centuries it has been used to make anything from ironmongery and hardware to musical instruments, weapons, cartridge cases, pipes and boat fixtures.

Often, products purporting to be Brass are actually a thin plating of Brass on steel. Steel rusts and so the products will corrode once the Brass plating has worn down. However, for us, the colour of brass will be changed by different users and various environments yet this is also its unique feature. Over a long period of time the brass may darken and develop a distinct patina and beautiful character. 

We have chosen to only sell unlacquered Brass. Lacquer is a thin coating of a varnish type product which is used to protect the Brass from oxidising and thus avoiding it tarnishing (dulling down). However, we believe that the process of tarnishing allows for a far more authentic finish, perfect for traditional Brassware. Embracing the philosophy of Wabi Sabi, an aged beauty found in imperfection. 

Not only that, lacquer generally begins to wear off after a couple of years (in fact much quicker in salty environments) and once it starts flaking off you will have difficulty cleaning the product as the lacquered areas will remain shiny and slightly more ‘yellow’ in appearance. The product will look unsightly at this point as the finish will be so uneven. You can easily keep your unlacquered Brass nice and shiny - use a good quality brass cleaner such as Brasso and always use a clean soft cloth that hasn’t had any other cleaning products on it.

Yes! But do not confuse the tarnishing for corrosion. The more residue, pollution or salt that is in the air, the quicker the Brass will tarnish and dull down. If you like your Brass clean and shiny it will need more regular cleaning. Personally we are very happy to let our Brass tarnish to a darker patina - a light polish to the edges every once in a while (we choose to use Brasso) helps to define the pattern.

So although your solid Brass unlacquered product will dull down over time, you can be confident that you can restore a lovely shine with a little polish and effort, and don’t need to worry about corrosion. Brass has been used for door furniture for hundreds of years with good reason!

Purchase good quality solid brass now, and it will last a life time.