Steps to Revive Your Brass Bed
Determine if there is lacquer on it: You can test for old coatings by trying to clean a small area. If the brass or silver cleans easily with polish, then there is probably no protective coating on the metal. Remove any old lacquer or coatings with xylene or lacquer thinner.
We recommend taking a brass bed apart to clean and polish it. This is a personal preference.
Use Brass Beds of Virginia Miracle Cleaner and the finest steel wool to remove corroded areas.
Use brass polish to get a final polish. Use small amounts of our Maas Polish (made for brass and silver), the polishing cloth, and our nitrate gloves. Do not use abrasives as brass is very soft and will scratch easily. MAAS polish is an excellent polish and is not acid based so it does not need neutralizing . .
If an acid based polish like Brasso or Tarnex is used, the acid must be neutralized with EZ-Prep Cleaner or baking soda and water. Then rinse the neutralizer off the brass with plain water and dry. Wipe with a clean solvent like xylene or denatured alcohol (available at hardware stores) to remove any contaminants.
If you choose to add a clear lacquer finish, apply the clear spray in two thin coats with an hour in between coats. Sealing individual pieces ensures a more complete protective finish. Let dry and you’re done.