Bright Brass to Brushed?

[MsNomer]

I have two sets of hinges from the same source (both marked Made in China, of course) to be installed on the same board. The butler tray hinges are "brushed brass." The sewing machine hinges are "bright brass." I couldn't find them anywhere with matching finishes. What's the chance I can successfully "brush" the bright ones?

[SteveS]

take some 0000 steel wool to them.

[Phydeaux]

I vaguely remember something about brass (sometimes?) having a protective finish on it. If steel wool removes that to properly scratch the underlying brass would it need to be put back?

[J-W-P]

A method I've tried before with aluminum and steel - If you have a way of adhering some fine sandpaper to your workbench, you can slide them flat across the paper to get that brushed look. Check after each try. It doesn't take much. This works better than trying to sand the brass by hand using a a folded piece or a block.

[Dave Diaman]

Carolyn,
There is a pretty good chance that your brass has a lacquer coating to keep it bright. If I ever strip coated brass I usually soak it in lacquer thinner over night. Then younjust hit it with some p220 sand paper. Just make sure to move the sandpaper in one direction so the scratches stay uniform. If you move the paper in a circular or random pattern the finish will not look right.

[MsNomer]

Then do I need to reapply lacquer?

[Dave Diaman]

You can if you want. The lacquer will keep it from getting and antique look over the years. If you don't lacquer them make sure you strip all the brass so they turn at the same rate.

[MsNomer]

Then I will definitely strip and leave bare. I'm not fond of the bright color.

[Dave Diaman]

If you don't like the bright color get yourself a large and small Tupperware container. What you need to do is put the brass inside the large container along with the smaller container. Fill the smaller container with ammonia and fume the brass. Household ammonia works slower than the 29% stuff I use but it still works really well. Just make sure all the coating is stripped and like previously mentioned make sure the hinges are solid brass. If not the fumes could potentially remove the plating.

[AHill]

Before you start brushing, make sure they are solid brass. Not brass plated. Especially if they are from China.