The idea is to go slowly and if you over do it, completely clean the
brasses and repatinate them.

It is quite likely that the brasses have a top coat of lacquer. This
means that you should gently clean the brasses as you would a piece of
furniture with a lacquer finish. Try mild soap in water and dry quickly.
Try this even if the brasses are not coated with lacquer. Follow up the
soap water with some mineral spirits. Again, use little and be gentle.

If cleaning doesn't give you what you want, you may need to strip off
whatever lacquer remains and then try a small amount of brass cleaner in a
very gentle manner. Use very little and be gentle with it. If you over do
it, you can always repatinate but it becomes a game like trimming sideburns.

Good Luck.


wrote in message
...
It is the second scenario I am looking for. Do you have any
suggestions on what to use just to clean them up a bit?

On Thu, 26 May 2005 21:33:12 -0400, "Baron"
wrote:

If you are refinishing an antique to look like a brand new piece of
furniture, then you should do the same to the brasses. You might wish to
be
something under bright and shiny as it will draw too much attention away
from the wood.

If you are restoring the piece to look like a clean, well preserved
antique, you should bring the brasses to the same level. They should be
cleaned but the amount of patination remaining should be in keeping with
the
appearance of the rest of the piece.

Good Luck.

wrote in message
.. .
When refinishing an antique would it be better to leave the tranished
darkened brasses as is or to bring them back to their shiny condition?