How To: Cleaning Brass (& Copper)

Vintage brass bell, side 1—uneven patina and dark spots

Vintage brass bell, side 2—uneven patina with corrosion and light spots

Washed and generously coated in ketchup

After sitting for two hours—major flaws have faded, but some spots remain

Spot treating for an hour, followed by a second complete coat for another hour

Rinsed, dried, and restored—dark spots have faded, finish is even, subtle patina remains

Some dark spots are still visible, but vastly reduced

Even the interior is improved

Coppercraft Guild copper like this one (as well as other brands) may have sealants over the metal

Vintage and antique shops are full of old brass and copper pieces that have been mistreated and stained. They might be less expensive due to their rough lives, but they can be recovered. So how to bring them back to life? Easy—with ketchup.

Yep, you read right. Ketchup removes corrosion (a.k.a. "patina") from these metals. It's environmentally friendly, fast, and fumeless.

Here's how:

1. Wash off the brass or copper to remove dirt, dust, and debris. Gently use fine-gauge steel wool or a reusable plastic abrasive pad for stubborn spots but note that this will leave fine lines and swirls.

2. Coat generously with ketchup.

3. Allow to sit from ten minutes to a full day, depending on how bright you want your brass to be. If working with something like this bell, try testing on the inside first to see how quickly the ketchup works. Or, coat, soak, rinse, and recoat until you've reached the desired brightness.

4. Rinse the ketchup, wash the brass/copper, and dry. You may want to recoat/soak darker areas.

In this case, I allowed the initial coat to sit for two hours before rinsing. I re-coated darker spots and allowed to sit for an hour before doing a final complete coat that soaked for another hour. I’ve used this technique on several pieces in our various sets, including the brass incense burner and Sarna brass bell in the Forest Altar Set.)

In some instances, I then fumed the piece for a more even patina. Look for our blog on how to add a patina to brass and copper using ammonia fuming next month.