Brass
Stop Brass from tarnishing - Fully restore, protect and prevent brass from fade and tarnish
Protect and restore your brass with a tough clear coating that keeps your brass looking freshly polished .
Stop Brass from tarnishing. Do you love the look of freshly polished brass but hate the polishing?
When brass is not protected it will quickly fade and tarnish. Our clear protective coatings are tough and easy to apply. Simply clean and polish your brass to the desired finish then coat with Everbrite™ UV Protective Coating, ProtectaClear® Universal Clear Coat or CrobialCoat™.
To protect and lock in shine on your fittings and hardware our coatings dry clear and will never yellow, crack or peel like lacquers. It’s the perfect coating for highly polished metals where you want to lock in shine, keeping your brass looking like its just been polished. It will also lock in patina.
Stop brass from fading and tarnishing with an Everbrite coating to seal out oxidation and keep the brass color shining bright. Everbrite coatings will do the following for your brass:
Our coatings will seal and protect brass to prevent tarnish oxidation and patina for years.
The coatings are self-annealing and graffiti resistant—so if anything happens, all you need is a touch up.
The coatings have excellent adhesion, even on highly polished brass.
Everbrite™ Protective Coating and ProtectaClear® and CrobialCoat are UV stable and guaranteed not to yellow or discolour with age with exposure to the sun’s UV.
CrobialCoat™ is a tough, durable clear coating with the added advantage of Microban technology.
Coated brass pieces and fittings - No more polishing brass!
Which coating should be used to stop brass from tarnishing?
As a general rule of thumb you would use Everbrite™ Protective Coating for Brass Outdoors; and you would use Protectaclear for Brass Indoors and for items subject to a lot of handling and abuse. For high touch items our CrobialCoat™ combines our ProtectaClear® coating with Microban technology for metal protection and antimicrobial protection.
All of our coatings are heat resistant up to 260 – 285 degrees centigrade. The coatings will gas off at about 350 degrees centigrade.
Everbrite™ UV Protective Coating
Everbrite™ is a tough, durable and graffiti resistant clear coating with a pencil hardness on H4. It is packed with UV Filters and UV Stabilisers to protect against harsh UV levels to stop fade and tarnish suited harsh conditions. Everbrite™ is the best coating for brass architectural panels indoors and outdoors and outdoor brass pieces such as…
- Signage
- Grave Markers
- Plaques
- Statues
- Artwork
- Architectural Metals
ProtectaClear®
ProtectaClear® is a very tough, durable and graffiti resistant clear coating with a pencil hardness of H8. It is the best coating for highky polished mirror finish brass and for highly touched brass fittings such as…
- Taps
- Fixtures & Fittings
- Handles
- Bannisters and Balustrades
- Railings
- Benchtops
- Table Tops
- Railings
- Trim
- Portholes
CrobialCoat™
CrobialCoat™ is a tough, durable clear coating with the added advantage of Microban technology. Can be used over surfaces that have been precoated with ProtectaClear®.
Ideal for surfaces where bacterial germs are likely to get on surfaces being frequently touched by the public such as lift buttons, bannisters, taps, handles in environments such as:
- Hospitals, Rest Homes
- Hotels, Motels
- Restaurants, Bars, Casinos
- Schools and Universities
- Shopping Malls
How much coating do I need to prevent brass to fade and tarnish?
Kit sizes to suit all size projects to keep your brass looking freshly polished.
As a rule of thumb 100 mL of coating will provide a one (1) coat coverage to just over 2 square metres of smooth bare metal like brass, bronze, copper silver and stainless steel. Be sure to calculate coating requirement according to the recommended number of coats for the item you are coating.
As an example a surface area of two (2) square metres to be coated with two (2) coats will take about 200 mL of coating therefore you would select the Small kit which contains 250mL of coating.
NOTE: If you are coating a mild steel or a rusted metal surface then the first one or two coats will soak up more as those steels are more porous.
Everbrite™ Protective Coating
Everbrite™ is the best coating to stop brass from tarnishing outdoors. Everbrite™ is a tough, durable and graffiti resistant clear coating with a pencil hardness on H4. It is packed with UV Filters and UV Stabilisers to protect against harsh UV levels to stop fade and tarnish.
It is a thicker coating with UV filters to protect the brass in harsh conditions. Use Everbrite™ for Brass light Fittings, Signage and other Outdoor Fixtures.
How many coats of Everbrite™ for exterior Brass?
Exterior Items: 2 to 3 coats
Coastal areas: 3 to 4 coats
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After
Shop for an Everbrite Protective Coating Kit
ProtectaClear® Coating
ProtectaClear® is a tough and durable coating with a pencil hardness of H8. It is the best coating for items that will be enduring high use. i.e. a lot of handling and abuse.
It is also food safe once cured and all of our coatings are heat resistant up to 260 – 285 degrees centigrade. The coatings will gas off at about 350 degrees centigrade.
ProtectaClear® is a tough coating that can take the banging and crashing of pots and pans in the kitchen or general wear a tear of bathroom sinks.
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After
Use ProtectaClear® for Railings, Ballustrades and Bannisters, Door Handles, Kickplates, Ornaments, Indoor Sculptures, Indoor Light Fittings, Lamps, Jewellery, Utensils, Table Tops, Splashbacks, Sinks and Bowls, Pots, Pans and Fittings.
How many coats of ProtectaClear® ?
- Ornamental highly polished metals: 1 to 2 coats
- Balustrades, Bannisters: 2 to 3 coats
- Jewellery: 3 to 4 coats
- Taps, Kitchen Sinks and Basins: 4 coats
- Bathroom Sinks: 2 coats
- Kitchen Splashbacks and Range Hoods: 2 coats
- Countertops/Bars/Tabletops: 3 to 4 coats
CrobialCoat™
CrobialCoat™ combines the power of our ProtectaClear coating as a tough, durable clear coating with the added advantage of Microban technology. This coating can be used to coat over surfaces that have been precoated with ProtectaClear® or can be used alone.
This coating is for surfaces where bacterial germs are likely to get on surfaces that are frequently touched; such as door handles, taps and door knockers, light switches; particularly in public amenities and where the public is touching surfaces continuously.
This coating is truly a GERM BUSTER !
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Before you start
You need to determine whether the brass item has been previously coated with a lacquer or varnish.
If you are unable to polish/clean the brass then it is most likely that it had been coated with a lacquer or varnish and the tarnish has developed under the old coating.
If you are unable to see any blackening on a cloth when you try to polish the brass then this indicates there is an old coating on the copper which will need to be removed with a varnish/lacquer stripper available from a Hardware Store; before you polish/clean the metal to the desired finish ready for recoating.
Some customers have successfully sanded off old coatings and tarnish from brass; finishing off with a fine grit wet and dry sand paper, however not all items are suitable for sanding, particularly highly polished items.
Before
Photo below shows how the door handle has an old coating of varnish or lacquer and it has tarnished underneath.
After
The old coating has been removed with a varnish stripper to enable cleaning/polishing before coating with ProtectaClear®
Easy Application Instructions
How do you prepare Brass for coating? Clean and Restore, Polish, Protect
New Brass
If you want to coat brass while it is still new and shiny, clean any oil or other contaminants from the metal . This can be done by simply wiping the metal with a solvent cleaner like xylene or denatured alcohol which can be purchased at most hardware or paint stores. The solvents will not remove tarnish, patina or dark fingerprints. These would need to be polished off of the surface.
Previously coated Brass
If the item is tarnished it still may have been coated with a varnish/lacquer which will need to be removed with a varnish stripper available from your hardware store, before you can polish to the desired finish.
Instructions Summarised
- REMOVE OLD COATING IF APPLICABLE See above for details
- BUFF, POLISH, CLEAN or SAND and completely remove films, oils, waxes and silicone if required.
MAAS polish is also available to bring the highest shine after the tarnish has been removed. See the Project Example below for photos. - NEUTRALIZE ACIDS – Acid traces must be removed from the surface otherwise black marks/dark cloudiness will appear under the coating. You need to remember that finger and hand prints leave acid traces on brass so it is important to wear nitrile gloves (not latex) when handling the brass after this neutralising step up right up until it has has its first coat applied.
- RINSE WELL & DRY COMPLETELY – Rinse twice with clean water. Dry with a clean cloth to prevent spotting.
- SOLVENT WIPE – Just before applying the coating solvent wipe the metal thoroughly with methylated spirits, xylene or acetone on a dry cloth to help dry the surface further. Rub well if the surface has recently been polished to remove all traces of polish residue. NEVER USE isopropyl alcohol or turpentine as these contain oil.
- COATING APPLICATION – The surface to be coated must be scrupulously clean, sterile and bone dry; and had just been solvent wiped immediately before coating application.
***TIP: Use nitrile gloves to handle polished, cleaned and new copper before its first coat is applied, otherwise you will end up with dark fingerprints on the metal under the coating.
Dry & Cure Time
How long do I have to wait for the coating to dry ?
In normal conditions the coating will be touch dry after 60 to 90 minutes. It is best to allow 2 hours between coats.
Cure time
The coating MUST be fully cured before prolonged contact with other surfaces; e.g. packaging, allowing water to sit on the coated surface, immersing in water or filling fountains, etc. In most cases, dew or rain does not hurt the coating once it is dry for 3 to 4 hours. But do NOT allow water to pool on the surface of the coating for a minimum of two weeks after coating.
Heat and air circulation hastens curing. Under normal circumstances and with good ventilation the coating will be well cured after 4 to 5 days. However the coating is delicate until fully cured, which can take up to 3 to 4 weeks depending upon the number of coats applied. You can shorten cure time by gently heating the coating AFTER it is dry to the touch. Smaller items like jewellery and fittings can be placed in a low temperature oven at 60°C – 80°C for 1 hour and will be cured when cooled.
Ongoing Cleaning and Maintenance
Cleaning and After Care
Do NOT use solvent or citrus based cleaners or abrasives to clean the coated metal.
Do NOT use cleaners with petroleum distillates.
Suggested cleaner: Mild soap and water.
Maintenance Recoats
Once coated the coating is easy to maintain. Inspect periodically thereafter to check if/when recoating is needed.
Keep an eye out for scratches/damage and recoat that area immediately before tarnish appears.
As long as the original coating is still intact, wash the surface with a mild soap and water, rinse off well and then dry thoroughly and then recoat. It is best to recoat before any tarnish or oxidation is seen or at the first sight of slight color change.
The time between maintenance coats is dependent on proper application of the coating, its environment, and general use and abuse.
FAQs
Which finish – Natural Gloss or Satin?
Both ProtectaClear® and Everbrite™ coatings come in a Natural Gloss or Satin finish.
The Natural Gloss formula is usually the preferred choice for highly polished items as it allows the natural beauty of highly polished brass to shine through. The Satin formula has a sheen but not a high shine. Brass tiles with patina are often coated with a satin finish although it is merely preference.