First thing we need to do is clean off unwanted grime and pith. This can be done by wiping the piece over with cola or vinegar.

Really bad pieces may need to be submerged for a couple of hours. Do not submerge 2 different metals together in one bath. The softer metal may travel and plate to the harder.

If you find any pit marks in the brass or copper that are too deep to polish out, you can fill them by tapping the outer edges in towards the middle with a jewelers peen hammer. Gently and slowly you can fill the hole. This trick is also effective on aluminum. This trick was given to me by Richard Remsen, who makes superb art pieces that can be seen on his website, www.remsen.com, Thank you, Richard.

We are now ready to begin polishing

You need a soft cotton cloth, and our METAL POLISH AND RESTORER which has been specially formulated to attack the tarnish found on brass, copper and bronze. Begin by polishing only small areas, 4 inches, or 100 m/m square is a good size. You will find a dark residue appears very quickly.

Don't turn your cloth, rub this residue in, it will help polish your piece. Rub the residue in until you see the gleam underneath begin to appear. Then remove the residue.

Move onto the next small area and get this to the same standard, then the next piece. Finally join all these areas into one and polish the whole piece, or if it is large an area that you are comfortable with, as the residue begins to dry remove it with your applicator cloth. When that removes no more get a clean Terry cloth and remove any remaining polish. Looks nice doesn't it?

Most people would stop here, but we're perfectionists and want it really bright, plus we don't want to have to polish it again in 6 months!

So now we do it again...