Over the last year Newport Brass gold tones and brass finishes have become more popular including uncoated polished brass (03N).
This is a living finish and we would like to refresh key points that you might find helpful when selling 03N uncoated polished brass
· The raw brass is highly buffed to give the product a nice shine, but the finish has no protective coating so it can be easily scratched, scuffed, or damaged if not cared for properly.
· 03N is meant to wear and age over time, however, the aging process can’t be controlled or predicted. The manner in which the product appearance will age is dependent on several factors including the following:
o Type of brass – brass alloys are not created equal. Different alloys can have unique properties and absorption characteristics. A good example is that a low-lead brass material used for a spout may age differently than a higher lead content handle assembly.
o Manufacturing method – the manner in which the brass is formed can also impact the aging process. Forged, casted, machined, stamped, and bent tubes may have different color profiles. Nearly all Newport Brass products contain a combination of these different types of components which means that the aging process will most likely NOT be uniform across the entire product. For example, a machined bonnet might age differently than a bent tube spout.
o Environmental factors – the geographic area where the products are placed are also a contributing factor. Ozone exposure, salt in the air, and UV light will likely impact the aging process.
o Handling – the product will likely tend to darken on the areas that are infrequently touched and lighten or highlight on the areas that are contacted on a consistent basis.
The combined effect of all of these factors is that the aging process can’t be predicted or controlled and each component on a particular product can have its own unique color properties.
One of our favorite examples of inconsistent aging is shown on the Sutton faucet below. On this product you can see that the casted spout looks dramatically different than the rest of the faucet. In fact, it looks more like English Bronze (07) than polished brass.
The photo below shows a recently installed Virginia wall mount lavatory faucet. Even though this faucet had barely been used you can already see quite a bit of spoting and aging. One question that we frequently hear is whether or not the finish can be “brought back to life” after it has aged. Although general oxidation and spoting can be removed with regular maintenance, it is unlikely that the product will return to “new” condition. Water spots and light oxidation can usually be buffed out by polishing with cleaning products such as Brass Protech.
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