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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: Making brass look good again.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
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Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 01-09-2002 01:36 PM
I have a bunch of old fashioned brass stanchions/ropes that we use for crowd control instead of those newfangled Tensabarriers. We have our people clean them regularly with brass polish, etc but they end up looking cruddy in hardly any time at all.My new boss has asked me to look into getting them "dipped" to keep them shiny . I asked him what he meant and he told me that he didn't know exactly. "Dipped" is just what he heard should be done to them. I imagine he means that he wants them lacquered. So... Where should I start looking to get this done. I suppose I could scan the phone book but I don't even know what kind of place to even call. Second, is this worthwhile? When I have seen lacquered brass fixtures they look nice when they are new but when the lacquer gets chipped up, etc. they look even worse than they would if you just let them turn green. I suppose that means we will have to get them redone every year or so. Is this economical? I would say that it reduces labor but at the expense of having them re-lacquered every year. If it's worth it I'll find a place and have them done. If not I'll just recommend that we just keep cleaning them the way we have been. Opinions?
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Randy Stankey
Film God
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Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 01-09-2002 04:24 PM
That's exactly what we use now. Problem is when somebody touches a pole with their bare hands they leave a hand print. If it's not wiped off pretty soon, it starts to leave a stain.IF you keep up on the polishing, the things will look good but once you stop cleaning them they look crappy in a short while. We use Work Study students to do most of the work so payroll isn't as much of a problem as it is in other places. However, getting the WS students to do it often enough is hard. We TRY to get the people who move the stanchions to use gloves. They do it most of the time. However, you can never prevent customers from putting their hands on them as they go through the lines. In the weekly staff meeting the subject came up and I was asked to look into this. My thoughts on this are as I stated above... Yes, they will look nice LONGER when they are lacquered/coated but when the coating (be it lacquer or whatever) gets old, cloudy and chipped they will look crummier than they would if you didn't do anything. Then they would need to be redone. I suppose, if the cost isn't too much, it might be worth it to get them done. Once a year, in the "off season" we could send them out to be done, or even take them back to the workshop and do them on-site if it's easy enough. Cost and PITA value are the main factors I'm looking into, here.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
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Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 01-10-2002 09:18 PM
Randy,I figured they were Lawrence, they have over a 90% share of the market. I use to manage a Newsreel Theatre in Times Square, NY. The entire front on the theatre was "Brass".I had to have it polished everyday do to its' high visibility in Times Square. I challenged the staff to see who was the best Brass Cleaner in the circuit.The winner received an extra $2.00 dollars a week in their pay check. This was in the days when assistant managers made $44.43 for a 48 hour week. You got to love this business.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
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Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 01-10-2002 10:19 PM
The theatre also has brass railings on the balcony and at the front of the "rear orchestra" seats along the side aisles. Maintainence cleans the railings regularly but they do get schmutzed up.I called a company called Gaylord Bros. (gaylord.com) who supplies archival materials to libraries and museums. They sell Reniassance Wax as part of their line of conservtion supplies. The cost is about $25 (plus shipping) for a 1/2 pound container. They also sell a product called Ruben Brite. It is a brass and metal polish that says it provides a "carnuba shine". I'm assuming it contains carnuba wax. That also sounds promising. An all-in-one solution would be nice. Right now I'm debating whether it would be better to get the wax only product and use regular brass polish or to use the all-in-one polish/wax. I'm leaning toward the two step process because I think it would be better to get all the dirt off before applying the wax. That way, if there was any contamination left on the metal after cleaning you have a chance to get it off before sealing it in with wax. (Just the same way using Mc Guiar's car wax is better for your car's finish than using regular Turtle Wax.)
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