Office plaque had been on the outside of a building for 40-plus years. In the past 15 did not receive any polishing and now is in rough shape. Tried Brasso and elbow grease which helped but did not restore it to condition I'd like it to be in. Any suggestions for something better than Brasso?

I've used Flitz with very good results, still requires elbow grease though.

I've had good results using Simichrome polish.
You can get it from many places, including Amazon.
It also requires effort.

You can soak brass in a mild acid to remove oxidation (kool aid, coke, barkeepers friend, Lemi-shine) and then polish with the norm-brasso, flitz, nevr-dull)

We used to soak the ships bell and running lights in “bug juice” and then polish them.

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Originally posted by MikeinNC:
You can soak brass in a mild acid to remove oxidation (kool aid, coke, barkeepers friend, Lemi-shine) and then polish with the norm-brasso, flitz, nevr-dull)

We used to soak the ships bell and running lights in “bug juice” and then polish them.

Pineapple juice works great too.

Thanks for the tips, I am not adverse to employing elbow grease.

BT/DT.

Flitz is great, so is Brasso.

Super fine steel wool or emery cloth / wet sand paper with the brasso/flitz.
Let the chemicals do what they do. Smear it on, let it sit for a while, then hit it with the sandpaper or steel wool.

This works on pitting on aluminum as well.

For me a combination of Nevr-Dull and Simichrome works well. The wadding of the Nevr-Dull gets the brass clean and the paste of the Simichrome gives it a nice polish and a longer lasting finish before I need to go at it again.

Here's a link to Nevr-Dull at Home Depot:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ea...E301131001/313108174

I’d use one of the recommended polishes but with a buffing wheel on a drill instead of elbow grease and then waxing or clear coating it afterwards.

Barkeeper's Friend is also good for this sort of thing.

What kind of plaque? Is it engraved (i.e. letters made by cutting/etching/laser) or cast (i.e. letters sticking out from the base)?

If it's the latter, using wheels/tools may end up with brighter bits where the tool reaches (edges of the letters) and duller/untouched areas elsewhere.

For stubborn oxidization, Locktite Naval Jelly works incredibly well. It’s far more acidic than what has been mentioned so be cautious as to not leave it on too long. It’s easy to apply with a small paintbrush and coats really well. It’ll shine up the brass very easily and you won’t have to use a bunch of elbow grease.
Rinse well, then follow up with a rinse of some baking soda and water to neutralize the acid.
Personally I would follow up with a good Carnauba wax to protect it from further oxidization.

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Refurbishing a brass plaque

GoogleAI says:

Link

Cleaning Tarnished Brass
If you don't have brasso or the plaque is very badly tarnished you could try the method below.

Mix equal parts of table salt and lemon juice until the salt dissolves. Gently rub the mixture or the salted lemon directly onto the tarnished brass for about 10 minutes, ensuring even coverage. Once the brass is clean, rinse thoroughly with warm water.

This method is highly effective, but care must be taken while rubbing. Brass is a soft metal. Scrubbing too hard may leave marks on the brass surface.

Cleaning brass with a lemon-and-salt polish not only restores its shine but also provides a lasting luster. The lemon’s natural acidity breaks down oxidation, while the process leaves behind a protective coating, helping to resist future tarnishing.