Can you varnish interior metal ?

[Guest]

I have spent hours in the evenings tarting up a brass greaser and four bronze seacocks.

I would love to continue admiring them during the season and have the brilliant idea of covering them with a number of coats of varnish to stop them turning green again. Will it last ? and isn't there something about leaving metal to form it's own protective coat ?

In 1995 I followed the suggestions in the handbook of a Seagull 40 series outboard and covered it with two coats of varnish. I repainted the whole thing ( including the gold bit on the rotor). I have to say that it looked a picture but some bounder nicked it second time out from the mooring and I never did see if the varnish lasted.( Moral = use rubbish gear !)

p.s I do not have a metal fetish but anybody who used to go on the Woolwich ferry in the fifties when a boy ( and probably Glasgow Puffers and the Mersea) ends up like this apparently.

 

[gunnarsilins]

Probably beeing a bit of metal...

....fetichist I´ve tried to varnish all polished brass and copper parts (tubes, end castings on heat exchangers etc.) on my engine when I repainted it a few years ago. I thoughtv the shiny brass would look nice against the glossy painted steel.
It did, and still does. I did not use varnish but clear aerosol paint intended for automotive use.
I hadf this idea from my dad who used to polish these nice brass kerosene lamps and varnish them afterwards.
Go ahead!

 

[vyv_cox]

Bronze antiques should never be polished, their patina add considerably to their value. Your fittings probably don't fall into this category...

Many years ago there was a product for exactly what you want, described as a lacquer. If I remember, it was fine for a year or two but then the whole lot needed to be removed to clean up the places where it had chipped and worn. Acetone or MEK would do it, but I'm not sure which is the more time consuming - brass polishing or lacquer removal. Personally, I don't mind a bit of brass polishing anyway, so I would leave them alone.

 

[jfkal]

Re: Probably beeing a bit of metal...

What exactly is the paint called. Any brands?

 

[DanTribe]

Vic
I've got two types of metal lacqer, both years old, so don't know if still available.
1/Rustins ltd transparent brass lacquer [local DIY shop]
2/Kingston's Translac [a Kurust company]
Is that how you spend your evenings nowadays, polishing your seacocks?
Dan

 

[Guest]

Try using boiled linseed oil straight onto the metal. The Dutch do this all the time on acres of steel and the effect can be very attractive. The linseed oil takes a time to dry so it cabn be better to add a splash of Terebine dryers or similar. On my riveted ship I also add a good proportion of Owatrol Rustol to penetrate between the plates and give further protection.

 

[Avocet]

I used Halfords' alloy wheel laquer aerosol on my brass cabin lamp surrounds. Polish the brass, wash it in water, polish it some more with a soft cloth, wipe it over with acetone or meths and spray a coat or two on. Be careful not to overdo the thickness of any one coat as it runs quite readily. I've found it lasts for 2-3 seasons.

 

[Guest]

Going for Golden Balls !

I used to go out in the evenings Dan but my daughter is getting married this year so my normal lifestyle options remain stuck in "iron's" at the moment. Anyway, I am going for the club's "best cocks in the bog " award this year.

Changing the subject, and possibly downward, I read in the Mail on Sunday's Magazine's Problem Page a few weeks ago an enlightening fact. Lady catwalk models place about their person shall we say, three golden balls that make them look and feel sexy when moving about to put on the best performance when modelling clothes.

I have recently applied to be the first male to audition to model Stannah Stairlifts. Any suggestions where I might obtain, and place, 3 golden balls to enhance my performance ?

 

[DanTribe]

Re: Going for Golden Balls !

You used to see just the thing outside pawnbroker's shops.Would they fit?