MTFCA Forum

When shiny brass is clear coated to keep the shine and turns brown in 15 years, what is the best way to remove the old clear coat?

Should the coating just be left off after polishing the light in the beginning?

"Will not chip, crack, peel, yellow, or fade"..... except IT ALWAYS DOES. Don't clear coat brass with anything you can't wipe off easily.

Since it's already been coated these fifteen years a-gone, the question is, how to remove it ? Lacquer thinner would be a good solvent to try at first. It could be pretty stubborn.

I agree with Pat, it's usually best not to coat polished brass with anything, but then, there's the polishing. Fun for some, not for all.

I recently went through same problem. I had to use brush on aircraft paint remover, it took multiple applications to remove it all. Lacquer thinner won’t touch stuff that’s been on there for decades.

If lacquer thinner won't take "something" off, it's probly due to the chemical makeup of the product, not how long its been there.

Like Rich says...I don't coat anything. But then, being a shiny brass snob, I do like to polish brass. I know I'm sick-minded! But it does give me therapy and a sense of accomplishment when I'm done and it's so shiny!

I used DMF or Dimethylformamide on some very nice repop lights I had purchased. Very nasty stuff but worked great. Not sure where you can get it but I was lucky to work in a plastics plant with all sorts of nasty chemicals. I am in agreement with the other posters, Don't coat your brass!

This was a successful removal without harsh chemicals.

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While you are trying various solvents, there is always acetone and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) the latter being PVC pipe cleaner. Both are a little more aggressive than lacquer thinner. Even lacquer thinners come in varying degrees of aggressiveness depending on the temperature of the lacquer for which they are designed.