Finishing and Polishing Brass
Aug. 04, 2025
Finishing and Polishing Brass
To my eye, because the scratches look like they have a somewhat common orientation, it looks like either you have not completely removed the coarser scratches from some prior rougher grit stage during the progression. Or, sometimes if your polish applicator (cloth, paper towel, whatever) itself is somewhat abrasive, it can introduce new scratches during polishing. Or maybe you used the same polishing applicator/wheel/buff of the coarser grit on the finer grit?
A finishing technique I use is change direction with introduction of every new grit. Example, if you sanded radially with 600#, then switch to longitudinal on 800#, then radially again or completely different offset angle at #. You should only see uniform micro-striations of the finer grit with no underlying striations of the prior coarser grit. Vs. if you always do them in the same direction, then prior deeper scours which haven't been completely removed may be getting masked. This isn't always possible on all objects (especially round things where you are trying to keep dimensional conformance), but something to try & do if possible. Brass has nil porosity unless its a very weird alloy, so you should be able to get it to near mirror. Also some polishes have a wax or agent which is more like a thin gloss coating which enhances shine & tricks the eye a bit. As opposed to abrasive only polish. The wax/additive type makes the finish look better for sure, but the wax typically wears or evaporates over time. But that's a different issue.
I also know that photographing metal makes them look worse than in real life so you probably have a nice finish, just want it better.
I just finished a few pen kits & other Xmas objects myself for the first time. I was lurking on that IAP forum & got some good ideas. But I have discovered I do not like 'the brown stuff' on my metal lathe even with ways wrapped in Saran & vacuum on. So if I ever pursue this as a hobby I'd be on the lookout for something like a Taig or Sherline. A lot of guys use a wood lathes but typically not for mostly metal bodies. I don't really have the room or the desire for a separate lathe.
Lets see some more of your work, I'm interested! Thanks for all the advice, I will try Peter T's method of different directions for different grits and see if I can get a better finish. When I started out, I was making pens out of copper which finishes and polishes beautifully but is a cast-iron bitch to machine. I would have to stop and resharpen bits often, especially when drilling out the interior. Then I started using brass which machines beautifully but is harder to finish, and electroplating it with copper. That is how I will continue, if I can get the fine scratches out. Electroplating doesn't cover up the fine scratches, they show right up in the copper and by then it's too late to get rid of them.
These aren't in any particular order, just various ones that I've made .
This was the first pen I sold, probably should have gotten much better before I started selling them, but a friend overseas saw them on my Facebook and wanted to buy a few. She bought this one for herself and bought another one to give to J.K. Rowling as a birthday present (we all lived in Portugal at the same time), apparently buying presents for billionaires is a difficult thing!
Experimenting with different finishes, this was a thin layer of spray lacquer, but it didn't hold up to daily use. I want to get away from using Cyanoacrylate glue (superglue) which most pen makers use as a finish because a lot of makers develop sensitivities to the chemicals.
This is an electroplated pen, showing how the fine scratches from the brass show through into the copper.
Rejects get adapted into suncatchers and Christmas Tree ornaments.
A copper blank showing the difference between unfinished and on the way to being finished.
My first pen in copper for my wife. I hit it utterly out of the park on my first try and haven't come close to this again. This has a CA Finish which still holds up.
This is J.K. Rowling's pen.
My first two pens with CA finish. I've been using CA as an adhesive for models for +30 years but never considered as a coating system. But after seeing so many examples I just had to try out of morbid curiosity. I think there are better finishes but its the rapid buildup of glue + accelerator. Doing a regular clear coat would take much longer.
I went to polish on Green too soon. The picture looks better than real life. I can still see the rolling hilltops of the glue lines that were not blocked down to the base of valleys. But I kind of messed up the wood diameter which was already proud of the pen body diameter & was getting concerned my CA application was too thin in that area so I stopped. On brown burl I applied more coats & blocked with 600# between coats & that helped. More thickness to work with & a better surface to start sanding. The trouble with pens is if you want to sand in a different direction to the rotation axis (longitudinally), you risk making facets which is even worse. What I find works best is a foam rubber pad backing with the right amount of flex. And as mentioned above, fine grit scuff pads have a nice way of conforming to surfaces.
aluminum model rocker covers with 600# scuff pads/wheel. I actually wanted more of a matte finish, just enough to blend out the prior hand filing/sanding. Some people use the scuff pads wet with water or WD-40 id loading is an issue. I know it works on copper but the issue is almost immediate oxide layer, so there may be some tricks to specific polishes.
4 hours is frikken insane time to bury in trying to get a decent polish! Something is very wrong in your set-up! It's either a wrong choice in methods, or materials. Maybe both.
I would suggest among other items worth pursuing, for your needs, is a MicroMesh Kit. https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/cspages/micromeshstd.php These are used for polishing aircraft wind screens and making them optically 'near' perfect. I have found that going much past grit is a waste, on most metals, unless you are trying to produce a truly flat, perfect, mirror finish! (hint, use a very flat, solid ( I used a lot of Acrylic sheet offcuts, because I had them), backing block as you sand that mirror face!) Past grit or so, you can get a great, near perfect finish, with a clean, soft cotton cloth or a lint-free towel and some metal polish (look for Solvol Autosol! my recommendation!) Clean carefully with soapy water between grits, and wipe off carefully! Use clean soapy water to lubricate the sandpaper (a couple drops of dish soap in a 500 ml squirt bottle is good!) when sanding.
But you should be able to get a lot closer than you have, using autobody grades of sandpaper (up to - grit usually available) used wet, with a little dish soap in the water, as well as some clean soft cotton cloth and metal polish. Same rules apply! Clean between grits!
Primary effort needs to be put in to removing ALL of the previous grit's marks before moving on, and paying close attention to keep from contaminating higher grit abrasives with lower grit particles! At first, you will likely have to step back in the process to restart it at a lower grit, but if you can pay enough attention to a project to work on it for four hours and still not be happy, I figure you have it in ya to spend 35 or so minutes and pay close attention, and get great results! It's a bit Art, and a Bit Science, but these are my experiences in doing what you are trying to!
FWIW, I would work in the same linear direction through all the grit ranges. I found that I had far fewer artifacts of previous work, showing up on the finished product. I did a LOT of this work, by hand, rather than under power and spinning, which would have been MUCH quicker!
Per your later posts, I would say that your problem is one of cross contamination, rather than of a problem with the metal. Consider whether your polishing papers are embedding particles into the work, that are ruining the later efforts! Suggest light pressures, and LOTS of cleaning between wet passes, of the various grits. I know that I never had any trouble getting to a near optically perfect surface, at far less a grit than you claim to be going to!
A finishing technique I use is change direction with introduction of every new grit. Example, if you sanded radially with 600#, then switch to longitudinal on 800#, then radially again or completely different offset angle at #. You should only see uniform micro-striations of the finer grit with no underlying striations of the prior coarser grit. Vs. if you always do them in the same direction, then prior deeper scours which haven't been completely removed may be getting masked. This isn't always possible on all objects (especially round things where you are trying to keep dimensional conformance), but something to try & do if possible. Brass has nil porosity unless its a very weird alloy, so you should be able to get it to near mirror. Also some polishes have a wax or agent which is more like a thin gloss coating which enhances shine & tricks the eye a bit. As opposed to abrasive only polish. The wax/additive type makes the finish look better for sure, but the wax typically wears or evaporates over time. But that's a different issue.
I also know that photographing metal makes them look worse than in real life so you probably have a nice finish, just want it better.
I just finished a few pen kits & other Xmas objects myself for the first time. I was lurking on that IAP forum & got some good ideas. But I have discovered I do not like 'the brown stuff' on my metal lathe even with ways wrapped in Saran & vacuum on. So if I ever pursue this as a hobby I'd be on the lookout for something like a Taig or Sherline. A lot of guys use a wood lathes but typically not for mostly metal bodies. I don't really have the room or the desire for a separate lathe.
Lets see some more of your work, I'm interested! Thanks for all the advice, I will try Peter T's method of different directions for different grits and see if I can get a better finish. When I started out, I was making pens out of copper which finishes and polishes beautifully but is a cast-iron bitch to machine. I would have to stop and resharpen bits often, especially when drilling out the interior. Then I started using brass which machines beautifully but is harder to finish, and electroplating it with copper. That is how I will continue, if I can get the fine scratches out. Electroplating doesn't cover up the fine scratches, they show right up in the copper and by then it's too late to get rid of them.
These aren't in any particular order, just various ones that I've made .
This was the first pen I sold, probably should have gotten much better before I started selling them, but a friend overseas saw them on my Facebook and wanted to buy a few. She bought this one for herself and bought another one to give to J.K. Rowling as a birthday present (we all lived in Portugal at the same time), apparently buying presents for billionaires is a difficult thing!
Experimenting with different finishes, this was a thin layer of spray lacquer, but it didn't hold up to daily use. I want to get away from using Cyanoacrylate glue (superglue) which most pen makers use as a finish because a lot of makers develop sensitivities to the chemicals.
This is an electroplated pen, showing how the fine scratches from the brass show through into the copper.
Rejects get adapted into suncatchers and Christmas Tree ornaments.
A copper blank showing the difference between unfinished and on the way to being finished.
My first pen in copper for my wife. I hit it utterly out of the park on my first try and haven't come close to this again. This has a CA Finish which still holds up.
This is J.K. Rowling's pen.
My first two pens with CA finish. I've been using CA as an adhesive for models for +30 years but never considered as a coating system. But after seeing so many examples I just had to try out of morbid curiosity. I think there are better finishes but its the rapid buildup of glue + accelerator. Doing a regular clear coat would take much longer.
I went to polish on Green too soon. The picture looks better than real life. I can still see the rolling hilltops of the glue lines that were not blocked down to the base of valleys. But I kind of messed up the wood diameter which was already proud of the pen body diameter & was getting concerned my CA application was too thin in that area so I stopped. On brown burl I applied more coats & blocked with 600# between coats & that helped. More thickness to work with & a better surface to start sanding. The trouble with pens is if you want to sand in a different direction to the rotation axis (longitudinally), you risk making facets which is even worse. What I find works best is a foam rubber pad backing with the right amount of flex. And as mentioned above, fine grit scuff pads have a nice way of conforming to surfaces.
aluminum model rocker covers with 600# scuff pads/wheel. I actually wanted more of a matte finish, just enough to blend out the prior hand filing/sanding. Some people use the scuff pads wet with water or WD-40 id loading is an issue. I know it works on copper but the issue is almost immediate oxide layer, so there may be some tricks to specific polishes.
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I make pens in a Taig lathe, usually brass either left bright or electroplated copper. My question is about finishing and polishing brass. This is after 4 hours of using progressively finer grits of sandpaper, starting at 320 and ending at 12,000, followed by polishing with dialux yellow and blue. And I still have these fine lines. I want a mirror finish but at some point I wonder, are these lines just in the grain of the brass itself, or can I get rid of them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!I have a LOT of experience polishing brass and other metals to a mirror finish by hand.
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4 hours is frikken insane time to bury in trying to get a decent polish! Something is very wrong in your set-up! It's either a wrong choice in methods, or materials. Maybe both.
I would suggest among other items worth pursuing, for your needs, is a MicroMesh Kit. https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/cspages/micromeshstd.php These are used for polishing aircraft wind screens and making them optically 'near' perfect. I have found that going much past grit is a waste, on most metals, unless you are trying to produce a truly flat, perfect, mirror finish! (hint, use a very flat, solid ( I used a lot of Acrylic sheet offcuts, because I had them), backing block as you sand that mirror face!) Past grit or so, you can get a great, near perfect finish, with a clean, soft cotton cloth or a lint-free towel and some metal polish (look for Solvol Autosol! my recommendation!) Clean carefully with soapy water between grits, and wipe off carefully! Use clean soapy water to lubricate the sandpaper (a couple drops of dish soap in a 500 ml squirt bottle is good!) when sanding.
But you should be able to get a lot closer than you have, using autobody grades of sandpaper (up to - grit usually available) used wet, with a little dish soap in the water, as well as some clean soft cotton cloth and metal polish. Same rules apply! Clean between grits!
Primary effort needs to be put in to removing ALL of the previous grit's marks before moving on, and paying close attention to keep from contaminating higher grit abrasives with lower grit particles! At first, you will likely have to step back in the process to restart it at a lower grit, but if you can pay enough attention to a project to work on it for four hours and still not be happy, I figure you have it in ya to spend 35 or so minutes and pay close attention, and get great results! It's a bit Art, and a Bit Science, but these are my experiences in doing what you are trying to!
FWIW, I would work in the same linear direction through all the grit ranges. I found that I had far fewer artifacts of previous work, showing up on the finished product. I did a LOT of this work, by hand, rather than under power and spinning, which would have been MUCH quicker!
Per your later posts, I would say that your problem is one of cross contamination, rather than of a problem with the metal. Consider whether your polishing papers are embedding particles into the work, that are ruining the later efforts! Suggest light pressures, and LOTS of cleaning between wet passes, of the various grits. I know that I never had any trouble getting to a near optically perfect surface, at far less a grit than you claim to be going to!
fastest way to mirror polish brass | MIG Welding Forum
andytm
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tigler
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the snooper
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outofthefire
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hareng
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Two methods you can do as have done but dont bother with anything above 600gr then mop polish.
Or use the mop polisher and go down in grit size then on to a callico mop. Its not like aluminiums where it rips holes and burrs them over called over polishing.
Give you some idea one abrasive has to be kept refridgerated, slap on the mop and sparks will fly off steels like a grinder.
If its long strips of brass a handheld polisher might be better but weigh a bit.
stuvy
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This took about 3 hrs using different mops on my old bench grinder with a bit of wet and drying first. Fast and polishing can't be used in the same sentence.
thats cool mate, what was it for, just decoration? and im guessing ally?
andytm
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andytm
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Shame you were not nearer you could have had my 3hp 10" pedestal mop polisher rarely used.
Two methods you can do as have done but dont bother with anything above 600gr then mop polish.
Or use the mop polisher and go down in grit size then on to a callico mop. Its not like aluminiums where it rips holes and burrs them over called over polishing.
Give you some idea one abrasive has to be kept refridgerated, slap on the mop and sparks will fly off steels like a grinder.
If its long strips of brass a handheld polisher might be better but weigh a bit.
are the pedestal machines any good mate ?
outofthefire
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thats cool mate, what was it for, just decoration? and im guessing ally?
No its brass and it was for nothing special I did it mostly to learn how to work metal, it took me about two years on and off. It doesn't actually look like that anymore I dont particularly like shiny and I wanted to learn how to give metal patina so it got a bath in vinegar for about a week. I really like how it looks now but most folk prefer it shiny.
hotrodder
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If you search the forum for 'polishing' and cross reference it with usernames like 'Langy' or 'Scott' you'll find threads on the subject and Langy (at least) has posted pics of the perfect sort of hand held machine... you need heat to get the soaps working (without it you just spread the grease around) which means lots of torque so you can lean on the tool without it slowing down
Avoid 'cheap' polishing kits from the likes of machinemart... they ain't cheap and the soaps are a greasy mess compared to good quality stuff. I forget the names of the polishing supplier(s) that usually get mentioned but there'll be links in the search results- thepolishingshop probably. Menzerna is name to look out for for compounds/soaps
langy
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Pedestal polishers are the proper job for polishing, they are designed for the job, the cheap bench grinder type polishers just are not in the same league I'm afraid.
What sort of size pieces do you need to do ??
andytm
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hareng
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I wouldnt want to do 1/8" flat though on a pedestal.
Better off with a decent handheld polisher and a jig to reduce the bending and hold.
Dont skimp on a low power jobby, you would be disappointed.
Something of this ilk from that site Item number:
Shedendman
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When i left the army my old SSM took my belt off me,lol
Mind you reading how much you want doing my method would be rather slow,lol
andytm
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langy
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well im 150+ hours into polishing now and have found the fastest was so far is to flatten the material with 800 grit on my da then block with and buff using autosol this seems to give a better shine and faster than the proper compounds
150 hours !!! Your doing something wrong mate, shouldn't take that long
KICKSY
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andytm
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langy
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I have polished literally hundreds if not thousands of metres of brass flat bar angles and curved sections i cant heat the brass too much when buffing as it leaves swirles in the brass and the customer cant have this as it has to be a perfect mirror shine with no marks for their very very expensive furniture , they are happy with the time its taking to get the results they want
If you took it to a pro polisher he would do it in a fraction of the time which would allow you to do something else which would improve your profit margin, I have a complete polishing setup in my workshop but i give the work to the polisher as experience counts and he will do stuff in half the time it takes me even though I can get the same end result.
The stainless & chrome on my customers cars have to be perfect but my polisher don't take that long really.
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