How to Make Oil Paint Stick to Brass

Applying paint over brass can be a very tricky process. Bare unlacquered brass tarnishes very quickly and easily, and it is difficult to bring it to a bright shine without extensive buffing and polishing. Painted brass, properly prepared and primed, looks very pleasing and also serves as an effective inhibitor of future tarnish. The process is somewhat challenging, but the results are worth the effort.

Things You'll Need

• Work gloves
• Safety goggles or other eye protection
• Dust mask
• Ventilated area
• Lacquer remover (if the surface is lacquered)
• Denatured alcohol or TSP (trisodium phosphate)
• Medium-fine sandpaper or steel wool
• Buffing cloth
• Painting tape
• Spray primer-sealer-bonder
• Oil-based spray paint of choice
• Newspaper or ground cloth

Instructions

1. Remove the brass piece or part if it is attached to furniture or other materials. If this is impossible, carefully tape over any areas not to be painted. If the brass is covered with clear lacquer, this will need to be removed either with commercial lacquer remover or a homemade solution as described in a link below.

2. Put on a dust mask, work gloves and eye protection. Check that the work area is well ventilated.

3. Clean all brass surfaces with either denatured alcohol or trisodium phosphate (TSP). Every trace of grease, oils and fingerprints must be removed to avoid corrosion and dulling of the brass surface, which will significantly affect the adhesion of paint. Any corrosion not removed in the liquid cleaning process can be removed with steel wool or fine sandpaper. Rinse and dry the brass surface, being very careful not to handle it with bare hands, which transfer skin oil to brass and begin a new round of corrosion. Let dry.

4. Spread out newspaper or a ground cloth to catch overspray from primer and paint. Following the direction on the label, apply a spray bonder-primer-sealer specifically intended for brass surfaces. Let dry. The primer, a step that absolutely cannot be skipped for a successful metal painting job, is necessary for the final paint to be able to bond to this notoriously tricky surface.

5. Be sure the primer has dried thoroughly. Apply desired number of coats of spray oil paint, following the directions on the label.

Tips & Warnings

• Let each coat of primer and/or paint dry thoroughly. Rushing through any step of this process will adversely affect the final finish.

• It is important to do cleaning, priming and painting in a low-humidity, adequately ventilated area. The temperature for painting must be 50-85 degrees Fahrenheit. Some sources recommend using methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) as a solvent to clean brass. This can be very dangerous because MEK is a well-known carcinogen that requires the use of an oxygen rebreather. It is safer to use the cleaning approaches described here.

Resources

• Cleaning Brass
• Using TSP Cleanser Safely
• Homemade Lacquer Remover