6 Test Run: DIY Brass to Class

Last week when a major DIY discovery fell into my lap (summary: a life changing moment when I found out that oven cleaner can turn brass to chrome by removing the brass finish to reveal the metal underneath…click here for full post) I thought of a million projects to tackle…the first being my older than dirt doorknobs.

With plenty of other DIY projects keeping me busy around the construction site, doorknobs have been waaaaaay down the gotta-get-on-that list but if $5.00 worth of oven cleaner would shine these bad boys up, it was worth a shot.

 

This weekend, the doorknob to my den coat closet (which is actually overflowing with paint cans and bins of puppy food in lieu of coats) was the first guinea pig.

Filthy, I know. No judging, please…



I kicked off this DIY by removing the outer covering of the doorknob…



Assembling my ammo—oven cleaner made for use on cold ovens, rubber gloves and thin steal wool for some serious scrub-a-dubbin’…



Then I lined up the targets and sprayed away…



Let the cleaner sit for 20 minutes or so and scrub with steal wool. Depending on how stubborn the brass finish is, you may need to get some fine grit sandpaper in on the action. I did…



Once the brass finish was removed, I rinsed and dried completely before popping back into place…

Clearly the metal under the brass finish is less stainless/chrome-y and more gold-y and the sandpaper left a fe scratched behind but still much improved. The jury is still out as to whether I want to scrub and polish all of my doorknobs, spray paint or replace with brand new knobs BUT the good news is this DIY brass to class with oven cleaner does work and I’ll never look at brass furniture flips the same.