Brass Charm Tips: Finishing Tips for Brass Charms

Washing Instructions

Wash charms in a solution of dishwashing detergent & warm water. You can put them in a plastic tub with a lid and shade to clean them. An old toothbrush works great if they are extra oily. Rinse thoroughly in warm water, and dry immediately to avoid water spots. Lay on an old towel & pay dry. Charms that have spots or a dull finish may be cleaned with any brand of brass polish. After using polish wash in detergent & water & dry before varnishing or antiquing.

Using Charms on Cards

It may not be necessary to wash charms for cards. If you see an oily residue on charms they should then be washed to prevent oil from staining your card. Otherwise use as it, and as they won't be handled a lot, sealing is not necessary either.

Antiquing

Charms may be antiqued with dark brown or black acrylic craft paint for a traditional look. Coat entire piece with paint and immediately wipe off excess paint with a piece of cloth or paper leaving paint in crevices. If too dark you can scrub off paint with a toothbrush and start again. You can also experiment with painting with other colours (ie. white) for different looks.

Sealing

After antiquing or painting charms they should be sealed to prevent tarnishing.

Either spray or brush on water-based or polyurethane sealers may be used. Use satin or gloss depending on how you want pieces to look. When spraying, lay pieces on newspaper in a large low sided box. Change newspapers between each coat of spray.

Painting

Charms may be sprayed with metallic acrylic craft paints after antiquing. Put 1 coat of lacquer on pieces after antiquing, before painting them. The paint will stick better.

Other Tips

To add glitter or sparkle, brush on a thin coat of water based varnish & while still wet sprinkle on glitter. Let dry, then shake off excess and put several coats of varnish over top to secure. Great on angel or fairy wings!

If you wish to cut off rings from charms, bend back & forth to break off small charms, however use side cutters to snip off from larger charms. Rough edges can be smoothed using a file or Dremel tool.