How to: Restore Copper
This process was NOT a easy as I thought it would be.
I was super ambitious in the store when I picked this little guy up, and I am still SO glad I did it because... look at it! 😍 It is stunning and the difference is amazing... BUT (yeah you knew that "but" was coming) it took a little time and a lot of elbow grease.
In retrospect, it really was because this tea kettle happened to be in such rough shape when it came into my life. The hardest parts, and the parts that caused me so much grief, were those little dark spots on it. There was a light layer of "gunk" if you will, that came off pretty easily.
Anywho, all I used for this little cleaner-upper project was:
* A sad little copper something-or-other
* A canister of Barkeeper's Friend
* An old toothbrush (for those harder to reach spots)
* An old cloth or rag
* A small dish of water
* Gloves if you don't want to burn your fingertips off. Barkeeper's Friend is
So to get started, you'll just want to clean off your piece a little under running water. Mine didn't, but some pieces may have dirt or dust on the surface that will just make the cleaning process more difficult. So I just ran the kettle under the faucet and ran my hands over it to make sure there wasn't any other debris.
I then left the kettle slightly wet from the sink, meaning I just didn't dry it off before sprinkling some Barkeeper's Friend onto it. I started with the lid first because it was a smaller piece to start with to sort of get my bearings about me since this was my first time doing this.
From this picture you can more easily see what I was talking about earlier. Those little darker spots are the ones that needed extra attention. The lid wasn't terrible and I got it completely cleaned in a few minutes, but the actual kettle was in much worse shape. These little black spots were EVERYWHERE. So much so that at one point I was convinced they were multiplying.
I guess if I could give you a piece of advice if you're doing a larger piece or a piece in rough shape, it would be to take a few breaks.
Unfortunately for me, I am a highly motivated person with no off-switch. And I truly count that as one of my biggest faults. It is easy for me to burn myself out when I do projects like this because I just can't walk away from it. Don't be like me. Just turn it off for a minute. 😉
About halfway through this project I decided that a toothbrush might really help with getting into the edges and underneath the handle and IT DID. I found that the cloth did a better job of getting those tough black spots off, but the toothbrush did a fantastic job of getting the weird film off and getting the edges. It is also easier on your hands if you need a break from hard scrubbing.
Dipping the toothbrush in water and then sprinkling some Barkeeper's Friend onto it made things easier too. The grit of the Barkeeper's is what I think really gets the junk off, well that and whatever magic is mixed into this stuff.
I actually LOVE this cleaner and maybe in the future I'll share some of my more unconventional ways of using it, but today, we clean copper and take a nap... trust me, you'll need it.
That difference was enough to keep me going. When you can see what it could be and you know you can take it there... how could you stop?
It's kind of like your highest dreams and aspirations, right? You know what you COULD be and you know you can take yourself there if you try hard enough... so you keep going.
You're right, too deep for this post.
At any rate, even though this clean up wasn't as easy as I had hoped, this is still one of my favorite thrift store finds and one of the best $3.99 I ever spent.
Now this little guy will sit and look pretty on a shelf or something and hopefully never ever get this tarnished ever again!
Have any of you enjoyed the pleasure of restoring copper? Share your experience with me in the comments!
Until next time,
Little Mitten Girl.
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