How do you prepare Brass plumbing pipe for use in DIY projects?

Give your plumbing a classic and elegant finish with brass plumbing pipe! This pure, solid brass piping is easy to install and is available in a variety of finishes, from sand-cast to polished. Enjoy a quick and lasting clean with a gentle solvent or detergent, or add a classic, polished look with a polishing wheel.

Category: Care and cleaning

Brass plumbing pipe is pure solid brass with no coating applied during manufacture. Fittings like Elbows and Tees have a sand cast finish but hard drawn brass pipe has a polished finish.

Cast fitting can be polished using a polishing wheel to give a finish much like brass pipe lengths.

Brass pipe can have machine marks that may also be polished using a polishing wheel.

Uncoated bare brass has become increasingly popular as the finish of choice for kitchen and bathroom fittings. As a living finish, the initial highly polished appearance will mature over time to develop the unique character of aged brass. The aged patina of high-quality brass complements natural elements such as timber, granite, marble, limestone and copper.

We recommend this uncoated brass finish for al fresco kitchen and bathroom areas, particularly in coastal areas where the brass will rapidly patina without loss of functionality, becoming a striking feature.

Some minor imperfections in the surface of the material are not defects, but a feature of a handmade product.

Installation

It is important your builder or handyman uses clean hands or gloves when installing your brass plumbing pipe product. Ask them to cover the fittings if they are installed before the room is finished to avoid scratches and splatters from paint and commercial cleaning products.

Care and Maintenance

With regular use, expect that spotting will develop on the surface of uncoated brass from everyday chemicals splashing on to the fitting. Food acids such as lemon juice in the kitchen and bathroom products such as toothpaste and shaving foam are common causes. These marks contribute towards the final patina of the fitting.

Brass fittings can be cleaned routinely with mild soap and water which will not alter the patina development.

Over time, Polished Brass will develop a patina and the surface lose its brightness. If desired, the shine can be restored with occasional use of a very mild abrasive cleaner like Brasso.