Care & repair
Everything we make is bare metal. That means it changes, and that changing is reversible. Here is what to expect and what to do about it.
Unlacquered brass and bronze
Expect movement in the first month. Fingerprints show as darker marks within days, and the overall tone walks from yellow towards a warm brown over six to twelve months. Pieces near a kitchen or a coast move faster, because steam and salt both accelerate it.
To keep it bright: a dry microfibre cloth, often. That alone removes most of what causes tarnish. When it has gone further than you like, use a mild brass polish sparingly, work with the grain of the finish, and buff it off completely — polish left in a corner keeps working and leaves a light halo.
To slow it down: a thin coat of microcrystalline wax on clean, dry metal, buffed to nothing. Renew it once or twice a year. It is what museums use and it does not yellow the way lacquer does.
To leave it alone: do exactly that. A settled patina is stable and protective, and it is the reason the ninety-year-old hardware we repair is still worth repairing.
Blackened steel
The black is an oxide, not a paint, and it needs a trace of oil to stay put. Wipe the piece with a barely oiled cloth two or three times a year — any neutral oil works, argan or camellia oil both do.
If orange spotting appears, it is surface rust and it comes off with fine steel wool and oil. Do not use water, and do not leave a candlestick standing in the wax that has run down it.
Tinned copper
Wash by hand, warm water, no dishwasher and no abrasive pads — the dishwasher will strip the tin and dull the exterior in a single cycle.
The tin lining darkens with use, which is normal. When copper begins to show through in more than one spot, the tray is due for re-tinning. Send it back; we do it at cost and it comes home good for another decade.
Repairs
Free, for life, on anything that left this workshop. Loose joints, cracked bases, sconces that need rewiring, pieces that have been dropped or badly polished.
Write first with a photograph so we can tell you whether to post it or bring it. If you bought the piece second-hand it is still covered — the guarantee attaches to the object, not to the receipt.
Free repairs, for life, on anything we made.
Send a photograph first and we will tell you whether to post it or bring it. Pieces bought second-hand are covered too — the guarantee attaches to the object, not to the receipt.
Arrange a repair