I recently bought this lovely vintage candle holder in a charity shop. It is quite weighty which drew me to it and seems to be brass-plated steel. However, the finish has flaked away in places and this does not make of a good distressed look! But it was so cheap, I bought it anyway, because of its weight and its lovely leaf detail, which I'd say. places it around the beginning of the 20th century.
After cleaning the piece in soapy water, all it needs is a coat of black finishing wax to not only bring back uniformity to the colour but also to reinstate some shine to the dried-up old metal. I apply the wax with a brush to make sure it sits well in all the detailing, then buff it with a soft brush to bring out the shine. This is a quick, cheap and effective way to bring back metal to life. Here, I think it worked rather well, almost giving the candle holder an antique silver look.
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