I can appreciate your concern about scratch brush vs. a matte finish. The trick is what you use and technique. I wouldn't use a scratch brush, I would use something a tad more aggressive like a scotch brite pad. Just like anything else, it all depends on the amount of time and care you put into the final finish. It would look professional.Ken Herrick wrote:I think you would be very disappointed with the end result if you use the scratch brush which doesn't even match a shot blast matte finish. It would look very amatuerish and home made. Better to leave it raw brass. A professional quality buffed/polished then lacquered finish would be better. If you were silver plating a good matte finish with the engraving masked, or the inside of the bell bright polished would look nice.
B&H / Besson used the shot blasted matte finish silver plate as it was a real labor saver compared to bright polished brass and lacquer
Scratch brush tends to just look cheap and nasty.
In the end it comes down to your preference and how "professional" you want the job to look.
I gave this some thought. For me, cost isn't the concern, it is upkeep. Silver would look terrific, but I don't feel like polishing it all the time so I elected for either of these lacquered finishes.fairweathertuba wrote:I would vote for silver plate, but that might price this horn out of buyable price range, so instead I will voice my opinion for high shine with lacquer.
I'm doing it for myself. I don't plan on selling it. I am restoring it for me.iiipopes wrote:I wouldn't refinish it at all. It won't substantially affect the life expectancy of this souzy, it won't improve resale, and it really won't improve aesthetics. Just leave it as it is.
I don't who leisure-time is, so I can't speak about that. I do know that the scratch finish has to be done correctly to look good. Secondly, the degreasing and clean up has to be top notch for the lacquer to look good on top of the scratch finish. If there is ANY dirt left at all, the finish will look cheap.Donn wrote:To me, "scratch brush" means the fairly coarse treatment I have seen in pictures from that leisure-time outfit in Indiana or wherever it is. Usually along with some faux antiquing color and bronze or reddish lacquer. Extremely tacky, in my opinion. Best use of this technique is for lamps and doorknobs and such, and even then it's tacky. If you want tacky, metallic gold spray paint should do it.
Put me down for bright. Color finish if you want something different, though I guess that will look bad pretty fast as it chips off.
It's a nice change from the ole regular lacquer and silver plate...
