Brass hinges turned...silver?

15 years ago

I'm in process of painting kitchen cabinets and replacing cabinet hardware. Old hardware was brass, new hardware is brushed chrome, but rather than replace hinges and have to fill & re-drill holes, I planned on spray painting the hinges like I did in the bathroom. Not quite like the real thing, but close enough for now.

However, first I soaked the hinges in water & ammonia to remove the lacquer. I've since learned you shouldn't use ammonia with real brass because it leaches out the zinc and leaves behind weak copper; since my home is a trailer, you know they used the cheapest materials available, not solid brass.

What was supposed to be hours turned into days when I got busy and forgot about them. When I opened the container this morning, the water was blue, and the hinges were silvery in color. I rinsed them and let them dry, waiting for them to discolor...and hours later, they're still silvery. Does anyone know what metal these hinges might be made out of? Do you think they'll discolor over time, or can I leave them the way they are? Or possibly clear coat them? The current color is close enough to coordinate with my brushed chrome knobs, and it's certainly better than spray paint!

Featured Answer

hortonbrass

15 years ago

The material is generally called "pot metal" which is a cheap steel. Sometimes it is magnetic, sometimes its not. Zinc is usually added to the mix to prevent rust. Zinc doesn't rust per so, but it does oxidize into a white powder.

If you paint the hinges, the pivot points are going to wear and you will get corrosion at those points. Once those start to corrode it will get under the paint and the paint will flake or bubble.

Short answer-painting is a short term fix. You might be better off just getting new hinges. Plated hinges shouldn't be very expensive.

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Comments (8)

palimpsest
15 years ago
They are probably zinc hinges with a thin brass plating.
jessicaml
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks! Does that mean to use these I'll need to protect the zinc so it doesn't turn dark over time like zinc countertops do?
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sombreuil_mongrel
15 years ago
If a magnet sticks, they are steel. I'm pretty sure they are steel anyway, lacking the test. Solid zinc hinges? ORLY?
Casey
palimpsest
15 years ago
You are right, that would be awfully soft. I was thinking of knobs.
jessicaml
Original Author
15 years ago
Magnet sticks! That explains why when I looked up "zinc hinges" I kept finding zinc-coated steel hinges. At least I don't havve to worry that when I rehang the doors, the hinges won't hold...but since they're clearly not "stainless", I guess I'll still be spraying them with Rustoleum clear-coat or something.
Fori
15 years ago
I'm guessing these are the visible ones or you'd not care about the color. They aren't that hard to replace. Since they're not, I'd put 'em on and plan to replace or paint them later if they start to look bad.
jessicaml
Original Author
15 years ago
I could replace them with $2 hinges, actually, I'm just a) being cheap, b) trying to avoid waste, and c) hoping to avoid filling & redrilling, after already having to fill holes with a change in cabinet knobs.

It would just involve one hole, which is better than it could be...until you multiply it by 2 hinges and 20 doors, and I haven't even started changing out knobs & pulls on the lower cabs yet. Plus, the cabinets are primed already. Hmm.

I might try looking another place to see if I can find cheap hinges that wouldn't involve new holes, but otherwise, I think I can live with a short-term fix, either clear-coating them all with Rustoleum or putting them on as-is and seeing how they wear like fori suggested. Thanks for the input everyone! At least I have an idea of what they are now and know to keep expectations low. ;)