Brass and copper are more and more commonly used in hookahs and I’m not complaining. I love the trimetal style and the traditional Syrian hookahs and Turkish hookahs that were made with brass exclusively. There is only one problem that some people find with brass. It tarnishes. Personally, I like the look of a well aged piece of brass but I do love how it shines when properly polished. So, how do we get that shine when we really want it?
Never-Dull
It’s safe for all kinds of metals and they say that it can be used on both brass and copper with optimal results. It’s similar to Brasso but it’s made by another company. This product only comes in the form of wadding, which is a soft fiber impregnated with the polishing compound. With polish wadding you don’t need to worry about what cloth to use but should wear gloves to protect your hands.
Brasso.
If you are polishing an all brass hookah there is no better option than brasso. Follow the instructions on the container and your hookah will look like the prettiest girl at the ball in short order. It can be used on copper and stainless steel as well so feel free to use this one on all of your trimetal style hookahs. Brasso comes in both a polish wadding and polishing compound form.
No matter what you use as a polish you need to make sure to us a soft polishing cloth. You don’t want to scratch your hookah so use something soft and non-abrasive. Rougher materials will polish faster but they will leave marks that you might not want on your hookah. It may even leave you with a finish that looks something like brushed steel than a mirror finish that we want. I’ve heard of some people using steel wool but I really suggest against that. It is WAY too harsh o use on your hookah and it will damage the surface. If you have a hookah with etchings then you really need to be careful about using abrasive polishing compounds or cloths because they etchings will be lost as the metal is taken away.
Make sure you understand that when copper and brass tarnish, the thinnest possible layer on the outside of the metal is oxidizing and turning into a new compound. When you polish this metal you are taking away that layer of tarnished metal. It’s very thin and you will likely never see the difference but it’s something to be aware of.
Hopefully, this gives you a starting point for maintaining the beauty of your hookah. If you have any questions post them here or in the forums and I’ll answer them ASAP.
I saw a video you made for YouTube where you used some sort of soft sand paper. Can that be used for a brass hookah?
Absolutely. I was using it on a brass hookah and it’s called micromesh.