After using for a while particularly for solid fuel use the fireplace you have will show cosmetic signs of wear and tear this can depend on what type of fuel you have been using whether its coal or wood generally the hotter the burning fuel the more upkeep you will have to make.
Full polished Fireplaces are very simple to maintain we tend to use WD40 for normal monthly cleaning but once every 6 months we tend to use Metal Polish which is applied with a cloth working in small sections in a circular motion its polished into the cast and the excess removed and then buffed with clean cloth to finish to a shiny finish this paste removes all the grime left behind and the Cast iron will sparkle like new it can also be used on brass chrome etc.
For our Black Fireplaces them come from the factory with a tough heat resistant matt black spray applied to the surface this will not normally come off or flake away so it can be dusted with a dry cloth to keep it clean DO NOT use Water on it as this causes rusting. Around the Basket area of the fire this causes white deposits to build up these need to be removed with a brush and then normally sprayed over with Heat Temp Matt Black Paint which will cover all the exiting heat marks be sure to spray evenly over the cast iron back to ensure colour match.
For our Fireplaces that have been Black Leaded we use Black Lead Grate Polish this is a traditional Black lead Graphite finish similar to the Old Zebo product which my granny used to polish her range with. It’s very simple to use and is applied by a cloth or small paint brush cover the area you are going to do wiping excess away at all times leave to dry for half an hour then buff to your desired finish with a clean cloth or with a polishing brush this method is very effective and I think it really makes the features of the fireplace stand out just have a look at the photos below the top one shows before and the bottom one is after black lead has been applied its not bright silver more of a pewter look

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Black Lead, Fireplace, Fireplaces, Polish, Restoration

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Fireplace Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.