Flea Market Find: Easy DIY Brass Mirror Fix

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I think I got my love of antiquing from my mom. The searching, haggling, and scouring unique finds for great prices is a love for us both. And wonderfully, since Charlie and I have been married, it has become a love of his too. So, on trips and outings, we often venture by antique stores or flea markets to see if we can find any hidden gems. I am a sucker for furniture, rugs and art, while he particularly loves old watches, clocks, and furniture as well. It was on one of these trips (our visit to Bolzano, Italy in the Dolomites which you can check out HERE!), that we stumbled upon this beautiful little arched brass mirror in a second hand shop. The patina was deep, the metal wasn’t perfect and the mirror had shifted, but we loved this little flea market find. Soon, we left carrying a little brass mirror for the remainder of our day of exploring. Seeing that it needed a bit of work, I thought it could be fun to walk through the process that I took over the past few days to fix up this little brass mirror. Certainly, even after the DIY, the mirror has its quirks however the brass patina, arched design and price were simply too good to pass up and now they each add a layer of interest and storytelling to our home. So, if you are wondering if a flea market find is worth fixing, I hope through this post you might be encouraged that in fact many small quirks in antique pieces can be remedied in fun ways. 

What Flea Market Find Quirks Are Worth Fixing? 

If shopping second hand is new to you, you might be wondering, what antique piece quirks are really worth fixing? 

While almost anything can be fixed, it totally depends on the level of involvement and effort you are hoping to include. I tend to go for pieces that take a more minimal level of DIY-ing however, occasionally I will opt for pieces that are more involved if they have a lot of potential. 

Pieces with low to medium amounts of fixing typically are those that are still structurally sound with just a few cosmetic changes like: a mirror shifted within a frame, adding a screw/ nail / glue to a small crack, polishing a finish, changing a mat / framing art etc. On the other hand larger projects to take on would be pieces that require a total structural change, appearance change or both, like: painting or stripping a finish, changing upholstery, structural reinforcement, large cracks, electrical rewiring, or other major repairs. For either project scale, I typically avoid broken plastic elements (unless you are totally removing them) as they can be more challenging to fix than wood, ceramic or metal. And in the end, with a bit of TLC, your flea market find can be as good as new. 

Arched Brass Mirror Flaws & Solutions 

When we first bought this mirror, I already knew that I loved the design AND that it had a shifted mirror within the metal frame which would require some work. What I wasn’t sure about was if I would be able to remove the back to fix the shifted mirror, if the mirror was already glued down or if I would have to find another solution. Seeing this, I decided that regardless of being able to shift the mirror, I wanted to add a twisted or braided brass wire detail between the current frame and glass. If I wasn’t able to shift the mirror, this would then cover the shifted glass, and if I could shift the mirror, it would allow for a nice textural change. 

Materials 

• Brass metal wire (I used 2mm / 12 gauge for a thick twist to hide the mirror gap, however if braiding instead of twisting, use thinner wire / higher gauge)
• Superglue (fast drying, for metal and/or mirror)
• Snips / pliers
• Cutting Board 
• Hammer  
• Salt
• Water 
• Lemon 

Brass Mirror Fixes Step By Step 

Cleaning & Removing Brass Patina

1 – Once I gathered all of my materials, I realized that the deep patina of the brass mirror was a totally different color than the new brass metal wire. As brass is a living finish that changes over time, I knew that they eventually would be similar, however to bridge that gap, I began by cleaning the brass mirror and removing some of the deep age. 

2 – To simply clean brass, wet a soft cloth with soap and water and just wipe the brass gently to remove any dirt and grime.  

3 – To remove extra patina, cut a lemon into a small piece, sprinkle it with salt and rub along the brass. The acidity from the lemon and salt will remove the patina to the original brass finish fairly quickly. For me, this led to a much shinier brass finish than what I was hoping for in the end, however we will come back to how to restore some patina following the mirror fix. 

If your item is only brass plated and not solid brass, do not remove the patina too often as this can eventually wear through the brass plate. You can check if your item is fully brass or brass plated by analyzing the weight (brass is heavy) or holding it to a magnet. If the magnet sticks, it is likely that another metal is beneath the brass which is magnetic. 

Fixing The Mirror & Adding Twist Detail

4 – After removing the patina, I looked to see if I could remove the back panel to slide up the mirror. Thankfully, I was able to uncrimp the brass sides, remove the back and gently slide up the mirror, however the next addition of the twist detail would have disguised it as well. 

5 – To begin adding the twist detail, start by measuring the perimeter of the mirror. From here, cut two strips of metal wire slightly longer than this perimeter to ensure that once twisted there will be enough. 

6 – Following this, use your pliers to bend the two ends of the wire into a hook. Hook the wire around a cabinet pull, cutting board, or another object to ensure it stays connected while twisting. 

7 – Twist the two wires together until you have one long cord. If you would rather a braided pattern instead of a twist, repeat the same steps as above, however I would recommend using slightly thinner wire to make the braiding process easier. If your cord becomes really curved throughout the process, use the hammer to straighten it out to ensure it is one long straight piece. 

8 – Once your cord is finished, cut a clean edge on one side and begin fixing the twisted cord to the mirror. If your superglue only will adhere to the metal, attach it slightly to the edge of the brass. Otherwise, apply directly to the mirror. 

If possible, slip the edge of the twisted wire under the corner of the brass to help secure the first end. 

9 – Working in small sections, continue to add spots of glue and be sure to let dry before proceeding to the next section as it will require bending around the curve or next corner. 

10 – When approaching the remaining corners, simply bend the cord at a 90 degree angle or cut the cord and attach each side as a new piece. Viola! Your cord is finished! 

Adding Patina 

11 – After fixing the mirror and adding the twisted cord detail, I wanted to restore some of the patina and blend in the brass wire. 

12 – While there are many ways to patina brass, I opted to use the saltwater method. Certainly brass aging chemicals work quickly and vinegar and salt also work well, however several of those methods required placing the item in a sealed container to help with the aging process and unfortunately, I did not have any container big enough for the mirror. 

13 – To remedy this, I used a method of layering salt water. Mix salt in warm water until fully dissolved, then brush onto your brass surface. Let the salt water fully dry until it forms a hazy white layer. Wipe off this layer with a damp cloth and repeat with the salt water until you reach your desired level of patina. I did about 3 coats, but know that it will continue to patina over time, so feel free to do more or less. Likewise, it may not patina entirely evenly, however I enjoy the mottled look of slow aging which will even out over the coming weeks.

14 – Once your desired patina level is reached, clean the mirror and step back to enjoy your enhanced flea market find!

Final Thoughts 

While this flea market find did take a little effort to get fixed up, I am so pleased with the way that this arched brass mirror turned out! With the right materials, I was able to get the mirror reset with a pretty added twist detail and while not perfect, I am so glad I did not just pass it over in the store! Whether or not you are working with a mirror though, using brass wire, thinking outside the box and learning how to clean / age brass can be beneficial for a multitude of projects. So, do you have any brass projects in mind? If not, would a mirror fix like this seem too daunting to bring home from the store? For the right price, I pretty much would take on any project, although I know you may not feel the same! What hold ups, if any, do you have when it comes to flea market finds and do you have any other tips for working with brass? Let me know in the comment section below! 

Happy fixing!

Chloe

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