Forgive my ignorance, I know this has been talked about alot but something still isn't clicking for me. I have a Shires Q, and my goal is to delacquer the whole thing and do a scratch finish with sandpaper or the like. My question is what actually is the lacquer? When I put the horn in a hot bath, I was able to get most of the thin outer layer to come off; is that the lacquer? The reason I ask is because in the spots where the lacquer came off the horn is still shiny. If I successfully removed the lacquer, what are the steps between shiny and what I think of as raw brass? Is the answer that they make the raw brass shiny and lacquer over it to keep it that way, because over time hands will turn the shiny raw brass into the not-so-shiny look I think of as wear?

Thanks in advance!

A horn is buffed, then lacquered, the lacquer doesn’t make the horny shiny, buffing/polishing does. Lacquer just prevents the brass from oxidizing. That’s why wax works too, there just needs to be a barrier between the air and the brass.

Just wait four weeks, and it will not be shiny any more. ..

[quote="Mv2541"]Is the answer that they make the raw brass shiny and lacquer over it to keep it that way, because over time hands will turn the shiny raw brass into the not-so-shiny look I think of as wear?

Thanks in advance![/quote]

Exactly this. A horn is buffed and polished to a high shine, then a thin layer of clear stuff is applied so it stays shiny. You're removing that layer, which for the moment reveals the just recently protected shiny brass.

Give it some time and the brass will start to get less shiny.

Thanks everyone for the replies and clearing things up for me!

I'll post pics of the finished product sometime.

Just be aware that unless the horn is lacquered again after the scratch brush is applied, it will darken and tarnish.