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Goodbye Brass

Remember our ugly brass chandelier we tried to get rid of but failed at?  Well, we moved to our back up plan which was to spray paint away all the brass and leave us with something easier to live with while saving up for a beautiful piece.

Progress
The first step was to take the candlestick lights apart and tape over the sockets so we don't get paint in there.

Then we hung the chandelier from our gross garage (update on removing the grossness soon!) and set the smaller pieces on cardboard for an easy-to-clean painting area.

Then I got to work spray painting with Rust-oleum spray paint with the extra spray grip which I've been told is essential to becoming a spray paint guru.  Here's how it looked after just one coat:

10 steps to spray painting brass
I asked around, read some of Centsational Girl's tutorials and experimented some on my own and here are the steps I came up with for a perfect paint job:

1. Create a workspace that can get paint on it.  Spray paint FLIES out and goes everywhere.  It doesn't seem to paint things that are more than 5 feet away, but I'd rather be careful than have something turn a new color.
2. Wear protection.  I wore my ventilation mask, you'll need something covering your mouth that can stop oil based particles - not just a fabric dust mask.  I also wore plastic gloves because I knew I'd be touching stuff and getting paint on my hands.  Most spray paint is oil based which means it can only be cleaned up with turpentine or mineral spirits (not just water like latex paints).  I figured it was easier to ware gloves than scrub my hands with mineral spirits.
3. Shake the can like it stole your wallet.
4. Shoot a couple test sprays on your card boards, don't start on your project with the first shot.
5. Always start your spray to the side of your object and move across it.
6. Spray from about 12 inches away.
7. Keep the paint moving and aim for thin coats.  If you stay in one place or try to gob it on you'll get drips
8. Read the can to find out how soon you can add a second coat.  My Rust-Oleum can said to wait at least 20 minutes but not longer than 60 minutes.  If I waited more than 60 minutes it said to wait a full 24 hours.  
9. Add as many coats as it takes, my chandelier took 4 coats to get full coverage.
10. Wait until the paint is fully cured to move it.  Again, read the can for specific instructions, mine said to wait 24 hours.

 The Results


Before:

After:

We originally tried not having the lampshades on the bulbs and liked the look of it, but once the electricity was turned on, the bulbs cast too harsh a light to be appealing.  So we tried the shades again, cutting off the tassels to create a cleaner line.  This isn't our favorite thing in our house, or even in our dining room, but it will suffice until we find the perfect match to our beautiful fan!