A Brass Surprise

I stopped by one of the local thrift stores a few weeks ago and spotted this brass dish tucked away on a shelf.

I thought that the colors were wonderful and initially believed it to be enamel, but a closer inspection helped me realize that the color was most likely some type of paint and that it was flaking off in many, critical areas.

 I debated leaving it on the shelf, but then decided the dish would probably be well worth the $3.00 investment.

 Using my jeweler's saw, I cut out a segment of the pattern.

I then used a brass brush to get rid of most of the flaking paint, and followed up with more cleaning with a sanding block

How lovely is that?!!

I have no idea how I might use this and the other sections that I'll be able to salvage from the dish, but I think it will be fun figuring out those projects.