On a brass coloured Geniol 150CP, does that colour come from brass/copper coloured electroplating or are you looking with the brass colour directly onto the (polished) base metal? I have a picture to explain my confusion: This is not my lantern but a picture from the web. So for example the shiny brass coating at the base/underside of the pump in contrast to the upper side and (most of) the rest of the tank: Are those shiny parts just parts that aren't scuffed up but still base material and, by polishing the matte areas can you get all the same appearance again, or are the matte parts area's where the shiney coating is polished away and that that is the base material and you're not gonna get that shiny appearance again whatever you do? I also don't know, the slotted area where the evaporator regulator knob sits. Is that steel or also brass as base material? (my worries are....is this lantern sanded/polished into oblivion or not and is it just dirt/grime/oxidation?) Thanks,
These lanterns were coated with a transparent lacquer so that the brass retains its shine. However, this lacquer is not very durable and can be washed off with hot water, for example. Where it was removed e. g. by polishing or even handling, the bare brass is revealed, which oxidizes over time and thus becomes grey and matt.