Removing Lacquer Coating

• 1). Place the copper leaf frame in a large pot. Pour water into the pot with a measuring cup while keeping track of how many quarts of water you add to the pot until you submerge the entire frame.
  
  
• 2). Add one tablespoon of baking soda for each quart of water in the pot. Thereafter, heat the water over a stove until it reaches a low boil. Allow the water to boil for 30 minutes.
  
  
• 3). Turn off the heat and allow the water to cool off. Remove the frame and dry it off with a clean towel. Most of the coating is removed during the boiling process, and the drying removes any remaining lacquer.
  
  

Removing Copper Leaf Tarnish

• 1). Fill a pot with water, and then add one cup of white distilled vinegar and one tablespoon of salt.
  
  
• 2). Place the copper leaf frame into the pot and bring it to a low boil. Allow the water to simmer for at least three hours.
  
  
• 3). Turn off the stove and remove the frame with gloves or a pot holder so you can avoid direct contact, since the copper is too hot to touch at this point.
  
  
• 4). Place the frame in a bowl of cool water to mixed with a squirt of dish soap. Scrub the frame with a soft sponge. Scrub with the copper's natural grain. Use moderate force until you remove all the tarnish from the surface.
  
  
• 5). Remove the frame from the soapy water and dry it off with a clean towel.