To polish a rough marble slab, use first a level block of fine sandstone for working down. Cover the surface with water and rub with the sandstone in a circular motion, working outward from the center until the whole sur face shows a uniform texture. Next tack a piece of felt to a smooth block of wood and use a finer quality of sand or glass powder with water. Follow this with a fresh piece of felt mounted on a level block of wood, using fine emery powder with water, and lastly use putty powder or tripoli with water and a chamois skin mount ed on a block of wood.
To Clean Brick and Stone Walks. —To remove the green fungous growth on brick or stone walks and walls ex posed to moisture, pour over them boiling water in which potatoes or other vegetables have been cooked, pro vided that it does not contain grease of any kind. Repeat if necessary. Or pour strong brine over the brick or stone, or scatter dry salt over it just before or after a rain. This will also kill any tufts of grass and weeds that come up between the bricks and stones, but care must be taken that it is not used in quantities sufficient to leach off into the soil and kill the ad jacent grass of the lawn or the plants in flower beds. Hence use a small quantity of salt, and repeat if neces sary.
To Polish Stucco Work.—Let the stucco dry, then rub it down with a flat block of pumice stone. Follow with whiting and polish with tripoli, using a piece of felt mounted on a block of wood. Wash down with soapsuds.
To Polish Mother-of-Pearl.—Polish with finely sifted pumice stone, fol lowed by putty powder or tripoli mixed with water and applied with a piece of felt.
To Clean Alabaster.—Remove stains from alabaster by covering the spot with whiting and water, or with white wash, or with salt and lemon juice.
Or apply equal quantities of quick lime and soda made into a thin paste with water. Let stand until dry, then wipe off with a sponge or soft cloth and clear water. Repeat if necessary.
Or, to remove obstinate stains, ap ply a dilute solution of oxalic acid or spirits of salts, and rinse with aqua ammonia.
Or wash with castile soap and water. Cover with a coating of whiting mixed with water, let stand until dry, rinse with clear water, and polish.
To Polish Alabaster. — To polish alabaster, marble, or any similar min eral, first clean the articles, then take out scratches or other rough spots with finely powdered pumice stone or emery and water. Polish with putty powder and water by means of a piece of felt mounted on a block.
To Polish Glass.—A scratched win dow pane or a show-case top which has been roughened by use and par tially lost its transparency may be polished by covering with a strong solution of potash lye applied by means of a brush. Let it dry, and polish with a moist cloth. Repeat if necessary.
Or, if this is not effectual, polish with putty powder and water by means of a piece of felt.
To Clean Papier-mache.—Wash with clean cold water, using a sponge or soft cloth. While still damp, cover it with dry flour and rub dry with a piece of woolen cloth or chamois.
To Clean Gutta Percha.—Dissolve with gentle heat a little hard white soap in an equal bulk of water, and stir into the soap jelly thus made an equal bulk of powdered charcoal.
Scour the article with this, and polish with a dry cloth and finely powdered charcoal.