To Clean Brass.—Dissolve ounce of oxalic acid in 1 pint of soft water and wash the brass, or moisten a cloth in sweet oil dipped in powdered whit ing or rotten stone, and scour.
Or mix to a soft paste 1 ounce of starch, 12 ounces of rotten stone, 2 ounces of sweet oil, and 2 ounces of oxalic acid with water, and apply with a cloth or chamois.
Or, to clean brass inlaid work, mix tripoli with linseed oil, and apply by means of a piece of folded velveteen or other suitable polisher. Or use a good furniture paste. But if the wood has a very high polish, finish the cleaning by rubbing on dry starch with the palm of the hand.
Or mix 2 ounces of sulphuric acid, 1 ounces of nitric acid, 1 dram of saltpeter, and 2 ounces of rain water, and let stand until the solution set tles. Dip the articles in this, or go over them with a soft brush dipped in this mixture, rinse immediately with soft water, and wipe dry. Or dry in sawdust. To prevent future tar nishing, apply a good coat of brass lacquer.
To Clean Bronze.—To clean genu ine bronze, apply hot soapsuds or boil the article in suds. Rinse and wipe dry with a soft cloth or chamois skin.
Or, for small articles, apply sweet oil with a brush and rub off with a flannel cloth.
Polish with dry whiting and cham ois skin.
To Clean Nickel.—Mix equal quan tities of alcohol and aqua ammonia and stir in whiting to the consistency of thin cream. Apply with a brush
and soft cloth, let dry, and polish with a clean, dry cloth or chamois skin.
Or, to remove stains from nickel, dilute 1 part of sulphuric acid in 50 parts of alcohol, and dip the articles in the solution until the stains are re moved, which should take not more than 5 or 10 seconds. Rinse in al cohol and afterwards in clear water, and polish with dry whiting and cham ois. Repeat if necessary.
To Clean Gilt Metals.—Metals fin ished in gilt or lacquer should not be washed with strong soaps containing free alkali, but preferably with clear, soft warm water and a fine sponge.
Or a little castile soap or other fine white soap may be used if necessary.
Clean out the crevices in the orna mental parts with a soft brush, as an old toothbrush, but use no more force than is necessary to avoid injuring the gilding. Wipe dry with chamois or a piece of soft woolen cloth or silk.
Bronzed articles, not genuine bronze, require only dusting or wiping with a soft cloth. Washing will injure the bronzing.
Burnishing Powder.— To make a high polish for metals, mix 4 ounces of prepared chalk, 1 ounces of pipe clay, 1 ounce of white lead, ounce of carbonate of magnesia, and ounce of jeweler's rouge.