CHAPTER XX
WRINKLES FOR COLLECTORS
Cleaning copper and brass--Lacquering metal--Polishing brass--Restoring antique finishes--Using the burnisher--Brass rubbings.
The collector has frequently to decide whether he will entrust the repair of some much battered curio to a local workman or undertake the rôle of an amateur worker and repairer of copper or brass. There are many who prefer the latter course; unless the antique needs expert skill, and then, if a valuable specimen, it should be sent to one whose professional knowledge will enable him to carry out its restoration without injury. There are, however, many minor matters which, with a few simple tools, and recipes which can be prepared quite easily, the collector can very satisfactorily accomplish.
Before attempting to clean or repair old copper and brass curios or those objects which are made all or in part of either of them or of any of their alloys, it is well to know something of the constituents of the metals usually met with. First on the list comes ancient bronzes composed mainly of copper and tin on no accepted formula, but generally in the proportion of about three to one. Modern statuary bronze is made in several proportions; one compound is given by an authority as copper, 83 parts; tin, 5 parts; zinc, 10 parts; and lead, 2 parts; and by another as copper, 91 parts; tin, 9 parts. Bronze ornaments are mostly copper, 80 parts; tin, 3 parts; zinc, 15 parts; and lead, 2 parts. Gongs are of copper, 80 parts; and tin, 20 parts--some Oriental alloys have a little silver added. The ormolu of the brassfounder, used extensively by French metal-workers, has more copper and less zinc than brass. Red brass consists of copper, 25 parts; zinc, 5 parts; and bismuth, 1 part. Yellow brass is made of copper, 35 parts; and zinc, 15 parts. Pinchbeck metal, of which watchcases and jewellery have been made, consists of copper, 10 parts; and of zinc, 2 parts. Antimony imparts a rich red to copper.
* * * * *
In the following paragraphs some very useful "wrinkles" are given:
Cleaning Copper and Brass.
It is scarcely necessary to warn the collector against over cleaning, for to rub light bronzes which age has toned or encrusted with a beautiful patina would be vandalism indeed. Yet there are many objects which require attention when they arrive from the auction mart or curio-shop. Ancient bronzes should be washed in soap and water with soft brush or flannel--not scrubbed--and then dried in hot sawdust. If any polishing is necessary, a chamois leather or an old silk handkerchief will be sufficient. The green patina or verdigris of antique metals should _not_ be removed nor its colouring spoiled with cleaning.
Copper vessels, however, do very frequently require cleaning. When they have turned a bluish green--not the much admired patina--they may be cleaned by making a paste of well powdered chalk and methylated spirit. This preparation should be rubbed on and then left until the spirit has evaporated and the chalk is quite dry, at which stage it can be removed and the copper polished with crocus powder or fine chalk.
Owing to long neglect there are some metal curios which cannot be thoroughly cleansed without a powerful solvent. A weak solution of oxalic acid may be safely applied with a piece of woollen material; it will remove the tarnish, and then, after well washing, the metal can be polished with fine chalk or whiting. When the brass is spotted with damp but not too deeply marked, chalk and spirits of turpentine will generally effect the purpose just as well.
Another recipe formerly much favoured by housewives in the days when copper vessels were much in evidence, is to rub them over with half a lemon dipped in salt; then after washing polish with a soft cloth. This is a useful recipe in that it does not injure an antique appearance or patina, but it will remove stains.
A somewhat more powerful preparation for metal-work is a cleaning paste made as follows: oxalic acid, 1 oz.; rotten stone, 6 oz; gum arabic, 1/2 oz.; sweet oil, 1 oz.; and then add as much water as necessary.
The following recipe is given for the benefit of advanced collectors who wish to avail themselves of modern methods. Such will no doubt delight in experimenting on the cleansing of newly acquired curios with a cleaning preparation operated by an electric current. Caustic soda, 1/2 lb.; sal soda, 1/2 lb.; resin, 1/4 oz.; and water, 1 gallon; 4 to 8 volts and a current density of 12 amps. The greater the density of the current the quicker the cleaning is performed. A temperature of 120 Fahr. is recommended.
Lacquering Metal.
When it is desired to lacquer or coat over metal to prevent any future oxidation (not commonly desired by collectors of antiques) the copper or brass article should be pickled for several hours in aqua fortis diluted with water. The acid will rot away a certain portion of the tarnished surface and leave the metal bright. The article should then be put into bran and well shaken until quite dry. It is then ready to be cleaned, and, if desired, polished bright.
Old brasswork may be relacquered by the amateur with a little experience, practice, and care. First of all it must be cleaned. The liquid which is best suited to the purpose may be made of a strong lye of wood ashes boiled and strengthened with soap lees. This will fetch the old lacquer off. The article should then be dipped in aqua fortis and water to take off the dirt, and immediately removed and cleansed with clean water, and then when dried it is ready to be lacquered. There are two processes in simple lacquering, which may be defined as cold and hot. The cold lacquer is the application of a preparation of brass lacquer, which can be purchased from any oil-shop, chemist, or metal dealer, put on with a camelhair-brush like varnish, and immediately placed in an oven or a hot stove, and exposed to the heat for a few minutes until the lacquer is quite firm and set. A gas-oven such as those in common use in so many kitchens nowadays answers the purpose very well.
The second method is the application of lacquer after the article has been heated. The heating may be done in a gas-oven, or by the application of a flat-iron such as is used by laundresses. Then lacquer should be applied hot, and if the object lacquered has cooled in the process heat should again be applied as in the first process. It should be clearly understood that cleaning and relacquering old brass and copper-work should be done with very great care and with a full appreciation of the curio value of old finish, and of the marks and evidences of age which are so dear to the collector. The pickling of brasswork in acid and subsequent lacquering should only be resorted to when it is absolutely necessary to effect such restoration, and to make the objects sufficiently presentable so that they may be included in a cabinet or exhibited in the collection of metal curios; for the possession of old copper and brass is nothing without the opportunity of showing it. There are some specialists who devote their attention to the restoration and bronzing of mediæval and early ecclesiastical work. It may on occasion be necessary to consult such a firm before attempting anything which would savour of vandalism and rob the present-day possessor and curio-hunter of the future of what might eventually become a rare antiquity.
Polishing Brass.
It may at times be necessary to polish parts of curios which have been subjected to rough wear and are, therefore, badly scratched. A very fine file will remove scratches; fine emery will then make the surface quite smooth, after which it can be polished with rotten stone and oil, some adding a little turpentine.
Restoring Antique Finishes.
There are many beautiful antiques which have been subjected to rough usage or through some accident have had the oxidation rubbed off in parts. To clean such an antique so as to secure uniformity of appearance would be a mistake. It is better to "restore" the finish and imitate that which age has imparted. The solution required is 60 gr. nitrate of silver and 2-1/2 oz. water, mixed with a solution of 60 gr. nitrate of copper and 2-1/2 oz. water. After the solution has been applied to the parts the object should be heated in a gas-oven until it is sufficiently dark coloured.
Some time ago an expert in Indian antiques, bronzes, and metal-work published in _The Times of India_ an account of how Oriental bronze and brass which had been soiled and scratched by time and climatic conditions might be restored. The writer went on to describe how the great secret of restoring the dull half-green and half-brown shades had been revealed to him. The remedy he propounded was simple in the extreme. It was that the statue should be washed in beer, which should not be rubbed off but allowed to dry on.
Using the Burnisher.
The amateur restorer may frequently with advantage acquire a knowledge of the burnisher, and thereby add much to the beauty of the metal. Those who have watched an old coppersmith planishing copper-work, and have noticed the very primitive materials used, will have learnt to realize the value of "elbow grease." Crocus powder with oil and soft rags works wonders, and will often bring up the original finish just as the coppersmith converts the rough dull polish of the metal sheets he has fashioned into domestic copper ware and shining pots and pans.
Brass Rubbings.
Rubbings of church and memorial brasses referred to in Chapter VII may be taken with heel-ball, which is a compound of beeswax, and plain white paper. When the brass has been evenly rubbed all over the picture is complete and ready for mounting. It should then be cut out and pasted on a prepared surface of fine canvas or calico, thus giving the rubbing an appearance like tapestry. It can be touched up in colours, if there is any heraldic enamelled work on the original. It can then be sized and stretched on a frame ready for hanging on a wall.
INDEX
INDEX
African curios, 309-311
Alms-dishes, 140-143
Altar brasses, 142-143
Amulets, 33, 373-375
Ancient art, 70-72
Ancient bronze, 38-41
Aquamaniles, 101, 326
Arab influence, 267
Architectural metal-work, 121-124
Arms and armour, 106-109
Art influence, 128
Ashanti curios, 309
Ash-trays, 365
Astrolabes, 25
Badges of metal, 102
Ball and cross of St. Paul's, 143-144
Barometer of bronze, 341
Barrows, ancient, 25
Bath, 56
Battersea enamels, 31, 357
Bell founding, 43
Bell-metal, 43, 217-219
Bells, 217-226, 282, 309
Benares brasswork, 280
Benin bronzes, 307-309
Betel-nut boxes, 26, 278, 282
Betel-nut cutters, 279
Bidri ware, 26, 277
Bilston enamels, 31
Boadicea, Queen, 91
Boiling-pots, 98-101
Bowls, 84
Brass (of commerce), 42-43
Brass instruments, 340-345
Brass making, 45-46
Brass rubbings, 393
Brasses, 26
Brazier, 26
Braziers' Company, 117
British Museum exhibits, 59, 65, 168, 309, 326, 350, 356, 357
Bronze, 27
Bronze Age, 38, 66
Bronze alloys, 27
Bronze celts, 25
Bronze implements, 69
Bronze knives, 25
Bronze reaping-hooks, 72
Bronze saucepans, 283
Bronzes and their replicas, 249-258
Bronzes, Greek, 79-81
Bucklers, bronze, 28, 69
Buckles, 105
Bullock bells, 279
Burnishing metal, 293
Caldrons, 83, 160, 164
Candle clock, 208
Candles, 199-204
Candlesticks, 139, 140, 195-211, 301, 350
Card counters, 29
Central Africa, curios from, 310, 311
Champlevé enamel, 30
Chaufferette, 28, 128
Chatties, 28
Chimney ornaments, 184-188
Chinese bronzes, 41, 42, 283-288
Chinese enamels, 352-355
Chinese influence on art, 131
Church brasswork, 137-151
_Circe-perdu_ process, 28, 277
Cirencester curios, 54
Cisterns and taps, 322
City guilds, 116-121
Civic emblems, 231-235
Classic bronzes, 254
Classified arrangement, 188-191
Cleaning copper and brass, 388-390
Clockmakers' Company's collection, 336
Clocks, 329, 334-339
Cloisonné enamels, 30
Coffee-pots, 264, 268
Continental copper and brass, 317-326
Cooking-pots, 160
Copper as alloy, 44-47
Copper mining, 44, 45
Copper pans, 167
Copper sheathing, 377
Coppersmith, the, 37
Counters of brass, 29
_Couvre de feu_, 29, 102
Cromwell clocks, 336
Crusaders' effigies, 26
Crusaders' relics, 311
Cups, 271
Curfew, 29
Daggers, bronze, 69
Damascened metals, 29, 277
Dialling, 30
Domestic brasswork, 96-102
Domestic utensils, 155-191
Door knockers, 124-127
Drinking cups, 175
Dutch brasswork, 321
Dutch influence, 264
Egyptian bronzes, 267
Ember tongs, 30
Enamels, 30, 42
Enamels on copper, 349-358
Engraving on copper, 61
Exeter Museum exhibits, 183, 239
Ewers, 277
Fibulæ, 31, 71
Fire-making apparatus, 87, 196-199
Flagons, 175
Flagstaff head, 235
Foot-warmers, 183, 322
Forgeries, 74
Founders, 217-219
Founders, Worshipful Company of, 46, 97, 118, 236
French art, 321
Gemellions, 101
German metal-work, 325, 326
Gipcieres, 31, 106
Greek bronzes, 41, 42, 249
Greek curios, 79-92
Guildhall Museum exhibits, 83, 96, 103, 168, 183, 241, 364
Guild of Loriners, 107
Hand basins, 326
Handles and handle-plates, 367
Hand-warmers, 28, 128
Historic bells, 219, 220
Hob-grates, 178
Hooker bases, 31, 271
Horns, 232
Horse trappings, 370-371
Houseplace, the contents of, 175-184
Hull Museum exhibits, 342
Idols, 80, 293-298
Indian bronzes, 272
Indian Museum exhibits, 274-280, 294
Indian vessels, 28
Inkstands, 357
Italian bronzes, 319
Japanese bronzes, 41, 42
Japanese enamels, 352-356
Japanese metals, 28
Kaffir bangles and girdles, 311
Kashmir curios, 278
Kettles, 83-87, 380
Kitchen utensils, 159-175
Knockers, 368
Lacquering metal, 390-392
Lagos brasses, 309
Lamaistic temple relics, 281, 297
Lamps, 88, 92, 195-211, 278, 279, 282
Lanterns, 207-211
Later metal-work, 115-132
Latten, 31
Limoges enamels, 30, 321, 350
Local museums, 59
Lock plates, 131
Log boxes, 180
London Museum exhibits, 59, 70, 71, 91, 180, 207
London relics, 69, 70
Lucknow curios, 26, 277
Mace, 235
Mansfield mines, 44
Maundy alms-dish, 116
Mediæval antiquities, 95-109
Memorial brasses, 144-151
Metal and its alloys, 37-49
Microscopes, 342
Microscopic engravings, 381
Milk cans, 322
Miniature bronzes and models, 257, 258, 345
Miscellaneous metal curios, 363, 384
Mirrors, 32, 73, 87, 267
Monumental brasses, 26
Moradabad brasswork, 280
Mortars, 32, 226, 268
Muff-warmers, 183
National Museum, Washington, 203
Native metal-work, 305-311
Nepal metal-work, 274, 278
Nomenclature of metals, 27
Norman remains, 57
Nuremberg clocks, 339
Nutmeg graters, 163
Oil lamps, 207-211
Opaque enamels, 31
Oriental bronzes, 265-288
Patchboxes, 350
Patera, 73
Patina, 32
Patine, 32
Persian metal-work, 271
Pilgrims' signs, 32, 103
Pins, 105
Pipe-stoppers, 30, 364
Pipkins, 180
Pocket clocks, 334
Polishing brass, 392
Porridge-pots, 163
Portrait placques, 358
Pots and pans, 168
Prehistoric bronzes, 65-75
Pricket candlesticks, 203
Processes of enamelling, 350-351
Replicas, 381-383
Restoring antiques, 392
Ritual vases, 301
Roasting-jacks, 160, 167
Roman bronzes, 41, 249
Roman curios, 79-92
Romano-British art, 90-91
Rushlight holders, 200
Saracenic influence, 264
Saucepans, 83, 172
Saxon remains, 57
Scales, 241
Sinhalese metal-work, 282
Skillets, 170
Snuff-boxes, 350, 366
Snuffers, 204
Snuff-rasps, 366
Sources of metals, 43, 44
South African curios, 311
Spanish metal-work, 319
Spectacle cases, 365
Spice-boxes, 278
Spirit labels, 356
Spits, 160
Spurs, 107
Stafford House exhibits, 59
Standard measures, 236, 239
Standard weights, 240
Statues, 89
Statuettes, 187
Sundials, 30, 329-334
Tankards, 175
Temple vases, 298-301
Thibet tea-urns, 281
Tinder-boxes, 196
Tobacco-boxes, 364
Toilet requisites, 86
Tower of London exhibits, 107
Trinkets, 104-106
Trivets, 179
Trumpets, 69, 321
Turkish metal-work, 226
United Service Museum exhibits, 220, 379
United States National Museum, 210
Verulamium curios, 54
Victoria & Albert Museum exhibits, 59, 84, 101, 126, 131, 139, 180, 183, 220, 250, 268, 298, 318, 321, 342, 375
Wallace collection exhibits, 109
Warming-pans, 180, 183
Watches, 339
Watchmen's lanterns, 208, 211
Water jars, 227
Weather-vanes, 33, 123
Weighing instruments, 236-239
Weights and measures, 242-245
Welsh National Museum exhibits, 59
Winchester bushel, 236
Winchester moot horn, 232
Winchester Museum exhibits, 236
Wrinkles for collectors, 387-393
Writing boxes, 264
UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, LONDON AND WOKING
Transcriber's Notes
Minor punctuation errors have been corrected.
There are a few inconsistent hyphens, and these have been left as printed.
In the list of the books in series "CHATS ON OLD MINIATURES. By J. J. Foster, F.S A" has been changed to "F.S.A."
p83. "like one round" changed to "found." The illustration and it's companion blank page (p243 and 244) appear between p241 and 242 in the Internet Archive scan from which this text has been derived. It has been moved to the correct place.
p287. A single occurrence of cloissoné has been changed to cloissonné, the spelling found in the rest of the text.
p397. (Index) "Boadicea, Queen, 99-91" changed to "Boadicea, Queen, 91."
End of Project Gutenberg's Chats on Old Copper and Brass, by Fred. W. Burgess