Part 109

After the surface has been thus prepared, the application of a coat of first-class copal varnish is in order. It is recommended that the varnish be applied in a moderately warm room, as it is injured by becoming chilled in drying. To get the best results in varnishing, some skill and experience are required. The varnish must be kept in an evenly warm temperature, and put on neither too plentifully nor too gingerly.

After a satisfactorily smooth and regular surface has been obtained, the polishing proper may be done. This may be accomplished by manual labor and dexterity, or consist in the application of a very thin, even coat of a very fine, transparent varnish.

If the hand-polishing method be preferred, it may be pursued by rubbing briskly and thoroughly with the following finishing polish:

I.—Alcohol 8 ounces Shellac 2 drachms Gum benzoin 2 drachms Best poppy oil 2 drachms

Dissolve the shellac and gum in the alcohol in a warm place, with frequent agitation, and, when cold, add the poppy oil. This may be applied on the end of a cylindrical rubber made by tightly rolling a piece of flannel which has been torn, not cut, into strips 4 to 6 inches wide.

A certain “oily sweating” of articles of polished wood occurs which has been ascribed to the oil used in polishing, but has been found to be due to a waxy substance present in shellac, which is often used in polishing. During the operation of polishing, this wax enters into close combination with the oil, forming a soft, greasy mass, which prevents the varnish from ever becoming really hard. This greasy matter exudes in the course of time. The remedy is to use only shellac from which the vegetable wax has been completely removed. This is accomplished by making a strong solution of the shellac in alcohol and then shaking it up with fresh seed lac or filtering it through seed lac. In this way the readily soluble rosins in the seed lac are dissolved, and with them traces of coloring matter. At the same time the vegetable wax, which is only slightly soluble, is deposited. The shellac solution which has exchanged its vegetable wax for rosin is not yet suitable for fine furniture polishing. It is not sufficiently taken up by the wood, and an essential oil must be added to give it the necessary properties, one of the best oils to employ for this purpose being that of rosemary. The following recipe is given:

II.—Twenty pounds of shellac and 4 pounds of benzoin are dissolved in the smallest possible quantity of alcohol, together with 1 pound of rosemary oil. The solution then obtained is filtered through seed lac so as to remove whatever vegetable wax may be present.

«Red Furniture Paste.»—

Soft water 6 pints Turpentine 6 pints {593} Beeswax 3 pounds White wax 1 1⁠/⁠2 ounces White soap 18 ounces Red lead 12 ounces

Cut up soap and dissolve in water by aid of heat; then evaporate to 6 pounds. Melt the waxes and add turpentine in which red lead has been stirred, pour into this the soap solution, and stir until it is nearly cold. If a darker color is wanted add more red lead, 4 to 6 ounces.

«Beechwood Furniture.»—The wood of the red beech is known to acquire, by the use of ordinary shellac polish, a dirty yellow color, and by the use of white polish, prepared from bleached shellac, an unsightly gray-white color. Therefore, where light colors are desired, only filtered shellac polish should be employed, and in order to impart some fire to the naturally dull color of the beechwood the admixture of a solution of dragon’s blood in alcohol for a red shade, or turmeric in alcohol for yellow may be used. A compound of the red and yellow liquids gives a good orange shade. A few trials will soon show how much coloring matter may be added to the polish.

«Polishes for Glass.»—I.—Mix calcined magnesia with purified benzine to a semi-liquid paste. Rub the glass with this mixture by means of a cotton wad, until it is bright.

II.—Crush to powder cologne chalk, 60 parts, by weight; tripoli, 30 parts, by weight; bole, 15 parts, by weight. For use moisten the glass a little, dip a linen rag into the powder and rub the glass until it is clean.

III.—Tin ashes may be employed with advantage. The glass is rubbed with this substance and then washed off with a piece of soft felt. In this manner a very handsome polish is obtained.

«Polishes for Ivory, Bone, etc.»—I.—First rub with a piece of linen soaked with a paste made of Armenian bole and oleic acid. Wash with Marseilles soap, dry, rub with a chamois skin, and finally render it bright with an old piece of silk. If the ivory is scratched, it may be smoothed by means of English red stuff on a cloth, or even with a piece of glass if the scratches are rather deep. In the hollow parts of ivory objects the paste can be made to penetrate by means of an old toothbrush.

II.—Tortoise-shell articles have a way of getting dull and dingy looking. To repolish dip the finger in linseed oil and rub over the whole surface. Very little oil should be used, and if the article is a patterned one it may be necessary to use a soft brush to get it into the crevices. Then rub with the palm of the hand until all oil has disappeared, and the shell feels hot and looks bright and shiny.

«Marble Polishing.»—Polishing includes five operations. Smoothing the roughness left on the surface is done by rubbing the marble with a piece of moist sandstone; for moldings either wooden or iron mullers are used, crushed, and wet sandstone, or sand, more or less fine, according to the degree of polish required, being thrown under them. The second process is continued rubbing with pieces of pottery without enamel, which have only been baked once, also wet. If a brilliant polish is required, Gothland stone instead of pottery is used, and potter’s clay or fuller’s earth is placed beneath the muller. This operation is performed upon granites and porphyry with emery and a lead muller, the upper part of which is incrusted with the mixture until reduced by friction to clay or impalpable powder. As the polish depends almost entirely upon these two operations, care must be taken that they are performed with a regular and steady movement. When the marble has received the first polish, the flaws, cavities, and soft spots are sought out and filled with mastic of a suitable color.

This mastic is usually composed of a mixture of yellow wax, rosin, and Burgundy pitch, mixed with a little sulphur and plaster passed through a fine sieve, which gives it the consistency of a thick paste; to color this paste to a tone analogous to the ground tints or natural cement of the material upon which it is placed, lampblack and rouge, with a little of the prevailing color of the material, are added. For green and red marbles, this mastic is sometimes made of gum lac, mixed with Spanish sealing wax of the color of the marble. It is applied with pincers, and these parts are polished with the rest. Sometimes crushed fragments of marble are introduced into the cement, but for fine marbles the same colors are employed which are used in painting, and which will produce the same tone as the ground; the gum lac is added to give it body and brilliancy.

The third operation in polishing consists in rubbing it again with a hard pumice stone, under which water is being constantly poured, unmixed with sand. For the fourth process, called {594} softening the ground, lead filings are mixed with the emery mud produced by the polishing of mirrors or the working of precious stones, and the marble is rubbed by a compact linen cushion well saturated with this mixture; rouge is also used for this polish. For some outside works, and for hearths and paving tiles, marble workers confine themselves to this polish. When the marbles have holes or grains, a lead muller is substituted for the linen cushion. In order to give a perfect brilliancy to the polish, the gloss is applied. Wash well the prepared surfaces and leave them until perfectly dry, then take a linen cushion, moistened only with water, and a little powder of calcined tin of the first quality. After rubbing with this for some time take another cushion of dry rags, rub with it lightly, brush away any foreign substance which might scratch the marble, and a perfect polish will be obtained. A little alum mixed with the water used penetrates the pores of the marble, and gives it a speedier polish. This polish spots very easily and is soon tarnished and destroyed by dampness. It is necessary when purchasing articles of polished marbles to subject them to the test of water; if there is too much alum, the marble absorbs the water and a whitish spot is left.

«POLISHING POWDERS.»

Polishing powders are advantageously prepared according to the following recipes:

I.—Four pounds magnesium carbonate, 4 pounds chalk, and 4 pounds rouge are intimately mixed.

II.—Four pounds magnesium carbonate are mixed with 1⁠/⁠4 pound fine rouge.

III.—Five pounds fine levigated whiting and 2 pounds Venetian red are ground together.

IV.—Kieselguhr 42 pounds Putty powder 14 pounds Pipe clay 14 pounds Tartaric acid 1 1⁠/⁠2 pounds

Powder the acid, mix well with the others. This is styled “free from mercury, poisonous mineral acids, alkalies, or grit.” It may be tinted with 12 ounces of oxide of iron if desired.

«Liquid Polishes.»—

I.—Malt vinegar 4 gallons Lemon juice 1 gallon Paraffine oil 1 gallon Kieselguhr 7 pounds Powdered bath brick 3 pounds Oil lemon 2 ounces

II.—Kieselguhr 56 pounds Paraffine oil 3 gallons Methylated spirit 1 1⁠/⁠2 gallons Camphorated spirit 1⁠/⁠2 gallon Turpentine oil 1⁠/⁠2 gallon Liquid ammonia fort 3 pints

III.—Rotten stone 16 av. ounces Paraffine 8 av. ounces Kerosene (coal oil) 16 fluidounces Oil of mirbane enough to perfume.

Melt the paraffine, incorporate the rotten stone, add the kerosene, and the oil of mirbane when cold.

IV.—Oxalic acid 1⁠/⁠2 av. ounce Rotten stone 10 av. ounces Kerosene (coal oil) 30 fluidounces Paraffine 2 av. ounces

Pulverize the oxalic acid and mix it with rotten stone; melt the paraffine, add to it the kerosene, and incorporate the powder; when cool, add oil of mirbane or lavender to perfume.

Pour the ammonia into the oil, methylated spirits, and turpentine, add the camphorated spirit and mix with the kieselguhr. To prevent setting, keep well agitated during filling. The color may be turned red by using a little sesquioxide of iron and less kieselguhr. Apply with a cloth, and when dry use another clean cloth or a brush.

«Polishing Soaps.»—

I.—Powdered pipe clay 112 pounds Tallow soap 16 pounds Tartaric acid 1 1⁠/⁠4 pounds

Grind until pasty, afterwards press into blocks by the machine.

II.—Levigated flint 60 pounds Whiting 52 pounds Tallow 20 pounds Caustic soda 5 pounds Water 2 gallons

Dissolve the soda in water and add to the tallow; when saponified, stir in the others, pressing as before.

III.—Saponified cocoanut oil 56 pounds Kieselguhr 12 pounds Alum 5 1⁠/⁠2 pounds Flake white 5 1⁠/⁠2 pounds Tartaric acid 1 3⁠/⁠4 pounds

Make as before.

IV.—Tallow soap 98 pounds Liquid glycerine soap 14 pounds Whiting 18 pounds Levigated flint 14 pounds Powdered pipe clay 14 pounds

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«METAL POLISHES:»

«Polishing Pastes.»—

I.—White petroleum jelly 90 pounds Kieselguhr 30 pounds Refined paraffine wax 10 pounds Refined chalk or whiting 10 pounds Sodium hyposulphite 8 pounds

Melt wax and jelly, stir in others and grind.

It is an undecided point as to whether a scented paste is better than one without perfume. The latter is added merely to hide the nasty smell of some of the greases used, and it is not very nice to have spoons, etc., smelling, even tasting, of mirbane, so perhaps citronelle is best for this purpose. It is likely to be more pure. The dose of scent is usually at the rate of 4 ounces to the hundredweight.

II.—Dehydrated soda 5 parts Curd soap 20 parts Emery flour 100 parts

To be stirred together on a water bath with water, 100 parts, until soft.

III.—Turpentine 1 part Emery flour 1 part Paris red 2 parts Vaseline 2 parts

Mix well and perfume.

IV.—Stearine 8 to 9 parts Mutton suet 32 to 38 parts Stearine oil 2 to 2.5 parts

Melt together and mix with Vienna chalk, in fine powder, 48 to 60 parts; Paris red, 20 parts.

V.—Rotten stone 1 part Iron subcarbonate 3 parts Lard oil, a sufficient quantity.

VI.—Iron oxide 10 parts Pumice stone 32 parts Oleic acid, a sufficient quantity.

VII.—Soap, cut fine 16 parts Precipitated chalk 2 parts Jewelers’ rouge 1 part Cream of tartar 1 part Magnesium carbonate 1 part Water, a sufficient quantity.

Dissolve the soap in the smallest quantity of water over a water bath. Add the other ingredients to the solution while still hot, stirring all the time to make sure of complete homogeneity. Pour the mass into a box with shallow sides, and afterwards cut into cubes.

«Non-Explosive Liquid Metal Polish.»—Although in a liquid form, it does not necessarily follow that a liquid polish is less economical than pastes, because the efficiency of both is dependent upon the amount of stearic or oleic acid they contain, and a liquid such as that given below is as rich in this respect as most of the pastes, especially those containing much mineral jelly and earthy matters which are practically inert, and can only be considered as filling material. Thus it is a fact that an ounce of fluid polish may possess more polishing potency than an equal weight of the paste. Proportions are: Sixteen pounds crude oleic acid; 4 pounds tasteless mineral oil; 5 pounds kieselguhr; 1 1⁠/⁠2 ounces lemon oil. Make the earthy matter into a paste with the mixed fluids and gradually thin out, avoiding lumps. Apply with one rag, and finish with another.

«Miscellaneous Metal Polishes.»—I.—Articles of polished copper, such as clocks, stove ornaments, etc., become tarnished very quickly. To restore their brilliancy dip a brush in strong vinegar and brush the objects to be cleaned. Next pass through water and dry in sawdust. A soap water, in which some carbonate of soda has been dissolved, will do the same service.

II.—This is recommended for machinery by the chemical laboratory of the industrial museum of Batavia:

Oil of turpentine 15 parts Oil of stearine 25 parts Jewelers’ red 25 parts Animal charcoal, of superior quality 45 parts

Alcohol is added to that mixture in such a quantity as to render it almost liquid, then by means of a brush it is put on those parts that are to be polished. When the alcohol has dried, the remaining cover is rubbed with a mixture of 45 parts of animal charcoal and 25 parts jewelers’ red. The rubbed parts will become quite clean and bright.

III.—The ugly spots which frequently show themselves on nickel-plated objects may be easily removed with a mixture of 1 part sulphuric acid and 50 parts alcohol. Coat the spots with this solution, wipe off after a few seconds, rinse off thoroughly with clean water, and rub dry with sawdust.

IV.—Crocus, dried and powdered, when applied with chamois leather to nickel-plated goods, will restore their brilliancy without injuring their surface.

V.—Articles of tin should be ground {596} and polished with Vienna lime or Spanish white. The former may be spread on linen rags, the latter on wash leather. Good results may be obtained by a mixture of about equal parts of Vienna lime, chalk, and tripoli. It should be moistened with alcohol, and applied with a brush. Subsequent rubbing with roe skin (chamois) will produce a first-rate polish. Tin being a soft metal, the above polishing substances may be very fine.

VI.—To polish watch cases, take two glasses with large openings, preferably two preserving jars with ground glass covers. Into one of the glass vessels pour 1 part of spirit of sal ammoniac and 3 parts water, adding a little ordinary barrel soap and stirring everything well. Fill the other glass one half with alcohol. Now lay the case to be cleaned, with springs and all, into the first-named liquid and allow to remain therein for about 10 to 20 seconds. After protracted use this time may be extended to several minutes. Now remove the case, quickly brush it with water and soap and lay for a moment into the alcohol in the second vessel. After drying off with a clean cloth heat over a soldering flame for quick drying and the case will now look almost as clean and neat as a new one. The only thing that may occur is that a polished metal dome may become tarnished, but this will only happen if either the mixture is too strong or the case remains in it too long, both of which can be easily avoided with a little practice. Shake before using.

VII.—This is a cleanser as well as polisher:

Prepared chalk 2 parts Water of ammonia 2 parts Water sufficient to make 8 parts

The ammonia saponifies the grease usually present.

It must be pointed out that the alkali present makes this preparation somewhat undesirable to handle, as it will affect the skin if allowed too free contact.

The density of the liquid might be increased by the addition of soap; the solid would, of course, then remain longer in suspension.

VIII.—Serviettes Magiques.—These fabrics for polishing articles of metal consist of pure wool saturated with soap and tripoli, and dyed with a little coralline. They are produced by dissolving 4 parts of Marseilles soap in 20 parts of water, adding 2 parts of tripoli and saturating a piece of cloth 3 inches long and 4 inches wide with it, allowing to dry.

IX.—In order to easily produce a mat polish on small steel articles use fine powdered oil stone, ground with turpentine.

«Polishes for Pianos.»—

I.—Alcohol, 95 per cent 300 parts Benzol 700 parts Gum benzoin 8 parts Sandarac 16 parts

Mix and dissolve. Use as French polish.

II.—Beeswax 2,500 parts Potassium carbonate 25 parts Oil of turpentine 4,000 parts Water, rain or distilled 4,500 parts

Dissolve the potassium carbonate in 1,500 parts of the water and in the solution boil the wax, shaved up, until the latter is partially saponified, replacing the water as it is driven off by evaporation. When this occurs remove from the fire and stir until cold. Now add the turpentine little by little, and under constant agitation, stirring until a smooth, homogeneous emulsion is formed. When this occurs add the remainder of the water under constant stirring. If a color is wanted use alkanet root, letting it macerate in the oil of turpentine before using the latter (about an ounce to the quart is sufficient). This preparation is said to be one of the best polishes known. The directions are very simple: First wash the surface to be polished, rinse, and dry. Apply the paste as evenly and thinly as possible over a portion of the surface, then rub off well with a soft woolen cloth.

«Polishes for Silverware.»—The best polish for silverware—that is, the polish that, while it cleans, does not too rapidly abrade the surface—is levigated chalk, either alone or with some vegetable acid, like tartaric, or with alum. The usual metal polishes, such as tripoli (diatomaceous earth), finely ground pumice stone, etc., cut away the surface so rapidly that a few cleanings wear through ordinary plating.

I.—White lead 5 parts Chalk, levigated 20 parts Magnesium carbonate 2 parts Aluminum oxide 5 parts Silica 3 parts Jewelers’ rouge 2 parts

Each of the ingredients must be reduced to an impalpable powder, mixed carefully, and sifted through silk several {597} times to secure a perfect mixture, and to avoid any possibility of leaving in the powder anything that might scratch the silver or gold surface. This may be left in the powder form, or incorporated with soap, made into a paste with glycerine, or other similar material. The objection to mixtures with vaseline or greasy substances is that after cleaning the object must be scrubbed with soap and water, while with glycerine simple rinsing and running water instantly cleans the object. The following is also a good formula:

II.—Chalk, levigated 2 parts Oil of turpentine 4 parts Stronger ammonia water 4 parts Water 10 parts

Mix the ammonia and oil of turpentine by agitation, and rub up the chalk in the mixture. Finally rub in the water gradually or mix by agitation. Three parts each of powdered tartaric acid and chalk with 1 part of powdered alum make a cheap and quick silver cleaning powder.

III.—Mix 2 parts of beechwood ashes with 4⁠/⁠100 of a part of Venetian soap and 2 parts of common salt in 8 parts of rain water. Brush the silver with this, using a pretty stiff brush. A solution of crystallized permanganate of potash is often recommended, or even the spirits of hartshorn, for removing the grayish violet film which forms upon the surface of the silver. Finally, when there are well-determined blemishes upon the surface of the silver, they may be soaked 4 hours in soapmakers’ lye, then cover them with finely powdered gypsum which has been previously moistened with vinegar, drying well before a fire; now rub them with something to remove the powder. Finally, they are to be rubbed again with very dry bran.

«POLISHES FOR STEEL AND IRON.»

The polishing of steel must always be preceded by a thorough smoothing, either with oilstone dust, fine emery, or coarse rouge. If any lines are left to be erased by means of fine rouge, the operation becomes tedious and is rarely successful. The oilstone dust is applied on an iron or copper polisher. When it is desired to preserve the angles sharp, at a shoulder, for instance, the polisher should be of steel. When using diamantine an iron polisher, drawn out and flattened with a hammer, answers very well. With fine rouge, a bronze or bell-metal polisher is preferable for shoulders; and for flat surfaces, discs or large zinc or tin polishers, although glass is preferable to either of these. After each operation with oilstone dust, coarse rouge, etc., the polisher, cork, etc., must be changed, and the object should be cleaned well, preferably by soaping, perfect cleanliness being essential to success. Fine rouge or diamantine should be made into a thick paste with oil; a little is then taken on the polisher or glass and worked until quite dry. As the object is thus not smeared over, a black polish is more readily obtained, and the process gets on better if the surface be cleaned from time to time.