Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million: Containing Four Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-five Receipts, Facts, Directions, etc. in the Useful, Ornamental, and Domestic Arts — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million: Containing Four Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-five Receipts, Facts, Directions, etc. in the Useful, Ornamental, and Domestic Arts
John Stuart Mill · en
74. _To clean Britannia metal._--Rub the article with a piece of
flannel moistened with sweet oil; then apply a little pounded
rotten-stone or polishing paste with the finger, till the polish is
produced; then wash the article with soap and hot water, and when
dry, rub with soft wash-leather, and a little fine whiting.
75. _To clean Pewter._--Scour it with fine white sand, and strong ley
made with wood-ashes, soda, or pearl-ash; then rinse the pewter in
clean water, and set it to drain. The best method, however, is to use
the oil of tartar and sand.
76. _To clean Tin Covers._--Get the finest whiting; mix a little of
it powdered with the least drop of sweet oil, rub the covers well
with it, and wipe them clean; then dust over them some dry whiting
in a muslin bag, and rub bright with dry leather. This last is to
prevent rust, which the cook must guard against by wiping them dry,
and putting them by the fire when they come from the parlor; for if
but once hung up damp, the inside will rust.
77. _Safe Method of cleaning Tea-urns._--In an earthen gallipot
put one ounce of bees'-wax, cut up in small pieces; set it by the
fireside, until perfectly melted and quite hot, very near boiling
heat; remove the jar from the fire, and stir into it rather
less than a table-spoonful of salad oil, and rather more than a
table-spoonful of best spirits of turpentine; continue stirring till
well mixed and nearly cold; fill the urn with boiling water so as to
make it thoroughly hot, apply a thin coating of the above mixture,
and rub with a soft cloth, till all stickiness is removed, then
polish with a clean rag and a little crocus powder.
N. B.--The crocus powder must be very fine, so as to sift through
muslin.
78. _To clean Gilt or Lacquered Articles._--Brush them with warm soap
and water, wipe them, and set them before the fire to dry; finish
with a soft cloth. By this simple means may be cleaned ormolu and
French gilt candelabra, branches, and lamps; mosaic gold and gilt
jewelry, toys and ornaments. Care is requisite in brushing the dirt
from fine work, and finishing it quite dry. Any thing stronger than
soap, as acids, pearl-ash, or soda, will be liable to remove the
lacquer.
_To polish inlaid Brass Ornaments._--Mix powdered tripoli and linseed
oil, and dip in it a piece of hat, with which rub the brass; then, if
the wood be ebony, or dark rosewood, polish it with elder ashes in
fine powder.
79. _To clean Lacquer._--Make a paste of starch, one part; powdered
rotten-stone, twelve parts; sweet oil, two parts; oxalic acid, one
part; water to mix.
80. _To clean Door-plates._--To clean brass-plates on doors, so as
not to injure the paint at the edges, cut the size of the plate out
of a large piece of mill-board, place it against the door, and rub
the plate with rotten-stone, or crocus and sweet oil, upon leather.
81. _To clean Mother-o'-pearl._--Wash in whiting and water. Soap
destroys the brilliancy.