How To Make Metal Polishes
The active constituent of all metal polishes is generally chalk, rouge, or tripoli, because these produce a polish on metallic surfaces.
The following recipes give good polishing soaps:
(1) 20 to 25 lb. liquid soap is intimately mixed with about 80 lb. of Swedish chalk and 1/2 lb. Pompeiian red.
(2) 25 lb. liquid coco-nut oil soap is mixed with 2 lb. tripoli, and 1 lb. each alum, tartaric acid, and white lead.
(3) 25 lb. liquid coco-nut oil soap is mixed with 5 lb. rouge and 1 lb. ammonium carbonate.
(4) 24 lb. coco-nut oil are saponified with 12 lb. soda lye of 38° to 40° B., after which 3 lb. rouge, 3 lb. water, and 32 grammes ammonia are mixed in.
Good recipes for polishing pomades are as follows:
(1) 5 lb. lard and yellow vaseline is melted and mixed with 1 lb. fine rouge.
(2) 2 lb. palm oil and 2 lb. vaseline are melted together, and then 1 lb. rouge, 400 grains tripoli, and 20 grains oxalic acid are stirred in.
(3) 4 lb. fatty petroleum and 1 lb. lard are heated and mixed with 1 lb. of rouge.
The polishing pomades are generally perfumed with essence of myrbane.
Polishing powders are prepared as follows:
(1) 4 lb. magnesium carbonate, 4 lb. chalk, and 7 lb. rouge are intimately mixed.
(2) 4 lb. magnesium carbonate are mixed with 150 grains fine rouge.
An excellent and harmless polishing water is prepared by shaking together 250 grains floated chalk, 1 lb. alcohol, and 20 grains ammonia.
Gilded articles are most readily cleansed with a solution of 5 grains borax in 100 parts water, by means of a sponge or soft brush.
The articles are then washed in pure water, and dried with a soft linen rag. Silverware is cleansed by rubbing with a solution of sodium hyposulphite.
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