Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-08-09
HOUSEHOLD METAL WORK.
FayOrite and Effective Cleaning Agents
 For Brass, Copper. Tin and Steel


 For Brass, Copper, Tin and Steel. It may not be out of place to consider some of the best ways of cleaning the numerous metal objects that are of ne- cessity used ill most households. Silver plate, which naturally comes first, may be passed with brief mention, as any housewife already knows the value of whitening and silver soap in this con- nection. By the bye, silver which is washed each day ill hot studs and dried with soft linen cloth and rubbed with chamois requires but little extra clean ing with whiting, jewellers soap or oth. CT special cleaning medium. Brass and copper articles may be roughly divided into two classes-those lacquered and those left unlacquered. The lacquered articles ought not to be | secured, but simply dusted from time | to time. With careful treatment these will retain their luster for a long time, and when it becomes tarnished the sim | plest way to renew the brightness is to have the articles relacquered.
 I Implements of brass or copper that | are much used, as a rule, are not lac I quered, and to these attention is now directed. Avoid alltcleaning mediums | containing corrosive acids for brass. In the shops one finds a red paste which, ill conjunction with elbow grease, pro duces fine polish. There is, however, nothing really better than rotten stone and oil-finely sifted rotten stone and good sweet oil. None of the polishing fluids or pastes or soaps can compare with it. These latter day nostrums cer- l to; 1x1 o1- 1,,H cleaned with them tarnish again much sooner than things cleaned ill simpler ] ways.
 Brass lenders may be cleaned either in one piece, or better still if taken to pieces by unscrewing the screws. A soft rubber of blanket or flannel wrapped round piece of wood or cork dipped ill oil, wrung out and powdered over with rotten stone, will soon polish up the flat portions. Round portions, such as knobs and bars, are the best cleaned by passing round them band of fan nel, moistened as above, pulling the ends alternately. Coal scuttleS and any repousse articles such as kettles and bellows can be cleaned by brushing with the same compound or with am monia Brush all traces of the rotten stone or paste out of the recesses The same applies to brass candlesticks, trays and walters. Stair rods can be cleaned by making ;t thick pad of felt, anointed with rotten stone and oil, to shut like ;s book. Tho rods must then be inserted and worked in and out for half their length, then reversed and treated similarly for the other end. A Il brass things should be finished first by rub bing with an oiled or vaselined rag and then by rubbing with a leather. To se- cure good effect, rubbing should all be in one direction. Cross rubbing never gives a good result. Copper may be cleaned exactly the same way as brass, ts ' at times very fine emery powd,>7> . required to give the best results.
 Timed ware looks very nice when new, but the vigorous securing it often receives from tho ignorant soon wears through the thin coating of tin and leaves tho iron underneath exposed to view and to atmospheric action. Whit Ing with plain water, or else with am monia, is tho best for such ware, only the angles and recesses must be brushed to remove all traces. If the iron under neatn IS CApoacu, fel1llh1nS Inay pe ucc- essary. Such ware should be carefully dried inside to prevent the chance of rusting.
 Steel fire irons, lenders, etc., are best cleaned with emery powder and oil. 7 After cleaning and polishing they should be rubbed over with an oiled rag and then rubbed up again. To preserve them from rust it is good plan to rut on vaseline. Another favorite cleansing agent is bath brick. Two pieces may be f rubbed down, and the resulting powder siftod and mixed with sweet oil or with , paraffin oil When rust has once got 5 hold of steel goods, it is difficult tC . era,A ate it, especially when, like fend
 CTS, they are usually i'll direct draft.
 ALICE VARNUM.